Province passes legislation that imposes harsher penalties for drivers travelling at dangerous speeds
Published May 31, 2021 at 7:12 pm
Ontario is implementing harsher penalties for dangerous driving.
On Monday (May 31), the Province passed legislation that will impose more severe penalties for drivers caught travelling at dangerous speeds, as well as introduce escalating penalties for repeat offenders.
Under this legislation, known as the Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, 2021 (MOMS Act), the roadside suspension for drivers caught street racing will be increased to 30 days, and the vehicle will be impounded for 14 days.
The legislation also introduces escalating penalties for repeat offenders—those convicted of street racing will have their driver’s license suspended for a minimum of one to three years, those convicted for a second time will have their license suspended for a minimum of three to 10 years, those convicted for a third time will have their license suspended indefinitely with the possibility of having it reinstated at a later date, and those convicted for a fourth time will have their license suspended permanently.
The legislation will also reduce the speed threshold for street racing on some roads—rather than 50 km/h it will be lowered to 40 km/h.
However, this would only apply for roads where the speed limit is lower than 80 km/h.
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The legislation will also introduce a default speed limit of 80 km/h for all highways that are not within a local municipality or a built-up area.
“Dangerous driving has no place on our roads, as it puts innocent drivers and pedestrians at risk. We are pleased to see that this legislation will combat high-risk driving through stiffer fines and increased penalties for dangerous drivers who engage in stunt driving, street racing and aggressive driving. The MOMS Act paves the way for safer roads,” Kim Donaldson, vice-president for Ontario of the Insurance Bureau of Canada, said in a news release.
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