Things are changing this coming New Year. One of those changes are Ontario’s new driving laws, which will officially be taking effect on January 1st, 2019.
Here are some of the new rules to watch out for:
Drivers convicted of distracted driving will be punished with a licence suspension, hefty fine and demerit points. The severity of the punishment will increase with the number of offences committed;
• 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
Police will not be able to seize driver’s licenses at roadside. Police will have to get approval from a judge to able to suspend any driver’s licenses.
Distracted driving is no longer limited to just texting and making phone calls. See the full list here of activities that count as distracted driving which includes anything like eating or typing a destination into the GPS.
The OPP have announced that they will no longer let people off with a warning if they are caught with any distractions while driving. Any guilty offenders will automatically be fined.
Click here for more information and FAQs about the new driving laws
Source: Narcity