A new legislation has been introduced in Ontario to help reduce collisions, injuries and fatalities on the province’s roads and highways and keep them among the safest in North America.

If passed, the proposed Keeping Ontario’s Roads Safe Act and supporting amendments to the Highway Traffic Act will make highways and roads safer by:

•Increasing fines for distracted driving from a range of $60 – $500 to a range of $300 – $1,000 and assigning three demerit points upon conviction

•Increasing fines for drivers for dooring cyclists from a range of $60 – $500 to range of $300 – $1,000 and raising the demerit points from two to three

•Requiring all drivers to maintain a distance of one metre when passing cyclists

•Requiring drivers to yield the whole roadway to pedestrians at school crossings and pedestrian crossovers

Truck, Vehicle and Bus Safety

Proposed legislation, if passed, would allow B-train double trailer combinations to be extended from 25 metres to 27.5 metres to accommodate new technologies required to meet air quality and greenhouse gas emissions standards and include more comfortable sleep berths for drivers.

In addition, the legislation proposes to expand the current ‘Slow Down, Move Over’ requirement for motorists beyond only emergency vehicles with red or red and blue flashing lights to include tow trucks that are stopped and responding to roadside accidents and emergencies while their amber flashing lights are activated.

If passed, the proposed legislation would allow the Motor Vehicle Inspection Station Program to move to a contractual model and enable the procurement of a third-party contract administrator.