If you're caught, you can now lose your licence at the roadside for 30 days
Author of the article: Jil McIntosh Publishing date: Sep 14, 2021 • September 14, 2021 • 2 minute read • Join the conversation
Stunt driver waiting for a towPHOTO BY OTTAWA POLICE /Twitter
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If driving fast is your style, be prepared for harsher penalties if you’re caught in Ontario. As of Sunday, September 12, 2021, if you’re stopped for a stunt driving offence, your driver’s licence will now be suspended roadside for 30 days, up from the previous seven days.
Stunt driving is more than just speeding, although that’s a big part of it. Your licence will be pulled if you’re caught doing 40 km/h or more over the limit on a road with a speed limit that’s less than 80 km/h; or if you’re doing 50 km/h or more over any speed limit. You’ll also get the charge if you’re clocked at 150 km/h or more anywhere, even if you’re on a highway with a speed limit of 110 km/h.
But wait, there’s more! According to the Highway Traffic Act, stunt driving charges also apply if you are driving in a way that prevents other vehicles from passing; if you intentionally cut off another vehicle; or if you intentionally drive too close to another vehicle, pedestrian, or fixed object. Yes, it looks like you could be riding the bus for 30 days for tailgating — but you won’t get any sympathy from us, because that’s a very dangerous way to drive, and we like our roads to be safe.
The licence suspension also applies to street racing. The province considers that to be two or more motor vehicles driving in a way that indicates the drivers are competing; if you’re chasing another vehicle; or if you’re changing lanes repeatedly at a high rate of speed and weaving through traffic. Again, that’s the stuff that can get people killed.
The new, longer suspension is part of the MOMS Act, for Moving Ontarians More Safely Act. It’s a wide net meant to improve protection for cyclists and road workers, improve commercial truck safety, and provide more oversight on the towing industry.
It’s being rolled out in stages and it started on July 1, 2021, when the level for stunt driving on an 80-km/h road dropped from driving 50 km/h over, down to 40 km/h over.
Other changes include a 14-day roadside vehicle impoundment for stunt driving, up from seven days; and longer licence suspensions if you’re convicted of stunt driving, especially on repeat offences. New safety measures will include photographing drivers who pass streetcars when their doors are open; requirement for a police report when drivers open their doors and hit cyclists; and new classification standards for e-bikes.
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