[Harvey Specter]

Another tough new law in Ontario for people who get caught speeding....


Short story for you on this Monday am,

My friend lives on the Qc side of the Ottawa river, and over the w-e, him and his passenger were heading to Toronto from Ottawa on the 401.

When getting close to Oshawa, the highway becomes three lanes in each direction. He said that there was slow traffic on the passing lanes, so he decided to overtake them on the right, and was driving at a fairly high speed, (around 145km/h).

Long story short, an OPP helicopter spotted my friend's new car speeding and changing lanes, so the flying OPP phoned his fellow s ahead. Caught by Eagle one, can you imagine that! Bahahaha!

My friend kept driving unweary that two kilometres ahead, there would be 2 patrol cars and a tow truck waiting for him.

My friend spent over an hour in the back of the cruiser, while his passenger tried to talk the from towing the vehicle. Unfortunatley, it didn't work.

My friend handed over his license and car keys. His car got towed and the vehicle is now impounded for a full week. He lost immediately his license for 7 days, and received a $2500 fine. Plus he will be facing charges under the new Ontario Stunt Driving Law.

Once the trial over, he could have his license suspended for two years!!

I think laws and regulations are definitely getting over the top, specially for motorists. Laws like this one are usually crafted in the comfort of Parliament to please overprotective mothers and other designated voters without thinking of the real life implications for other groups, like in this case average motorists.

For example, my friend is an insurance broker, who needs his car to work. He is very succesful, and will undoubtedly hire a good lawyer to fight and win this, or in case he doesn't win, the company will surely provide a driver, and deduct it from their income taxes. But imagine others who cannot afford this luxury and could potentially lose their jobs for several years because of a single speeding incident. A thousand dollar fine is not enough, let's take his car for a week and license for a year. You're not really disuading anyone from speeding, you just increasing the penalty; what's the real intent of this kind of repressive measures?

Anyway, my friend took this as well as he could, and was only insulted by the fact the OPP left him, his passenger and their luggage on the highway exit, without offering a ride, or calling a cab. "You're on your own"


I took a look at the new law and it will be considered "stunt driving" if you do any of the following:

- Lifting any tire from the surface of the road
- Intentionally causing any tire to lose traction while turning
- Left turn at a green light before allowing straight-through traffic to proceed
- Having the intention of causing a vehicle to spin
- Driving a vehicle in oncoming lanes next to another vehicle longer than is "resonably" required to pass
- Driving with someone in the trunk
- Driving while not sitting in the driver's seat
- Driving more than 50kph (approx. 30mph) over the speed limit
- Driving in a way that prevents others from passing
- Slowing down with the intention of slowing or interfering with another vehicle
- Driving with the inention of driving as close as possible to a vehicle

The Act also bans driving a motor vehicle on a highway with a connected nitrous oxide system; and bans cars adapted for street racing (can be seized and destroyed, even if charges haven't been laid and a race has not taken place). This is ridiculous. What if I have a street legal track car!? Don't drive your track car to the track, they might mistake it for a street racing car!

The expression, "pedal to the metal" is now officially overrated in Ontario.
Drive safe.

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=241136

[Kang19]

Driving with someone in the trunk

ok, peanut butter jelly time

[Raid3n]

it should also be noted that the OPP are also targeting cars at performance shops getting work done as possible street racing cars and seizing them i believe..

so they will crush your car before you even get to drive it, thats just ridiculous...

like the article says, what if you have a street legal or even a DD track car, how are you supposed to get it to/from the track? not everyone can afford a trailer and a truck to pull it.

[hk20000]

They don't have enough shooting and gang violence over there to occupy the politicians.

[ericthehalfbee]

I don't know where some people are getting their information, but they don't go out and crush cars at performance shops. Fear-mongering anyone?

If you read up on the situation in Ontario you'll find that a large majority of people who have been charged have not been convicted as the charge doesn't hold up in court. Of course, anyone could see this coming - the wording of the law is just too vague.


The guy in this example is whining about doing 145 km/h and swerving into the right lane to pass? Did you know that he's an insurance broker? I say he got what he deserves and has nothing to complain about.

