If you’re 21 or younger and head across the border to Canada to drink legally at the lower drinking age of 19, you’re now going to want your designated driver across the border as well.

That’s because a new zero alcohol law takes effect Sunday in Ontario for all drivers 21 and younger in an effort by the provincial government to promote highway safety.

Police expect to begin enforcing the new law immediately.

“We have a lot of festivals going on this weekend,” said Jeff Latham, a traffic services constable with the Niagara Regional Police Service. “As with any new legislation, we’ll be sending a strong message when it first launches.”

“Young Drivers,” defined by the new Ontario law as those under age 22, who are found to be driving with any measurable blood alcohol concentration above zero will be breaking the law and will have their license immediately suspended at the roadside for 24 hours.

A $110 fine also will be imposed, under the new provisions, and drivers will be subject to a further license suspension of 30 days, if convicted in court. Because Ontario and New York have reciprocal agreements governing traffic enforce-

ment and motor vehicle licensing, authorities say New York residents would be subject to the same sanctions here.

New York State has employed its own “Zero Tolerance Law” in effect since 1996, which applies to drivers under age 21. In New York, anyone under age 21 caught with a blood alcohol level of .02 to .07 percent is charged with “driving after having consumed alcohol” and subject to a hearing before an administrative law judge from the Department of Motor Vehicles.

A six-month license suspension and $125 fine is imposed upon a first-time conviction, and the charge remains on a driver’s record for at least three years.

Research found ages 19-21 are the “peak years” for drinking- and-driving related collisions and drivers ages 19-21 are about 1z times more likely to be involved in drinking-and-driving fatal and injury collisions, according to the Ontario Ministry of Transportation.

“Extending the zero BAC requirement gives young drivers the chance to gain more driving experience without taking unnecessary risks,” said Margaret Miller, Canada’s national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. “This will reduce impaired driving deaths and injuries among young drivers, and promote safe and responsible driving habits.”