Everyone has a right to feel safe on our roads, including drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, seniors, kids, and emergency road workers.
But right now, our streets aren't safe. Each day, an average of seven people are taken to the emergency room because they were hit by a car on Ontario’s roads. It's past time for change.
In November 2021, the NDP brought the Protecting Vulnerable Roads Users Act forward for second reading, forcing a full vote at Queen's Park that saw it passed to committee stage.
Photo: With Jessica Bell, MPP at a December 2020 demonstration for road safety.
If passed, the bill would bring in additional penalties for drivers that break the road rules and cause the death or serious injury of a vulnerable road user. These penalties include community service, license suspension until the driver completes a driver re-education course, and a requirement that the driver attend court for sentencing to hear victim impact statements.
Today, most drivers that injure or kill a vulnerable road user walk away with a slap on the wrist and maybe a fine, and they rarely have to go to court and face the family they harmed.
Watch my comments on the bill below, and add your name to demand better protection for vulnerable road users now.