Burlington Drunk Driving Defence

What To Do If You Get Caught Driving Drunk in Burlington

There has been a recent increase of drunk driving convictions in Burlington courts and this has contributed to drunk driving becoming the largest single offence in Ontario. Drinking and driving cases are more likely to be brought to trial than any other criminal offence. The reason for this is that at trial, these cases are often contested on highly technical grounds based mainly on police violations where Sections 8, 9 and 10 (b) of the Charter of Rights and Freedom are cited in our client’s defence.

As a respectable Burlington drunk driving lawyer, we have many years of experience in successfully defending our clients with drunk driving charges. As experienced DUI criminal defence attorneys, we have shown and assured consistent results largely due to our vigorous cross examination of prosecution witnesses as well as our ability to target technical insufficiencies. Contact us immediately if you have been charged for driving while drunk in Burlington, ON. The earlier you get in contact with us the better.

This, by far, is the most common of all drunk driving charges in Burlington, ON. A police officer can demand a person to provide breath samples into an approved instrument if there is reasonable ground to suspect that he/she has committed an offence under Section 253 within the last three hours due to alcohol intake. The cutoff level is 80 milligrams in 100 milliliters of blood and this evidence is used against you if taken to trial.

However, when defending our clients in Burlington, we try to establish a through cross-examination of prosecution witnesses and presentation of other evidence proving that the taking of breath samples may have violated s8 (protection against unreasonable searches and seizures) of the Charter of Rights and Freedom. Hence we argue that the evidence should be excluded under s 24(2) of the Charter.

Do Not Hesitate To Contact Us If You Have Received A Drunk Driving Offence

Additional Drug Evaluations When Charged with Drunk Driving in Burlington

When an road side evaluation indicates an over 80mg BAC, a police officer has reasonable ground to suspect that the offence committed within the previous three hours was also due to the consumption of drugs or a combination of drugs and alcohol. This is articulated under Section 253 and in this case a demand can be made on the accused to submit to an evaluation by the officer.

If the evaluating officer feels that the person is impaired by drugs or a combination of drugs and alcohol, an approved instrument demand will be made. There may also be a demand for blood and urine samples. It is also important to note that the statute also regards fatigue toxins as a type of drug.

When a Burlington police officer is in doubt as to whether a person has consumed alcohol or drugs and that he/she has been in control of a vehicle in the past three hours, a demand can be made for additional physical coordination tests to check for sobriety. Based on these tests, further demands can be made by the officer such as the demand for the use of more approved instruments, a blood demand or a drug evaluation demand after which the drunk driving charges will be validated.

Use of Approved Screening Instruments if Accused of Driving While Drunk in Burlington

Use of approved screening instruments is crucial for testing whenever one is accused of being drunk while driving in Burlington, Ontario. These devices are calibrated in a way that displays “fail” if the BAC is above 0.1%, “caution” if between 0.05 and 0.1 percent and a numerical value if the BAC is below 0.5%. Turning down a lawful demand for a breath test by a driver is a criminal offence unless a reasonable excuse to do so is given.

Choose An Elite Burlington DUI Lawyer to Fight Your Drunk Driving Charges

Whenever you are faced with charges of drunk driving, the best option is to get in touch with a Burlington drunk driving lawyer. We have experienced drunk driving lawyers and attorneys who have consistently delivered favorable verdicts to clients with different driving drunk charges in Burlington, ON. Our investigative team will even visit the site of the incident to get first hand reports which helps us determine any inconsistencies in the prosecution evidence or disposition by witnesses. Contact us today for more information.