Impaired driving refers to the act of starting and maneuvering an automobile while the ability of the driver is adversely affected by drugs or alcohol. It is a term mainly used in Canada, as opposed to drunk driving which is normally used to describe such an act in the United States. Contrary to what most people believe, impaired driving not only involves the use of a car. Instead, it can also involve other vehicles such as a train, boat, snowmobile, or even an aircraft.

How can a Canadian be charged with impaired driving? First of all, this felony is oftentimes the result of a prior traffic violation. For example, if a policeman observes a vehicle that is moving too slow, exceeding the legal speeding limit, or is swerving from one lane to another, he can command its driver to pull over. When the driver has been asked to step out of the car and has been found to have bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, and/or breath which has a smell of alcohol, he can be arrested for impaired driving. Furthermore, a test to confirm the actual blood alcohol level of the offender is performed by a medical professional to verify the impaired driving charge.

Moving on, Canadian impaired driving has a number of classifications. Impaired driving causing bodily harm is the type of offense committed by a motorist who injures someone. On the other hand, impaired driving causing death is the crime committed by a person that kills someone while maneuvering his vehicle in an intoxicated state. Both of these criminal acts are punishable by imprisonment ranging from ten years to a complete life sentence.