Government of Ontario, Canada - News

Ministry of Transportation

McGuinty Government Continues To Keep Families Safe On Ontario's Roads


Legislation Passes Targeting Drunk Drivers And Street Racers QUEEN'S PARK, May 29 /CNW/ - Ontario's families will be safer thanks tonew legislation that passed today that gets tough on drunk drivers and streetracers, Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield announced. "Ontario is a leader in road safety across North America. The McGuintygovernment has delivered on its commitment to keep communities and familiessafe," said Cansfield. "Our new legislation makes it clear - if you drink anddrive, or if you race on our roads, there will be tough penalties." The Safer Roads for a Safer Ontario Act, 2007, gets even tougher on thosewho endanger themselves and others with stronger sanctions for drinkingdrivers who have a 0.05 to 0.08 blood alcohol concentration ("the warnrange"). Penalties have increased to a minimum three-day suspension for afirst offence, up to a 30-day suspension, remedial measures, and an ignitioninterlock for a third or subsequent offence. Since 1999, there have been an estimated 35 street-racing related deathsin and around the Greater Toronto Area. The McGuinty government is increasingfines for street racers up to $10,000, the highest fine in Canada, and willallow police to immediately suspend drivers' licences and impound cars forseven days at roadside in cases where street racing, driving contests or stuntdriving are suspected. The new legislation also bans driving on a highway witha connected nitrous oxide system. To better protect police in the line of duty, the new law will allow acombination of blue and red flashing lights on police vehicles to make themmore visible, especially at night. Monte Kwinter, Minister of Community Safety and Correctional Services,applauded the tough new measures for drunk and dangerous driving. "Knowingthat there is a heavy price to pay provides a good deterrent to drivers whotake deadly risks on our roads," said Kwinter. "We are using criminal and civil law tools to keep Ontario's roads safefrom drunk drivers," said Attorney General Michael Bryant. "The early ignitioninterlock program will help prevent repeat drinking and driving incidencesbecause it actively prevents offences from being committed, and repeatoffenders who continue to drink and drive, without regard for the law, mayhave their cars forfeited, by court order, under new civil forfeiture laws." "The tougher measures for those convicted of drinking and driving andstreet racing offences will help all police agencies to protect the citizensof Ontario from dangerous drivers," OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino said. Supporting regulations will be developed in consultation with police andinterested stakeholders. For more information visit the Ministry ofTransportation website at www.mto.gov.on.ca. The legislation will be effective upon proclamation and once allregulations are filed.

<< Disponible en français www.mto.gov.on.ca Backgrounder ------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEW LEGISLATION IMPROVES ROAD SAFETY The McGuinty government is delivering on its commitment to improve roadsafety and keep communities and families safe. The Safer Roads for a SaferOntario Act, 2007, was passed by the provincial legislature today, and willhelp protect Ontarians from drinking drivers and dangerous driving. Each year, about 16,000 people are charged with drinking and driving inOntario - about two people each hour. About a quarter of the province's annualroad fatalities are alcohol-related. The new legislation targets impaireddriving by: - Creating escalating sanctions for repeat drinking drivers measuring 0.05 to 0.08 blood alcohol concentration (the "warn" range) - First instance: driver suspended for three days - Second instance: driver suspended for seven days and must undergo remedial measures - Third or subsequent instance: driver suspended for 30 days, must undergo remedial measures and have ignition interlock for six months. - Providing incentives to convicted offenders to install ignition interlock devices - Allowing the use of forfeiture law to take vehicles away from people who continue to drink and drive. Since 1999, there have been an estimated 35 street-racing related deathsin and around the Greater Toronto Area. The legislation includes toughmeasures for those who choose to race on Ontario's roads, including higherfines and longer suspensions: - Police can issue an immediate roadside seven-day licence suspension and seven-day vehicle impoundment for street racing, participating in a driving contest or stunt driving - The maximum fine increases from $1,000 to $10,000 upon conviction for street racing, making it the highest penalty in Canada. The minimum fine increases from $200 to $2,000 - Courts can impose a driver licence suspension of up to 10 years for a second conviction, if the second conviction occurs within 10 years of the first conviction - The Act also bans driving a motor vehicle on a highway with a connected nitrous oxide system. Some street racers use nitrous oxide to enhance the acceleration capabilities of their vehicle. In a separate measure, police vehicles can now use a combination of blueand red flashing lights, making them more visible, especially at night. This new legislation will help keep communities and families safe, sendinga clear message that drinking and driving and street racing will result intough penalties. Contact: Bob Nichols Ministry of Transportation 416-327-1158 Disponible en français www.mto.gov.on.ca >>-30-For further information: Media Contacts: Jamie Rilett, Minister'sOffice, (416) 327-9134; Bob Nichols, Communications Branch, (416) 327-1158;Public Inquiries: (416) 235-4686 (GTA), 1-800-268-4686 toll free,1-866-471-8929 TTY

