Tougher highway traffic laws will come into effect in Ontario on Sunday, giving police more power to crack down on street racers.
The new regulations will allow the Ontario Provincial Police to impound vehicles and suspend licences for a week on the spot for dangerous and aggressive motorists who:
- Drive 50 km/h or more over the speed limit;
- Race and/or stunt drive; and
- Drive with someone in the trunk.
"Those that don't get it, we're going to get it -- your car and your licence," OPP Sgt. Cam Woolley said on Friday.
Excessive speeding will also cost drivers thousands of dollars after section 172 of The Highway Traffic Act comes into effect.
Those travelling 50 km/h or more over the speed limit face fines between $2,000 and $10,000 or up to six months in jail -- or both.
Arguing with the OPP will also carry an additional fine of up to $5,000.
The new regulations come after a string of serious accidents involving speeding and street racing on Ontario highways over the summer.
The OPP says driving too fast is a factor in about 25 per cent of all vehicle accidents in the province.
If the new laws would have been in effect last year, about 5,000 drivers would have had their vehicles impounded and their driver's licences taken away, police said.
With a report from CTV's Jim Junkin
