Ontario's New Driving Laws Will Mean Automatic Suspension For Distracted Driving

Charlemagne · Jan 23, 2018

Ontario's New Driving Laws Will Mean Automatic Suspension Of Driver's Licences For Distracted Driving

Tougher road rules are coming this 2018.

Ontario is implementing new driving rules that will mean automatic suspension of driver’s licences for convicted distracted drivers.

Constable Clint Stibbe of the Toronto police went on 680 NEWS on Monday and confirmed this, saying “the law has been passed” and that “it’s now just a matter of time.”

Moving forward, distracted drivers will receive a licence suspension as well as a substantial fine. The suspension period and fine amount will vary depending on the number of subsequent offences:

First offence: 3 days suspension and $1,000 fine
Second offence: 7 days suspension and $2,000 fine
Three or more offences: 30 days suspension, $3,000 fine and six demerit points

Officers will not be allowed to seize driver’s licences at roadside. Only under a judge’s approval and after the driver is found guilty will the driver’s licence be suspended.

The tougher laws will come into effect sometime in the next few months. They were created in attempt to reduce the amount of distracted driving, which accounted for 7,435 crashes in Toronto in 2016.

Read here to find out what counts as distracted driving in Ontario.
https://www.narcity.com/ca/on/toronto/news/heres-what-counts-as-distracted-driving-under-ontarios-new-driving-laws

https://www.narcity.com/ca/on/toronto/news/ontarios-new-driving-laws-will-mean-automatic-suspension-of-drivers-licences-for-distracted-driving

Mr Deeds · Jan 23, 2018

good

Phil C. McNasty · Jan 23, 2018

How am I supposed to hold my beer, text my SO and read newspaper while driving 140 clicks on the 401??

What a stupid law

GameBoy27 · Jan 23, 2018

Charlemagne said:
First offence: 3 days suspension and $1,000 fine
Second offence: 7 days suspension and $2,000 fine
Three or more offences: 30 days suspension, $3,000 fine and six demerit points

Does this mean they're going to start pulling over people who are actually texting while driving, like in motion? Or will they simply have more Cops dressed up like homeless people asking for change to nail people while stopped at intersections?

If texting while stopped at a traffic light is dangerous (because that's what this law is about, safety) then the same should apply for anyone adjusting their radio, drinking a coffee, lighting a cigarette, eating a sandwich etc.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for nailing the ones who are texting while "driving." I see it all the time, every day on the highways. It's so dangerous. But I'm afraid they're going to simply use this as further revenue generation by picking off the low hanging fruit.

Phil C. McNasty · Jan 23, 2018

GameBoy27 said:
If texting while stopped at a traffic light is dangerous (because that's what this law is about, safety) then the same should apply for anyone adjusting their radio, drinking a coffee, lighting a cigarette, eating a sandwich etc

They gotta make their money from somewhere though, right?

huckfinn · Jan 23, 2018

It's also subjective.

I have been pulled over and accused of something I never did. A buddy of mine was pulled over twice for using his cell phone while driving. Believe it or not, he doesn't even own one!

The cop even wanted to search his car because he was convinced he had one.

What will be the burden of proof? A picture taken with the cops cell phone?

AJstar · Jan 23, 2018

Phil C. McNasty said:
How am I supposed to hold my beer, text my SO and read newspaper while driving 140 clicks on the 401??

What a stupid law

You must only use the 401 at 2am.
Its been so congested for so long it's hard to remember the last time I even approached the speed limit during daytime hours.

thirdcup · Jan 23, 2018

Phil C. McNasty said:
How am I supposed to hold my beer, text my SO and read newspaper while driving 140 clicks on the 401??

What a stupid law

good one.

Jasmine Raine · Jan 23, 2018

huckfinn said:
It's also subjective.

I have been pulled over and accused of something I never did. A buddy of mine was pulled over twice for using his cell phone while driving. Believe it or not, he doesn't even own one!

The cop even wanted to search his car because he was convinced he had one.

What will be the burden of proof? A picture taken with the cops cell phone?

It is subjective for sure. I know that cops will not have the right to suspend your licence on the spot. Only a judge can after you have been found guilty, but then did they just change how you go about fighting a ticket and not in a way that works for accused?

I can see this being an issue for sure.

I leave my phone in my purse which is in the back. I have build-in apple play in my car. So I just "Hey Siri" and I can have test/email read, directions given, or send a text/email via voice commands.

Most newer cars have these options I believe, so this should be less of an issue, but it seems most people don't even use the tech they have, which I find strange.

Insidious Von · Jan 23, 2018

It's about fucking time!

Maybe I could have avoided five years of the shit abyss, if the goofisto driving the Dodge Caravan had been paying attention.

GameBoy27 · Jan 23, 2018

AJstar said:
You must only use the 401 at 2am.
Its been so congested for so long it's hard to remember the last time I even approached the speed limit during daytime hours.

There's lots of sections of the 400 series highways along with the DVP, Gardiner and QEW that are moving at 100 km/h plus at all times of the day. Don't believe me, go to Google Maps, Toronto and select traffic. Most of the highways are all green at the moment, which means they're moving at a good pace.

Insidious Von said:
It's about fucking time!

