A 19-year-old man will be charged with reckless driving after striking another vehicle head-on while going the wrong direction down a one way street in Ville-Marie early Sunday morning.
The man will be fined $1,000 for the reckless driving charge. He will also be given a $300 fine under the Highway Safety Code for driving with the presence of alcohol in his system. The man had a probationary license, for which there is zero tolerance for consuming any alcohol while driving.
He will also be required to pay $532 in fees and donations to the Victim’s Fund and $181 for various other fees, plus the cost of having his car towed, as well as losing four demerit points and his license for 90 days.
Mothers Against Drunk Driving spokesperson Theresa-Anne Krame said the man's actions merit the punishment.
"We know, first of all, that alcohol related deaths are the number one death of teens, so we've been asking for zero tolerance and we have that here in Quebec," she said. "That has helped because people tend to think that even a small amount of alcohol is not detrimental, but with young drivers, even at 0.05 per cent the chance of having a fatal collision is five times more likely."
Police said the man had a 21-year-old passenger in the car when he drove the wrong way down King where he collided with the young woman’s car. Neither man suffered serious injuries.
Initial reports indicated an 18-year-old woman in the other car suffered serious injuries but police said her condition has been upgraded and she is expected to be fine.
The woman’s car also held another 18-year-old female who suffered minor injuries and a 19-year-old male, who didn’t suffer any injuries.
