Support Vulnerable Road Users

2290

Goal: 5000

It’s election time! Tell your current MPP and candidates of your riding that victims of road violence still do not have justice! Enter your information in the boxes below and we will send a message to let them know that Protecting Vulnerable Road Users is important to you!

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Dear [recipient position will go here] [recipient name will go here],

Your Letter *

I write to you today to ask for your commitment to Protect Vulnerable Roads Users if you are (re) elected.  The objective of this bill, that was never called to the Justice Committee this past term, is to protect all forms of road users by amending the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) to include added meaningful penalties where a vulnerable road user has been seriously injured or killed.  The fact that it was not brought forward and made law is a perfect example of lack of political will to protect people outside of cars.

Road safety is a non-partisan issue. Vulnerable road users (VRU) are people using the road outside of a car, including police, firefighters, paramedics, construction/road workers and anyone walking, riding a bike, or using a mobility device. The proposed VRU Law would include mandatory added penalties such as community service, licence suspensions, driver re-training and the obligation to attend court for sentencing and to hear the victim impact statements. These mandatory penalties apply to all HTA violations where an at-fault driver has seriously injured or killed a VRU.

Strengthening Ontario's laws is essential because while the rates of injury and death due to road traffic collisions have declined overall in Ontario over the past 40 years, Public Health Ontario reported this is not the case for Vulnerable Road Users [Road Safety, Journey Ahead, Public Health Ontario]. This upward trend is unacceptable, and we must do everything possible to save Ontario residents from being senselessly killed and injured on our roads.

In our present system, most HTA charges given after a driver kills or seriously injures someone are not for Careless Driving. For the few Careless charges that are laid, it is generally pled down to a lesser and included offence. Once convicted, a driver is usually given small monetary fines as low as $110. They are not required to personally attend court to hear the family’s victim impact statements, they do not receive licence suspensions nor are they required to take a driver re-education program. Families and victims continue to be left with no sense of justice or closure and convicted drivers carry on as though nothing has happened, and they did nothing wrong. The resulting message this sends to drivers is that breaking the law has no real consequences, even when you take a life.

The prorogued legislation would have put Ontario at the forefront of accountability and protection when it comes to curbing bad and distracted driving. If the legislation were to have been adopted, this would be the most comprehensive VRU law in North America. The legislation would have added penalties for at-fault drivers who injure or kill, regardless of which Highway Traffic Act charge the driver is convicted under. It is an essential component in deterring lethal driving behaviour, correcting bad driving habits, and providing real justice to those who are harmed.

I invite you to visit the Justice for People on Ontario Roads website (https://arcg.is/1vHeKS0) for further information and stories from the people and victims impacted by our current laws.  I am calling on you to commit to supporting and protecting Vulnerable Road Users so that everyone on our roads can feel protected and safe.

Sincerely,
[your name will go here]
[your email address will go here]

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