Texting and Driving

Texting and Driving: New Fines Introduced!

On the heels of a Judicial Order of Justice Annemarie Bonkalo, Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice, the Ontario Legislature has re-focused its attention on ensuring public safety on Ontario’s roads and highways.

On March 17, 2014, the Province introduced legislation aimed at reducing motor vehicle accidents, injuries and fatalities by targeting and stiffening penalties for careless motorists and other distracted drivers on their cellphones or other devices.

More specifically, the proposed Keeping Ontario’s Roads Safe Act and supporting amendments to the Highway Traffic Act, seek to make roads and highways safer by:

•    Increasing fines for distracted driving (texting and driving);
•    Assigning 3 demerit points upon conviction of distracted driving;
•    Making a distracted driving conviction a contravention of the licence conditions placed on novice drivers within the Graduated Licencing System;
•    Increasing fines for drivers who “door” cyclists;
•    Increasing the demerit points assigned to drivers who “door” cyclists;
•    Requiring all motorists to maintain a distance of one metre when passing cyclists;
•    Requiring all motorists to yield the whole roadway to pedestrians at school crossings and pedestrian crossovers.

For more information on the proposed legislation, please visit the Province of Ontario website at http://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2014/03/keeping-ontarios-road-safe-act.html

Strype Injury Lawyers reminds everyone that it is illegal to text, type, dial or email using hand-held cellular phones or other entertainment devices while operating a motor vehicle.

Please pay attention on the roads and avoid catastrophic accidents and injuries.

Drive safe!