Im not even sure what to say about that. This bill pretty much works like communism. It looks great on paper. Everyone is happy and no problem. Except they dont take into consideration people who dont want to follow the rules or guidelines.

CRX Forum

racing is bad, and now telling them they can lock down anyone is MIGHT be racing, fucking stupid

its always like that man they bend and stretch the main point to include other things THEY need hmm... communism

I don't see a problem with it. Don't fuck around, don't fucking worry. Simple enough to me.

However I do see alot of problems comming out of situations where it's hard for the officer to judge weather the incident included driving contests, stuntdriving(WTF?) or racing. What can be construde as stuntdriving? is it when pedro lights up the tires on his big ole chevy truck at the highschool...or when I pop the clutch on a steep grade and my tires spin a little? Is it a driving contest if I'm doing 140km/h on the highway, pass Chevy Malibu with Chrome hub-caps and he floors it to catch up and we're both caught at the same time doing similar speeds...fucked. I see alot of innocent people about to get royally fucked cause they decided to 'crack down' on this bullshit. I also forsee alot of guilty people finding ways out, while innocent people get ass-fucked by McGuinty and his 'safer community for families'.

I totally agree with cracking down on the people who are retarded and fuck shit up by drinking and driving and wreckless driving(racing) but I think it's gonna be alot of problems comming from roadside judgement. HOW CAN A COP tell 100% certain of any of these things without properly checking the evidence, witness statements fucking all of it. Putting the power to judge in the hand of a cop who already has too much shit to enforce and worry about is asking for trouble. and if I get hassled by the cops while I'm abiding by all of the laws you better fucking believe I am going to raise the stinkiest of all fucking stinks and make hell for them.And by them I do not mean the poor bastard who has to enforce this shit, it's not the cops idea to do this so I'll let him do his job and be nice about it.

I'm sick of Dalton McGuinty, I'm sick of his girly feminine features, and I'm sick of all of his Bullshit.

EDIT* Also, going back to red and blue lights...back to black and white cruisers. WTF, they are prolly just gonna change in a few years again anyways..why bother wasting so much fucking money switching out certain colour lights and paint all the fucking time? Shit, what next Uniform changes? perhaps a better hat? New shoes, maybe a purse to go with it? Fucking retarded.

Im not sure how anyone in the public can not have a problem with this. Essentially it gives officers a carte blanche to do whatever they want, impound cars when they want, take cars off the road whenever they want, charge you for nothing and pull you over for nothing.

Im a good driver. No tickets on anything except for a license plate in the window ticket. All other tickets Ive got were from misinformed officers, understandably doing what they thought was right, and was let off due to that. Quick example: Modified exhaust ticket on a stock exhaust and they thought I was another vehicle. The fact that I now have to drive in fear of someone else doing something stupid and me somehow getting in trouble for it really irritates me.

How many people are going to see this thread and threads like it? Maybe 500 or so. What about the rest of the boy racers and grandpa racers I see everyday on the roads? The ones who pull up to me in their mommy's car and want to race. Or the ones who pull up to me in their fully restored hot rods trying to put a shitty import in its place. What about those people? Those people are the ones who are going to get my car impounded. They speed match me on the highway, honk their horns to get my attention, do flybys, and a million other things. Am I going to get in shit because Im in the area of this going on?

What about meeting at a place like Tim Hortons and some jerkoff doing a burnout. Am I going to get my car impounded because of him? I was in Brampton Wednesday night to see a friend. He asked me if I wanted to go to "The Lot" to see some local cars there. 3/4 of the cars there were doing burn outs, flying through the lot going 80kmph or more, and other things. This also included a mid 90s Ferrari. So its all not just little kids being dumb.

