Ontario Building Safer Roads and Communities

Proposed changes will help combat impaired driving, auto theft and improve trucking safety

TORONTO — Today, the Ontario government introduced legislation that, if passed, would improve community safety and protect people and families from road users who engage in dangerous and illegal activities such as impaired driving, stunt driving and auto theft. The Safer Roads and Communities Act would also strengthen the province’s commercial vehicle enforcement program and improve e-bike safety.

The Safer Roads and Communities Act would increase the powers of Ministry of Transportation Enforcement Officers (TEOs) by allowing them to exceed posted speed limits for enforcement purposes, compel trucks and commercial vehicles to pull over and confiscate fraudulent or suspended driver’s licences. Additionally, the government will lead a comprehensive review of commercial driving training and hold provincewide stakeholder roundtables to seek industry and public feedback on measures to improve road safety.

As the popularity of e-bikes continues to rise in Ontario, so does the reported number of collisions, significant injuries and fatalities. The proposed legislation would enable the government to categorize more dangerous e-bikes into distinct classes such as by maximum weight or speed, to improve safety on the road for pedestrians, bikes and cars.

Also included in the Safer Roads and Communities Act are proposed changes that would introduce escalating licence suspensions for people convicted of auto theft and stunt driving and a lifetime licence suspension for anyone convicted of alcohol or drug-impaired driving causing death.