New legislation targets young drivers, repeat offenders

NEWS RELEASE

ONTARIO MINISTRY OF TRANSPORTATION

************************* Making Ontario's roads safer

McGuinty government proposes new rules for novice drivers and tougher laws for drinking and suspended drivers

TORONTO - (November 18) - Ontario is proposing tough new legislation that would, if passed, make the province's roads safer for all drivers.

Proposed changes to Ontario's graduated licensing system would mean it would take a new driver up to 36 months to get a driver's licence, giving them better skills and experience to drive safely.

The proposed changes also include:

- A zero blood alcohol concentration level for all drivers 21 years of age and younger.

- Tougher penalties for novice drivers that increase with each violation of graduated licensing restrictions, with convictions that result in demerit points or with court-ordered suspensions.

- Tighter restrictions on the number of young passengers teen drivers can carry.

Other changes proposed in the bill would help keep suspended drivers off Ontario's roads by giving police the power to immediately impound their vehicles for seven days - at the roadside.

Convicted drunk drivers and those who continue to drive without a court-ordered ignition lock would also be subject to an immediate seven-day roadside impoundment.

Quotes

"Teenaged drivers are about 3.5 times more likely to be involved in a fatal collision," said Transportation Minister Jim Bradley. "Lengthening their training period will give young and novice drivers more time to develop a lifetime of safe driving habits."

"We support Ontario's proposed legislation and regulations - a longer graduated licensing period for new drivers and a no drinking policy for all drivers 21 years of age and under would help keep young drivers from drinking and driving and give new drivers the experience they need," said Andrew Murie, chief executive officer of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada.

"CAA is pleased to support these measures that will strengthen Ontario's graduated licensing system, crack down on suspended drivers, and that will help keep impaired drivers off our roadways," said Faye Lyons, government relations specialist, CAA South Central Ontario.

Quick facts

- Motor vehicle collisions are the leading cause of hospital admissions among youth aged 15 to 24.

- Ontario was the first jurisdiction in North America to introduce a comprehensive graduated licensing program, in April 1994.

Learn more

To download a copy of the latest Ontario Road Safety Annual Report, please click here.

Backgrounder - making Ontario's roads safer

In 2005, Ontario had the safest roads of any province or state, yet still 766 people were killed and 3,619 seriously injured on our roads.

Teenaged drivers are nearly 3.5 times more likely to be involved in a fatal collision than drivers aged 30 to 34.

To prevent tragedies on our roads, the McGuinty government has introduced legislation and regulations that, if passed, would better prepare our young and novice drivers to drive safely, and would tackle dangerous driving behaviours, such as driving drunk and driving with a suspended licence.

Giving young and novice drivers the right start

Ontario's graduated licensing system (GLS) works: only 14 years after this program began, fatalities and injuries among teen drivers have declined by almost 25 percent.

Now the Ontario government is moving to make GLS even more effective.

To give new drivers the right start, Ontario plans to improve its GLS with new driving restrictions and a longer learning time period. This will help new drivers develop the right skills and experience they need for a lifetime of safe driving.

These improvements include:

- Increasing the length of time drivers spend at the G1 and G2 levels. Currently, novice drivers can obtain a full G license in as little as 20 months. Under the proposed legislation, the minimum would be 30 months.

- Replacing the current night-time restriction on the number of young passengers a teen G2 driver can carry with an all-day restriction.

- Introducing sanctions that get tougher each time a novice driver violates graduated licensing restrictions, receives a conviction that results in demerit points or a receives a court-ordered suspension. These drivers would receive, upon conviction: first instance - 30-day licence suspension; second instance - 90-day licence suspension; third instance - the driver must return to the start of the graduated licensing program (G1).

To view a comparison chart between current exclusive G1 requirements and proposed new exclusive G1 requirements, please click here.

To view a comparison chart between current common G1 & G2 requirements and proposed new common G1 & G2 requirements, please click here.

To view a comparison chart between current exclusive G2 requirements and proposed new exclusive G2 requirements, please click here.

Enforcing zero tolerance for young drinking drivers

Drivers aged 19 to 21 are over-represented in drinking and driving collisions.

Ontario wants to put a stop to this trend by making it illegal for any person aged 21 or under to drive after drinking any alcohol.

Young drivers in all licence classes will be required to have a zero blood alcohol concentration (BAC) whenever they are behind the wheel.

New measures for suspended drivers

An estimated three-quarters of all suspended drivers continue to drive.

The proposed legislation will help get these dangerous drivers off our roads by giving police the power to immediately impound their vehicles for seven days - at the roadside.

To view part 1 of a comparison chart between current penalties for drunk and/or suspended drivers and proposed new penalties, please click here.

To view part 2 of a comparison chart between current penalties for drunk and/or suspended drivers and proposed new penalties, please click here.

Measures for impaired drivers

Drinking and driving is still a factor in about a quarter of all road fatalities every year.

To continue reading this article, please click here.