The province of Ontario, Canada, is proposing to crack down on careless and distracted driving with tough new rules and penalties to help improve road safety and keep vulnerable road users safe.
The new measures, set to be introduced this fall, include tougher penalties for distracted driving, such as higher fines, increased demerit points and license suspensions. A new offence for careless driving causing death or bodily harm is also proposed.
“Ontario is taking action to reduce the number of people killed by impaired, distracted and dangerous drivers.”
“These measures will help keep some of our most vulnerable road users safe and help us drive home the message that dangerous, impaired and distracted driving is unacceptable, and will not be tolerated,” said Minister of Transportation Steven Del Duca.
Additional plans include increased penalties for drivers who fail to yield for pedestrians and escalating fines for drivers who are convicted of multiple pedestrian-related offences within a five-year window. The province is also consulting on the use of cameras on school buses to capture the offence of illegally passing a school bus, so that this evidence can be admitted into court without a witness.
