As roads become crowded once again, a new legislation focuses on improving driver safety in Ontario.
On July 1, a new legislation, The Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, or MOMS, will be implemented in Ontario, with different stages being rolled out over time.
This legislation aims to implement new rules which target stunt driving and street racing on roads in Ontario. Under the new legislation, drivers will incur harsher penalties. They risk having their license suspended, as well as an increased sentence for vehicle impounding.
According to Sgt. Kerry Schmidt of the OPP, this legislation is long overdue.
“You just need to open up your windows at night to hear the revs of motorcycles and sports cars in parking lots and on the streets,”
Schmidt stated that although the streets have become less crowded as a result of the pandemic, the amount of speeding and street racing has increased.
“We saw a lot of people taking advantage of these new driving conditions. Because the traffic volumes had decreased so drastically, we saw people going 50 or more over the speed limit, even during the day,”
Schmidt acknowledges that these new penalties still aren’t the worst outcome when driving irresponsibly.
“Everybody wants to go the fastest and look cool, but when you start showing off, you’re gonna take more chances. People aren’t prepared for the consequences when something goes wrong,”
New rules, new penalties
The detailed descriptions of the penalties are listed on the Ontario Government website. In addition to a 30 day license suspension, offenders will also have their vehicle impounded for 14 days. The government has also focused on punishing repeat offenders, as drivers caught speeding or stunt driving can face increased penalties. For a first offence, drivers can face a year suspension of their license, followed by a minimum of 3 to 10 years for a second offence, and a lifetime suspension for the third offence.
Since the instatement of the legislation yesterday, Det. Const. Scott Matthews of the Toronto Police Service revealed that one driver has already been charged.
Matthews stated that the 24-year-old driver was moving at over 145km/h in a 90km/h zone. His vehicle has been impounded for 14 days, and he faces charges to get his license and vehicle back.
The legislation also hopes to improve driver safety by introducing even more penalties for street racing and stunt driving. The speed threshold for stunt driving has been lowered even further, as drivers will now face charges at speeds of only 40km/h.
