Ontario's roads will be extra busy this Easter weekend with visits to family and friends. Drivers are reminded that Ontario has some of the toughest penalties in Canada to combat excessive speeding.
Driving at unsafe speeds increases the force of impact in a crash. The risk of serious injury or death is almost three times greater for vehicles crashing at 50 km per hour or more above the posted speed limit of 100 km per hour.
Drivers caught speeding now face:
- Increased fines for convicted street racers - up to $10,000, the highest traffic fine in Canada
- Immediate roadside suspension of drivers' licences for seven days when street racing, driving contests or stunt driving is suspected
- Vehicle impoundment at the roadside for seven days when street racing, driving contests or stunt driving is suspected.
"Driving safe and sober is not just the law, it avoids tragedy and saves lives. Police across Ontario will be enforcing the law to ensure the safety
for all users of the road. This weekend, and always, I urge all Ontarians to drive responsibly and help keep Ontario's roads among the safest in North America," said Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Rick Bartolucci.
QUICK FACTS
About 90 per cent of roadside suspensions and vehicle impoundments are for speeding at 50 kilometres per hour or more above the posted limit (source: Ministry of Transportation).
About 30 per cent of fatal crashes involve aggressive driving,driving too fast for road and weather conditions, running red lights, weaving in and out of traffic or failing to yield the right of way
Since 1999, police and media reports indicate street racing has been a contributing factor in an estimated 41 deaths in Ontario.
LEARN MORE
Get up-to-date road conditions (http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/compass/) on major highways. You can also call the ministry's road information line at 416-235-4686, or toll-free at 1-800-268-4686.
Download The Official Road Map of Ontario. (http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/traveller/map/)