[InvisibleSoul]

- Lifting any tire from the surface of the road
- Intentionally causing any tire to lose traction while turning
- Left turn at a green light before allowing straight-through traffic to proceed
- Having the intention of causing a vehicle to spin
- Driving a vehicle in oncoming lanes next to another vehicle longer than is "resonably" required to pass
- Driving with someone in the trunk
- Driving while not sitting in the driver's seat
- Driving more than 50kph (approx. 30mph) over the speed limit
- Driving in a way that prevents others from passing
- Slowing down with the intention of slowing or interfering with another vehicle
- Driving with the inention of driving as close as possible to a vehicle

Damn, I think I've done all of these at some point or another in my life. :blushsmile:

[taylor192]

This idiot is posting all over, its on 2 local Ottawa forms. NONE of us feel sorry for him (I moved from Ottawa 5 months ago).

Everyone in Ontario is well aware of this law, and passing cars doing ~150 (notice he states 145, he was probably doing > 150 for awhile since the chopper was following him) in the SLOW lane is not advised in any circumstance. Even without this law he could've easily got a dangerous/careless driving ticket.

[taylor192]

I don't know where some people are getting their information, but they don't go out and crush cars at performance shops. Fear-mongering anyone?
There's lots of mis-information on this law. It was meant to target street racing, yet was broad enough to include many different "stunt" offenses. People are upset at how much discretion the officer has to define "stunt", ie if you spin a tire cause its wet you COULD be charged, yet several officers have posted online that common sense prevails.

There is a PACER program where cops are targeting modified cars, since lets be honest, modified cars are more likely to drive illegally. They are checking for illegal mods, which they have every right to. Fart cans are annoying, and limo tint unsafe for officers.

[taylor192]

like the article says, what if you have a street legal or even a DD track car, how are you supposed to get it to/from the track? not everyone can afford a trailer and a truck to pull it.
That's not an article, its some idiot's rant.

If your car is street legal you'll beable to drive it to the track. Don't let one idiot's exaggeration of the law sway you.

[Leopold Stotch]

i think it's silly for him to claim how it's unfair to other groups IE regular motorists that these laws are too over the top

YOU GO 145 KM/H on a highway where you're not allowed to and you think you should just be let go?

what reasoning does the OP have for that?


and the part where he said his friend can afford to get a lawyer and win the battle and normal people wouldn't be able to.
Well fuck normal people don't go those speeds. common sense has failed this individual.

[Mancini]

That's an interesting combination of:
1. Driving too fast
2. Driving too slow

[ChyahGT]

- Driving in a way that prevents others from passing
- Driving a vehicle in oncoming lanes next to another vehicle longer than is "resonably" required to pass

these 2 can b a real big dilemma

[hk20000]

lol where is "teaming up with another motorist to block the whole road at no less than 5km/h below speed limit"

ROFL.

[ericthehalfbee]

There's lots of mis-information on this law. It was meant to target street racing, yet was broad enough to include many different "stunt" offenses.Now you're the one providing mis-information.

The law was meant to catch dangerous and aggresive drivers and street racing was also included. Big difference in the intention of the law. The media and a few police officials called it a "street racing law" and it seems to have stuck.

[lilaznviper]

Driving in a way that prevents others from passing

the guy in the left lane should be charged with this lol

[taylor192]

Now you're the one providing mis-information.

The law was meant to catch dangerous and aggresive drivers and street racing was also included. Big difference in the intention of the law. The media and a few police officials called it a "street racing law" and it seems to have stuck.
Dangerous and aggressive drivers could always be charged under dangerous and careless driving, a new law was not needed.

This law is a result of the police commissioner campaigning after a few recent deaths in Toronto from street racing.

"a few police officials" is a very lame way of saying the "top police officials". From the top down, this law was designed for street racing and implemented in the wake of street racing deaths.

[ericthehalfbee]

^ Sorry, but that is just plain wrong. I challenge you to find me a single government source that uses the words "street racing" in this bill.

It's only 1 or 2 cops and the media who keep using the word street racing, because it's "sensational".

