Ottawa teen charged with drunk driving in weekend crash

An Ottawa teen is believed to be the first young driver in eastern Ontario to be charged under the province's new drinking and driving law.

Ottawa police charged a 17-year-old male driver with careless driving and driving with a blood alcohol level above zero after a car crashed into a tree on March Road Sunday morning.

A 17-year-old female passenger was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries, but is now listed in stable condition. Three other teens riding in the vehicle were not injured.

New legislation requiring zero alcohol tolerance for drivers 21 and under came into effect Aug. 1.