If Im going the same speed as a Dodge Ram on the highway. Does that mean Im street racing Big Jeff? If Im beisde EF9 at the lights and I speed up to the speed limit faster than normal to make the next light in time, does that mean Im street racing his Jeep? If I accidently get stuck at a set of lights and right after those lights my lane ends and I have to merge and I speed up to get around the first slow moving Geo Metro does that mean I was street racing him? See what I mean here? There are so many ways for them to pull you over now. For people who say "Police dont discriminate" or something to that extent I know that they do. Ive only ever been pulled over in my import cars. Never in any of my American cars. Ive only been tailed in my import cars, never in my American.

I doubt any police are going to be reading this. But I hope that they are so that they can see the concern and frusteration of a good import driver like myself. I dont want to be caught in the middle of mumbo jumbo because of some sort of legal paperwork to make it look like this legislation is working.

CRX Forum

and willallow police to immediately suspend drivers' licences and impound cars forseven days at roadside in cases where street racing, driving contests or stuntdriving are suspected.

^this here troubles me,

and there is a lot of room here to interprete this law in improper ways...

For example, some niagara cop accused about 90 240sx's this past weekend of streetracing based on a phone call they recieved. we were all travelling from 40km/h-80km/h ina 60 zone.. The officer even went so far as to accuse people of street racing that were in fact passengers in vehicles... The officer caved and realized we were having a cruise night and that if he tried to book 90 of us, we cold have gone splits on a real good lawyer for next to nothing per person..

Originally Posted by S13GG

and willallow police to immediately suspend drivers' licences and impound cars forseven days at roadside in cases where street racing, driving contests or stuntdriving are suspected.

^this here troubles me,

I'd have to agree... sort of reminds me of WW2 and if the german SS "suspected" you were a jew, you died. Only difference is our government is taxing us or charging us so they can make money instead.

And really this is nothing new... "one example" we have speed limits but not "acceleration limits" so if a cop saw me do 0-60kph in say 3 seconds but I didnt squeel my tires or exceed the speed limit, sure he cannot charge me for speeding BUT he could say what I did was "careless" and then give me a careless driving ticket...

Wont name names... but I had a friend who phoned the police to inform them of a situation which was taking place but because the police were "wrongly informed" by a 2nd party, my friend was then arrested and had his car impounded and then bogus charges thrown on him only to pay for a lawyer, fight the bogus charges and have them thrown out in court BUT is now left paying a huge lawyer bill + the bill @ the impound to get his car back. THEN because they couldnt make the charges stick, they call the MTO to the impound to inspect his car and then pull his plates...

Our government is pretty much our own private gestapo and I really dont see it changing.

^ atleast we can talk about it freely

But really, what ever happend to being innocent until proven guilty.

"The McGuinty government is increasingfines for street racers up to $10,000, the highest fine in Canada, and willallow police to immediately suspend drivers' licences and impound cars forseven days at roadside in cases where street racing, driving contests or stuntdriving are suspected".

Originally Posted by S13GG

and willallow police to immediately suspend drivers' licences and impound cars forseven days at roadside in cases where street racing, driving contests or stuntdriving are suspected.

^this here troubles me,

and there is a lot of room here to interprete this law in improper ways...

It has begun. All you need is some power tripping cop now and they'll be impounding cars left right and center just to try and make a point and make it look like they're actually doing something. Wouldn't surprise me if it started heading in the direction of the old wreck checks on the 400. Ooooh, we impounded xxx number of cars this weekend suspected of street racing. Fuck that.

And what about the ohter two thirds of this bill - The drinking driving issues? Good or Bad?

I thought drinking and driving was already illegal? If the government would like to change the legal limit, I'd be fine with that. I do wish they'd stop pussy footing around the issue by putting in wildly variable fines and penalties for being under the limit mind you. Set a fine/penalty for a crime, and leave it alone.

