Nov 17, 2008 04:30 AM
Brett Popplewell Staff Reporter
The Ontario government is expected to introduce tough new legislation today that will further restrict the privileges of young drivers.
The move comes after a long lobbying campaign, led by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and Tim Mulcahy, the father of one of the three young people killed in a drunk-driving accident in Muskoka on July 3.
New measures affecting young new drivers are expected to include:
A total ban on alcohol consumption
A ban on more than one teenage passenger
Zero tolerance for speeders – one ticket and they're off the road.
"We've been advocating this for a long time," said Carolyn Swinson, Toronto spokeswoman for MADD.
"Manitoba has already brought that in – it's already zero blood alcohol for drivers up to the age of 21 and for the first five years for new drivers.
"We've been asking Ontario to follow suit for a while."
In Ontario's current graduated licensing system – introduced in 1994 – young drivers can obtain a full driver's licence after just two years of driving experience, making it legal for them to drive after having a drink, and placing them on the standard demerit point system for speeding and other moving infractions.
Mulcahy began echoing MADD's calls for action shortly after his son's death when he learned that his son had a history of speeding and that alcohol had been a factor in his deadly car crash.
On July 3, Tyler Mulcahy, 20, his girlfriend Nastasia Inez Elzinga, 19, and friends Kourosh Totonchian, 19, and Cory Mintz, 20, spent the afternoon drinking 31 drinks over a three-hour period at a restaurant in Port Carling.
They left that evening in Mulcahy's Audi, but they never made it home.
Tyler Mulcahy was driving when he crashed the car into the Joseph River.
Only Elzinga escaped the sinking car with her life.
His son's death launched Mulcahy on a crusade to change the laws that bind young drivers in the province, to stop other youth from following his son's fatal journey.
First he began a petition for a revamping of the laws.
Then he began taking out full-page ads in the Star and other local newspapers that urged the province to revoke the licences of those under the age of 21 should they be caught speeding or driving with any alcohol in their system.
"Dear Mr. McGuinty, my son is dead," the ads began.
"It is not your fault, but you can make a difference and reduce future suffering."
It was enough to earn him a private meeting with the premier and, according to a note posted to his blog last Thursday, the drive produced results.
"Mr. McGuinty called me this morning and told me that both laws are being introduced into the legislature on Tuesday," Mulcahy wrote last week.
"I could not believe my ears and wept with Mr. McGuinty on the phone. If these bills are passed, Ontario will be the safest jurisdiction for young drivers in the world."
A spokesperson for the ministry of transportation could not be reached for comment.
Mulcahy wasn't available for comment yesterday, but in August he told the Star: "I'd like Tyler's accident to make a difference.
"I really feel there needs to be zero tolerance for alcohol up to the age of 21. Once someone takes one drink, it's easy to take two, three, four or 10 because we stop thinking," he added.
"I feel that speeding is at least as much of an issue as drinking and driving. If there was a zero tolerance for speeding and the licence was revoked for one speeding incident, then word would quickly get around that you can't speed and (keep) your licence.
"I want the law changed immediately so that I don't have to worry as much when my daughters are out partying and driving around in vehicles."
Summary
The Ontario Government is expected to introduce a tough legislation today that will make driving harder for teenage drivers. The reason they started talking about this is because MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) and a man named Tim Mulcahy introduced the legislation. Tim Mulcahy lost his son in a drunk driving accident. The new rules will be that you cannot have any alcohol in your body, period, no more then one other teenage passenger in the vehicle with you, and zero tolerance for speeding – one ticket and your off the road.
Questions
What will be the outcome of this legislation?
Do you think this will affect how teenagers drive and do you think this legislation will really cause teenagers not to drink alcohol before driving.
Do you want the legislation to be introduced to Ontario? Why or why not?
Will this cause you not to speed when your in a hurry when your older?
Erik Kimmerer
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15 comments:
That anyone can drive under alcohol because almost all people that drive with alcohol have accidents and they put a new law that the ones that drink and drive will be off the road so they prevent accidents
The Ontario Government is expected to introduce a tough legislation today that will make driving harder for teenage drivers. They start it beacause of drunk drivers. Tim Mulcahy he lost his son in a drunk accident. Now no more alcohol before the period of entering the vehicle. This will effect the teenegers now. I think now nobody speeds.