Maybe I could have avoided five years of the shit abyss, if the goofisto driving the Dodge Caravan had been paying attention.

Was the driver of the Dodge Caravan texting while stopped at a light when he caused the crash?

IM469 · Jan 23, 2018

Phil C. McNasty said:
They gotta make their money from somewhere though, right?

Could be a cash cow for them.

The perfect distracted driving trap. A camera catching drivers with the eyes off the road .. $1,000 a pull over.....

sempel · Jan 23, 2018

As usual, the government is coming up with different ways to pretend they are solving a problem when they really are not.

Ignoring the idea of solid versus hearsay evidence, suppose there is ironclad proof I am talking on a cellphone while driving. Am I considered distracted? Yes. Why? Because the cellphone is in my hands? That's so stupid. By definition, I would be distracted by talking with another passenger or talking using hands free. So to punish one but not the other is nonsense.

Second, suppose I have a GPS - now I'm reading the GPS screen to see where I'm going. Is that a distraction? I ask because my GPS is on my phone so I sometimes have to glance at it. I don't have Bluetooth so I might hold it closer to hear it.

There are people who eat in the car, people who adjust the radio (me), people who do makeup, etc. Pretty much everything in the car distracts you. So to have a law that basically boils down to using your hands on a cellphone is nonsense.

Insidious Von · Jan 23, 2018

GameBoy27 said:
Was the driver of the Dodge Caravan texting while stopped at a light when he caused the crash?

I was stopped at a light waiting to make a right hand turn, not paying attention he plowed into me. Because I had my head turned to the left, I'm still fucked up. My Subaru Forrester saved me from ending up in a wheelchair.

FAST · Jan 23, 2018

Insidious Von said:
I was stopped at a light waiting to make a right hand turn, not paying attention he plowed into me. Because I had my head turned to the left, I'm still fucked up. My Subaru Forrester saved me from ending up in a wheelchair.

Had a similar event a while back, before the current texting while driving rage.

Stopped on a 2 lane waiting to make a left,... then nothing,... nocked out,... bruised colon, that screwed up a vacation in Spain.

Totalled my mint Z28,... my glasses ended up in the shelf area at the rear window.

When the doctor at emergency asked how far may car moved,... his mouth dropped open when I told him,... car lengths.

The women who was looking for her coffee at highway speeds,... instead of driving her car,... got off with,... "driving too close",... even after witness told the cops what had happened.

Luckily I made a full recovery, sorry to hear you still have issues.

rhuarc29 · Jan 23, 2018

Charlemagne said:
Officers will not be allowed to seize driver’s licences at roadside. Only under a judge’s approval and after the driver is found guilty will the driver’s licence be suspended.

Thank god! Glad we still recognize due process occasionally.

That said, I completely agree with nailing people who text while moving with serious fines. I also agree with nailing people who sit at red lights texting for obstructing traffic if they don't go when the green light comes up.
However, I disagree with hitting people texting or looking at their phones while at red lights with huge fines and a suspension, if they aren't in fact obstructing traffic.

Insidious Von · Jan 23, 2018

I'm lucky the Lord gave me a short, thick neck.

The insurance companies tried to put the thumbscrews to me, they're so sleazy! In the end they had no stomach for trial.

I took the new subway to get to my lawyer's office, I had to stand and hang on for dear life on the bus ride there.

GPIDEAL · Jan 23, 2018

Insidious Von said:
I'm lucky the Lord gave me a short, thick neck.

The insurance companies tried to put the thumbscrews to me, they're so sleazy! In the end they had no stomach for trial.

I took the new subway to get to my lawyer's office, I had to stand and hang on for dear life on the bus ride there.

Fucking insurance companies.

I agree with the previous comments, that looking at your phone is not necessarily an automatic fine. I don't text while driving. Yes, the odd time I notice traffic starting to move when I'm still looking down at my phone while at a stop light, but I gun it. I know it can be annoying to others.

I will check the link by the OP. Thanks for the heads up! (No pun intended).

GameBoy27 · Jan 23, 2018

rhuarc29 said:
Thank god! Glad we still recognize due process occasionally.

That said, I completely agree with nailing people who text while moving with serious fines. I also agree with nailing people who sit at red lights texting for obstructing traffic if they don't go when the green light comes up.
However, I disagree with hitting people texting or looking at their phones while at red lights with huge fines and a suspension, if they aren't in fact obstructing traffic.

And that's my whole point. ^^^

And I don't buy the argument that if you pick up your phone to read a text while stopped at a traffic light, that it somehow means you do the same while driving. That's like saying if I drink alcohol at home, then naturally I'm going to drink and drive. It makes no sense!

I would go one step further and say, reading emails and texts while stopped at a light, is infinitely safer than talking (hands-free) while driving. And that's perfectly legal under the law. Go figure!

TeeJay · Jan 23, 2018

Civil disobedience time

Install dashcam, turn it to face driver
Drive past cops holding fake cell phone (make sure it has no electronic parts or you will still get convicted, they sell foam rubber cell phone toys at dollar store)
Refuse to meet with prosecutor and take it to trial every single time

The tickets are just getting stupid and there are far more dangerous things to worry about than someone holding a cell phone while driving

Ontario's New Driving Laws Will Mean Automatic Suspension For Distracted Driving

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