TORONTO - Ontario Conservative Leader John Tory is proposing a series of measures to put the brakes on street racing on provincial highways.
He is calling for police aircraft to target dangerous drivers, an idea Transportation Minister Donna Cansfield has said she is considering. Tory would also like to see tougher penalties for street racers and more officers on the roads to catch them.
Tory says anyone exceeding the speed limit by 50 kilometres an hour or more should be classified as a street racer. This, he said, would allow police to suspend driver's licences and confiscate vehicles for seven days on the spot.
Tory reiterated that photo radar is not the answer to street racing, saying it fails to target dangerous drivers. He said tougher penalties are a better method and that Crown attorneys should not enter into plea bargains or sentencing deals with street racing and dangerous driving suspects.
In a statement issued early today, Tory said current penalties are weak and those who go to court end up playing "let's make a deal instead of facing serious consequences for their actions.''
Six people died on roads patrolled by Ontario Provincial Police over the Canada Day long weekend, up from four over the same period in 2006. Police say four of the six deaths were speed-related.
