Rules of the road: stiffer distracted driving fines take effect
Posted September 1, 2015 5:37 am.
Last Updated September 1, 2015 8:06 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Stiffer fines for distracted driving and rules to help protect cyclists, students and tow truck drivers go into effect Tuesday as part of Ontario’s new rules of the road.
The provincial government says penalties for distracted driving will include an increased set fine of $490 and three demerit points upon conviction. Along with the new fine, a judge could further increase the amount up to $1,000, if the case goes to court.
Drivers without a full license will receive a 30-day suspension for the first conviction for distracted driving.
The Making Ontario Roads Safer Act, which was approved unanimously in June, cracks down on distracted driving, including hiking fines and increasing demerit point penalties.
The Ministry of Transportation says fatalities from distracted driving are projected to eclipse those from drinking and driving by 2016 and a driver who uses a cellphone is four times more likely to be in a crash.
Minister of Transportation officials, along with Toronto police and Ontario Provincial Police, will be kicking off a one-day enforcement campaign from 8 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, focusing on drivers the GTA. Police will be patrolling Highway 404, as well as the Don Valley Parkway and the Gardiner Expressway, and several major streets in Toronto.
Under the act, people who “door” a cyclist – opening a car door that a cyclist crashes into – will pay an increased set fine of $365 and receive three demerit points upon conviction.
Drivers must also maintain a one-metre distance when passing bicyclists. Those caught disobeying this rule will be fined $110, which includes the victim surcharge, and two demerit points. In a community safety zone, that fine increases to $180.
Cyclists, meanwhile, will face a $110 fine for having improper lighting on a bicycle.
Drivers also face a $490 fine when passing too closely to stopped tow trucks and school buses. The fine for not moving over a lane on the highway for emergency workers is also being raised to $490.
Click here for a list of the fine changes.
Driver fees also going up
Also, on Tuesday, the fees for licence plate stickers for regular and commercial vehicles will be going up, as well as new driver licences and licence renewals,
In southern Ontario, the fee for licence plate stickers for regular vehicles, and commercial vehicles being driven for personal use, is increasing from $98 to $108 dollars – that’s about a 10 per cent increase.
Government officials say the fee increases are for the upkeep of transportation infrastructure, maintaining road safety and supporting key public services in the province.
Click here for the fee changes.