This is such a bad idea becuase say you had one beer you get pulled over they test you and you get caught. One beer can't get you drunk and you loose your license. I think this is a bad idea and i'm going to have to talk to that guy about this idea
I believe that this will be a big topic for a debatre and conflicts. Such people as young teenagers and insurance companies, will argue and disagree about this event. However in general I believe that this is a very reasonable rule which will help the young drivers to be more careful with their drivings which will make the rate of accidents go down. This is a defenately a ultimate beneficial factor however on the other hand, i believe that just 1 ticket = off the road is a bit too extreme consequence
I think they might be taking this to far this time. No alchohol consumption I am ok with but only 1 teen in the car is a bad idea and one ticket and your off the road! I don't think that this is fair at all! This will probably have a huge affect on how teens drive but I don't want this law to pass
I think it is a good idea, becuase there are many axidents with the cars and the alcohol together. This rules may help, so the teenagers dont driven drunk,and they can live more than 18 years.
I think that this idea of a no drinking policy in a car is good. I know that the man wanting this law, his son died in a drinking and driving situation but i think he is taking it too far. What if you are 19 and you are at your parents house and you have one glass of wine. You don't get drunk it is not enough alchol but that one drink can get your license taken away. I think that is bogus.
Do you think this will affect how teenagers drive and do you think this legislation will really cause teenagers not to drink alcohol before driving.
Answer : To me, i really don't think this can stop teenager not to drink before they drive. Because, there is around 1000+ teenage in a country. And there is only around 2 - 3 cops in one highway. And maybe in that 1000 teenage around 400 drinks. And now i ask, how is 2-3 cops is going to catch 400 teenage? What is the chance of you getting caught, out of that 400?
Do you want the legislation to be introduced to Ontario? Why or why not?
Answer: I think it will be a good idea if you introduced this to Ontario. Because it stops people from drinking before they drive, which means, less accident is going to happen.
Will this cause you not to speed when your in a hurry when your older?
Answer: Probably not, again like i said. What is the chance of the cops catching you, out of the whole ON.
The outcome will not probably change very much because alot of teenagers probably wont agree with this.
This would probably affect how teenagers drive because you can't drink before you drive and no it will not cause teenagers to not drink before you drive because who knows you might go to a party but your not allowed to drink it's kinda hard not to.
No, they should be able to drink alittle bit but there should be a limit.
No, not at all.
I think that the rules are two extream and that some of the things expecialy one ticket and your off the road is way to extream I think that they should give them 3 chances because almost every one gets tickets
I think this is a bad idea. I think this because i have been in a car lots of teenage drivers before. And lots of drives ranging in age from early 20s to late 70s. From my experience most people speed. No matter what their age is. I also know that people will have a drink once in a while. But I don't understand what makes the government think that a teenager would drink anymore then a 20 year old.
I think this is a good very good idea because if there is more strick rules for teen age driving there will be less axcidents. I think this because teens use there cars to do everything go to partys, go to the mall so they will be a lot more carfull if the rules are more strick because if they dont have there car they cant go to parties or hanging out with friends.
1. What will be the outcome of this legislation?
I think that the outcome of this legislation will be that there will definitely be less drunk driving and speeding accidents due to these harsh laws.
2. Do you think this will affect how teenagers drive and do you think this legislation will really cause teenagers not to drink alcohol before driving?
I do think it will affect how teenagers drive because to a teenager, driving is one of those privileges that comes with age, like voting. Because of this teens will be more cautious, wanting to keep their licenses.
3. Do you want the legislation to be introduced to Ontario? Why or why not?
I do want this to be introduced in Ontario because it will limit and decrease the amount of driving accidents and deaths here.
4. Will this cause you not to speed when your in a hurry when your older?
I think it will cause me to not speed when I am older but maybe not for others because by restricting something you just make someone want it more so when teens turn 20, they will not worry because they wont be taken off the road and will not take precaution at all.
I believe that many teens are going to be upset about the new laws set in place because back in the 70's and 80's once your birthday comes around you take your driving test you pass and you get to go drive any where you want with your friends and parents. People now arent allowed to drive a car with a zero alchohol level. This topic will get alot of debate because people will be aginst it. Im looking forward to hearing more about this topic in the near future.
I think that the outcome of this legislation will be bad because there are so many new rules that it will make people be more darring and more people will get hurt.
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