Highway Fines Going Up January 1
Posted December 10, 2009 4:12 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The New Year could be an expensive one for Ontario motorists: Highway fines are going up January 1.
The penalties for several offenses will double, leaping from $500 to $1000.
If you don’t stop at a red light or wear your seatbelt, or if someone in your car under the age of 16 isn’t strapped in, you could forfeit a grand.
Other crimes come with a fine that could reach $2000: careless driving and failure to remain at the scene of a collision.
That’s on top of existing penalties like license suspensions and possible jail time.
Fines are also going up for drivers who don’t stop for emergency vehicles. Motorists could forfeit up to $2,000, three demerit points and their license for two years if convicted.
That’s a huge leap from the current maximum penalty of just $500.
For subsequent offences within five years, the maximum rises to a $4,000 fine, three demerit points, a two-year driver’s licence suspension and a six-month prison sentence – up from the current maximum penalty of a $500 fine.
With files from The Canadian Press.
