In the past month, Ontario’s ministry of transportation has introduced a number of new proposals aimed at curbing car accidents involving young drivers. The proposed changes would severely limit the number of passengers young drivers are allowed to have in the car and would include a zero-tolerance policy on alcohol and speeding.
Under current legislation, young drivers are allowed to have as many passengers as they wish during the daytime and may only have one passenger who is a minor between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m. for the first six months of a G2 license only. With the proposed changes, young drivers would only be allowed to drive one passenger under 19 years of age at all hours. The passenger restriction would not apply to adults or relatives.
The proposed legislation changes would also see very strict penalties for drinking and speeding. The first time a young driver gets a speeding ticket under the proposed changes, he or she would lose his or her license for 30 days and could face impoundment of their car. Similarly, the driver would face a 30 day license suspension the first time he or she blew 0.01 on a breathalyzer. Under current legislation, a driver needs 15 demerit points to have their driving privileges revoked. Subsequent drinking or speeding violations would result in longer suspensions and even permanent suspension of driving privileges.
Many of the proposed changes have come about because of persistent lobbying by grieving parents. Tim Mulcahy is one of those parents. His son, Tyler, was killed after drinking at the Lake Joseph Club and speeding over the Joseph River, losing control of his car and crashing into a guardrail. It was only after his son’s death that Tim Mulcahy learned that his son had many speeding tickets. Tim Mulcahy was convinced that if laws had been in place to revoke his son’s license for speeding and drinking, his son would still be alive today.
Nor surprisingly, the proposed changes to the law have created their fair share of controversy. Many young drivers claim that the proposed rules do not take into consideration the fact that some young drivers are responsible. Others point out that the new rules apply only to drivers between ages 16 and 21. Older drivers who get their licenses for the first time do not face the same restrictions or the same penalties for drinking and speeding, even though presumably their driving inexperience may also lead them to make some of the same mistakes as young drivers. The fact that only young drivers are affected by the suggested changes – and not all new drivers – also has some claiming that the proposed legislative changes are discriminatory.
One thing is for certain: as the new legislation is discussed and debated in the upcoming months, we are in for some fascinating discussions about driving privileges in this province.
