New hefty traffic fines kicked in at midnight in Ontario. They are tougher penalties for distracted driving and new rules to protect cyclists and tow truck drivers. Distracted driving is quickly becoming a bigger risk on the road than drunk driving. The sad part is that a lot of us are doing it, young and old. The province hopes these new rules with tougher fines will save lives.
If you have that feeling you're being watched, it's possible you are. Ottawa Police will have eyes on the road as the province's Making Ontario Roads Safer Act takes effect with tougher fines for distracted driving, dooring cyclists and ignoring working tow truck drivers.
Sergeant Mark Gatien is with the Ottawa Police traffic enforcement unit, ‘We're not going to warn drivers because there's a new fine in place,’ he says, ‘No, you're done the first time. There's no warnings tomorrow.’
Here are some of the biggest changes:
The fine for texting on your phone or shuffling through your iPod while driving goes up to $490 plus 3 demerit points. New drivers with a G1 or G2 license also get hit with a 30 day suspension.
‘If you’re speaking on the phone and you’re holding a phone, that’s an offence under the Highway Traffic Act,’ says Ottawa Police Sergeant Denis Hull. Hull says it makes no difference if you are stopped at a traffic light; if you want to use your phone without a hands-free mode, you have to pull over to do so.
‘It’s a harsh but effective way to make people stop doing that,’ says one motorist.
Emily Bentivoglio has her G2 and supports the tougher fines for novice drivers, ‘I think it’s smart. It’s a lesson that it’s dangerous. People deserve it if they do it.’
Ottawa Police say 40% of collisions last year were because of distracted driving. In the last 5 years, 6400 people have been injured as a result; 18 have died.
This woman's nephew was nearly one of them.
‘I have a nephew who got in a bad accident because someone texted and almost died. He can't work anymore and has a baby. It’s not funny.’
Another change will require driver to leave one metre of space between them and a cyclist or face a $110 fine and two demerit points. And fines are now possible for motorists who open their door into the path of a cyclist: $365 and 3 demerit points.
Thomas Besharah is glad to see some protection for cyclists after a nasty hit a few years ago.
‘I had a dislocated shoulder, sprained wrist. Let's be honest; everyone wants to get home to see their kids and family. Sometimes that doesn't happen on a bike.’
A new amendment regarding school crossing and pedestrian crossovers takes effect January 1, 2016. Drivers will not be allowed to proceed across a school crossing or pedestrian crossover until the pedestrians are safely on the opposite side of the road. A crossover is not the same thing as a crosswalk, Sgt. Gatien explains. A crossover is a light activated by a pedestrian for pedestrians only. There is only one crossover in Ottawa on St. Laurent Boulevard between Donald and Cyrville.
There are a number of other rules aimed at road safety including one regarding improper lighting on your bike. That did carry a $20 fine; as of midnight, that fine is increased to $110.
