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Bill Would Set Tougher Penalties For Anyone Who Strikes A Motorcycle, Bike Or Pedestrian
News from Ontario’s New Democratic Party
Queen’s Park, December 2015 – Ontario NDP MPP Wayne Gates’ (Niagara Falls) Private Members Bill 154 – Contraventions Causing Death or Serious Bodily Harm passed second reading on Thursday, bringing it one step closer to being law. The bill introduces a new section to the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) that will strengthen penalties for drivers who cause, or contribute to causing, death or serious injury while violating the Act.
Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates
Gates noted that his proposed additions to the HTA will “help ensure that anyone who strikes a motorcycle, bike, or a pedestrian, causing death or serious injury, is subject to penalties that fit the crime.”
Between 1993 and 2011, 275 motorcyclists were killed in accidents through no fault of their own. In some instances, a driver who hit a motorcycle, killing the riders, was subject only to a $500 fine for an illegal left turn under the Highway Traffic Act.
“We need to do more to ensure that any individual who causes or contributes to causing death or serious injury while violating the Highway Traffic Act is subject to more severe penalties than are currently in place” Gates said, adding that “The penalties need to fit the crime. That is a fundamental part of our justice system.”
The bill creates a new section of the Highway Traffic Act that would increase penalties when a death or serious injury occurs while a driver is in violation of the HTA. The increased penalties could include a fine of up to $5000, a license suspension of up to one year (plus any jail time when applicable), and a jail term not to exceed one year.
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What about cyclists that illegally hog the sidewalks while hitting pedestrians, sometimes seriously injuring them and in rarer instances, killing them? Who is responsible for that pedestrian’s lost income, medical expenses and recovery? While it is not legal to ride on the sidewalk, it is poorly enforced.
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