I find it ironic that the penalties for being suspected of racing are nearly ten fold that of drinking and driving. Especially considering

"About 1,350 people die each year in Canada in motor vehicle crashes involving a drinking driver, and many more are seriously injured or disabled. In Ontario in 1997, alcohol was involved in 39 per cent of motor vehicle fatalities, 45 per cent of marine vehicle fatalities and 64 per cent of snowmobile and all-terrain vehicle fatalities. Drinking and driving is the largest single criminal cause of death and injury in Canada. "

You'd think being presumed to be racing is 4/1350th the problem as drinking and driving, that either

1. The focus, funds and media attention would be a little sharper on the real issue
2. The problems would be treated separately instead of trying tag a politically popular issue alongside a drinking and driving bill

You can destroy your life financially and be put in prison for being suspected of racing, which is an extremely difficult thing to quantify, and to even defend if your innocent 'I think you were trying to outdistance another vehicle' versus drinking and driving, which can be easily quantified, independently checked by a team of unbiased observers, and has resulted in real world deaths approaching 338 times that of racing (we'll not discuss the fact that of the 35 so called street racing deaths, the majority were the drivers who suffered the ultimate penalty already for his/her own poor judgment, and many were already drunk!). Yet you can drink, drive, get caught, blow warn, be home that evening in time for supper with a light fine and no record.

I'd have to think that it's not every police officers worst nightmare if some kid wraps himself around a telephone pole off of frobisher at 2am because he's an idiot. It's the jackass middle aged businessman drunk in his 300c flying down the expressway at 9pm trying to beat the ride programs that's a loaded gun pointed at each person he passes.

IMO anyhow...

BTW a ride program stopped a talon the other night and cited him for a disconnected EGR. Focus on the problem guys, or your going to pull over the wrong guy (a lawyer) and lose the ride program. It's already an identified breach of our charter of rights and freedoms, poking around under the hood has nothing to do with drinking and driving.

Paul

Originally Posted by SPOC

And what about the ohter two thirds of this bill - The drinking driving issues? Good or Bad?

That was the original bill in the first place. The street racing one was stapled to the back of this one to get it to pass. Who is going to vote against a drunk driving bill? Nobody.

CRX Forum

Okay so what about those people in a bit of a hurry and its wet outside and their trying to get out of a plaza because 15 other cars are lined up behind them, and they push on the accelerator a little too hard and spin the fuck outta the wheels? I have such shitty tires when it comes to wet surfaces they spin even if your just pushing a tad harder then you should...da fuck is gonna happen to my mom whos trying to come outta Sobeys and the tires start spinning due to them being cheap pieces of shit? The cop gonna pull her over and impound the minivan for that? Like what the fuck...I sure as hell hope not, its not my fault Dodge picks Goodyear Integrity's for their base model Caravans to ride on...

^ An officer isn't going to target a mom in a minivan and suspect her of racing...this is to target the population who "look like street racers".

Smart on the part of the government to "tag it to a dd bill". Crx is right about that. You could argue it all day long. I do feel they should be on seperate bills for that exact reason.

Originally Posted by blkrx7

I'd have to think that it's not every police officers worst nightmare if some kid wraps himself around a telephone pole off of frobisher at 2am because he's an idiot. It's the jackass middle aged businessman drunk in his 300c flying down the expressway at 9pm trying to beat the ride programs that's a loaded gun pointed at each person he passes.

BTW a ride program stopped a talon the other night and cited him for a disconnected EGR. Focus on the problem guys, or your going to pull over the wrong guy (a lawyer) and lose the ride program. It's already an identified breach of our charter of rights and freedoms, poking around under the hood has nothing to do with drinking and driving.

Paul

thumbs up to u paul!!

Wanna know something funny? You wouldn't have to worry about anything if you don't street race, and drive a legit car, and you restrain yourself from drinking and driving.

I don't know about your guys, but it's quite easy.

Originally Posted by LudeSRV

Wanna know something funny? You wouldn't have to worry about anything if you don't street race, and drive a legit car, and you restrain yourself from drinking and driving.

I don't know about your guys, but it's quite easy.

I dont think you fully grasp what the bill says. Youre thought process falls under the guise that every law enforcement officer out there is 100% morally correct and a stand up person. Also that everyone else on the road is a perfect driver.

CRX Forum

Originally Posted by crxforum

I dont think you fully grasp what the bill says. Youre thought process falls under the guise that every law enforcement officer out there is 100% morally correct and a stand up person. Also that everyone else on the road is a perfect driver.

CRX Forum

Graps? Lol, I didn't even bother reading it. Who cares, honestly. It's passed, and they aren't shit all anyone can really do. Gather up a few million people then we shall talk, until they, live with the fact that the government doesn't want people to street race, and they will profile people. Don't like it, then drive a stock minivan as your daily, and modify your car in a way that it still won't attract attention, so....keep it stock LOOKING....