T’is the season to be jolly, but Torontonians were way over the top, particularly when behind the wheel. Drunk driving charges were up by 33% in Toronto and by 47% in Peel region. Everyone is searching for an explanation to this dramatic increase in impaired driving. The scary part is that the statistic only reflects the few that were caught in the act which we all know is the tip of the iceberg. I’ve love to know how these numbers correlate to the general driving population at large.

Sgt. Tim Burrows of the Toronto Police Service offered a possible explanation for the increase. In years passed RIDE patrols were set up on main roads. This year they shifted the focus to secondary roads and side streets in the belief that drunk drivers would choose to stay off main roads in an attempt to avoid detection.

In spite of the growing concerns over impaired driving and the necessity to get drunk drivers off the road lawyers are challenging the new federal legislation that abolished the “two beer defense” to an impaired driving charge. In case you are unfamiliar with this popular defense, people who were accused of drunk driving after a breathalyzer test said that they only had 2 beers but because they just recently finished the second beer, they had more alcohol in their breath than in their blood. However after July 2, 2008 anyone who wants to challenge a breathalyzer result are now required to provide the court with technical evidence proving the equipment was malfunctioning or wasn’t operated properly.

We’ll have to wait and see if the new law will be overturned and the “two beer defense” comes back into play.