Tougher laws regarding racing and stunt driving in Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act are now in effect.

Now drivers running afoul of the legislation that previously called for a seven-day vehicle impoundment will see their vehicles impounded for two weeks.

The second change is the introduction of a lower speed threshold for street racing offenders on municipal roads. On roads with a posted speed limit of less than 80 km/h, drivers caught traveling 40 km/h over the speed limit face racing/stunt driving charges (the previous limit was 50 km/h over the speed limit). The penalties for street racing/stunt driving are:

Pre-conviction: Immediate 7-day licence suspension and a 14-day vehicle impoundment (previously 7 days).

Currently, upon conviction offenders will face:

•Minimum fine between $200 and $2,000

•Maximum fine between $1,000 and $10,000

•Court-ordered licence suspension (2 years for a first conviction and 10 years for a second conviction)

According to Community Safety / Media Relations Officer Provincial Constable Aaron Miller  speed has been the top contributing factor in road fatalities over the past three years.

“Aggressive driving is dangerous and is a leading causal factor in fatal motor vehicle collisions on OPP-patrolled roads. Speed-related fatalities are up about 30 per cent this year. As of June 21, 33 people have died in speed-related collisions. By comparison there were 25 such deaths at this time last year,” PC Miller said. “The OPP remain committed to saving lives on roads, waterways and trails.”

-Staff