If you actually read up on statistics (provided by the government of Ontario) when they were tabling this bill, street racing was way, way down the list of problems they were trying to combat. In terms of "deaths" street racing is also way down the list.

If you look at the statistics for convictions under this new law, you'll also find very few are street racing related - the vast majority are single vehicle incidents.

[taylor192]

^ Sorry, but that is just plain wrong. I challenge you to find me a single government source that uses the words "street racing" in this bill.

It's only 1 or 2 cops and the media who keep using the word street racing, because it's "sensational".

If you actually read up on statistics (provided by the government of Ontario) when they were tabling this bill, street racing was way, way down the list of problems they were trying to combat. In terms of "deaths" street racing is also way down the list.

If you look at the statistics for convictions under this new law, you'll also find very few are street racing related - the vast majority are single vehicle incidents.
If you lookup when the law came into affect, who supported the law and why, you'll find the reason its been labeled the "street racing" law.

There was no reason for this law, all offenses were punishable by existing dangerous/careless driving infractions, and agreesive driving was not a problem.

What was the problem is a couple deaths from street racing in the district of the bill's original sponsor, backed by the police commissioner who was campaigning.

I don't need to find "street racing" written down, you need to prove who sponsored this law, when it was sponsored, and why. I've given you enough hints.

[taylor192]

I'm from Ottawa, recently moved here, so I am very familiar with this law. Please read this for more history of bill 203, especially concerning the "street racers" that that brought the bill back into the limelight after having been defeated.

http://blog.legalaction.ca/does-ontario%E2%80%99s-new-street-racing-law-violate-the-charter-of-rights/

After the bill passed and the details of the drunken idiot that pulled out infront of the "street racers" barely made the news. Sadly, this is politics at its worse, and the "street racing" name fits regardless whether its written down or now.

[Eastwood]

145 isn't that fast. Hell I'll drive 145 on an open highway if I can, and I don't consider that speeding, just cruising.

[InvisibleSoul]

145 isn't that fast. Hell I'll drive 145 on an open highway if I can, and I don't consider that speeding, just cruising.
Well, to qualify for this stunt driving law, you have to be going 50kmph over the speed limit, so unless the highway has a 90kmph limit, you wouldn't have exceeded the threshold just yet...

[NNT]

Arent the highway speed limit in Ontario 110km/h? 145 sounds too harsh for 2500 and 7 days. and possible 2 years?

[BNR32_Coupe]

NO!! Street racing is bad. End of discussion, this thread's going to fight club.

[tool001]

Teen clocked at 194 km/h latest charged (http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/604772)

[taylor192]

Arent the highway speed limit in Ontario 110km/h? 145 sounds too harsh for 2500 and 7 days. and possible 2 years?
100 kmph limit

OP has admitted on other forums it was > 145.

Before this law the fine for 50+ over was:
- automatic court summons
- minimum $600 fine
- judge can suspend your license.

This law has tripled the fine and added impounding your car for a week.

[orange7]

Teen clocked at 194 km/h latest charged (http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/604772)


haha... some guy drove 250km/h in a g35 and was caught by the popo

[Mugen EvOlutioN]

145 isn't that fast. Hell I'll drive 145 on an open highway if I can, and I don't consider that speeding, just cruising.

werd

especially when there is no traffic or midnight, fuck it feels like 90

[falcon]

i think it's silly for him to claim how it's unfair to other groups IE regular motorists that these laws are too over the top

YOU GO 145 KM/H on a highway where you're not allowed to and you think you should just be let go?

what reasoning does the OP have for that?


and the part where he said his friend can afford to get a lawyer and win the battle and normal people wouldn't be able to.
Well fuck normal people don't go those speeds. common sense has failed this individual.

Obviously you have never driven in Toronto. Go drive on the 401. The AVERAGE speed taking into account FAST and SLOW lanes is over 130kph and sometimes in the 140's.

Note: this is EVERYONE... the "flow" of traffic so to speak.



Many people who live in Vancouver will not understand how this is possible since our freeways suck.

Same shit in LA... traffic flows at 85-90MPH.