Starting Dec. 1, Ontario police will have more grounds for impounding vehicles being driven by suspended and impaired drivers.

It is estimated that about 200,000 Ontario drivers have their licences suspended in a given year, and that about three-quarters of them continue to drive.

"We know that people who are driving with suspended licences are more likely to be involved in collisions, in crashes," said Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne on Monday. "We want to make sure we reduce that possibility and get as many of them off the road as possible."

The provincial government announced Monday that its seven-day vehicle impoundment rule will apply to drivers suspended for the following reasons

  • driving while under certain Highway Traffic Act licence suspensions, including street racing and  non-payment of family support
  • driving with a blood-alcohol level of more than .08, or refusing to provide a breathalyzer sample
  • driving without an ignition interlock device when one is required

Provincial law already allows vehicles being operated in Ontario while under suspension for a Criminal Code offence can face impoundment for a minimum of 45 days. That will cost the motorist at least $1,800.

If a person allows a suspended driver to use their vehicle, that vehicle will be subject to impoundment, the government warned.

For that reason, vehicle owners should do an online check of the validity of a driver's licence before lending out their vehicle, it said.

The new restrictions are part of the province's Road Safety Act, 2009.

According to the province, about three-quarters of all suspended North American drivers continue to drive.

In Ontario, about 17,000 licence suspensions are handed out annually for impaired-driving related reasons.

In the 2009-10 fiscal year, the Family Responsibility Office suspended just under 4,000 driver's licences.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Paul Bliss