The Ontario Trucking Association (OTA) applauded the Ontario government after it introduced the Moving Ontarians More Safely Act, 2021, also known as the MOMS Act on Monday.
“This legislation will also protect the safety of hard-working men and women who move Ontario’s freight. Highways are considered workplaces by our industry and are treated with the highest degree of respect by professional truck drivers, who take their safety responsibilities very seriously,” said Stephen Laskowski, president and CEO, OTA.
The proposed legislation will introduce new measures to combat high-risk driving and improve road safety, including longer driver’s licence suspensions and longer vehicle impoundment periods for drivers who engage in stunt driving, street racing and aggressive driving.
If passed by the legislature, the MOMS Act would also introduce measures to protect vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and highway workers, improve truck safety and strengthen the province’s oversight of the towing sector by creating theTowing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act, 2021. This act would require tow operators, tow truck drivers and vehicle storage operators to be certified, and set new standards for customer protection and roadside behaviours, including penalties for non-compliance.
“Both as Minister of Transportation and a parent to driving-aged teens, I am extremely concerned by the rising numbers of young drivers in Ontario caught stunt driving, street racing and driving aggressively,” said Caroline Mulroney, minister of transportation. “By increasing driver’s licence suspensions and vehicle impoundment periods, the MOMS Act sends a clear message to drivers – driving is a privilege and those who threaten the safety of others have no place on our roads.”
OTA’s Laskowski says, “Having other road users engaged in stunt driving endangers the physical safety of Ontario’s truck driving community and the motoring public they share the road with. OTA applauds the province for escalating enforcement action against this dangerous behaviour.”