Bill 11 explained in plain English
Phones Down, Heads Up Act, 2018
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 41st Parliament, 3rd Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.
Our plain-language take, written for civic education.
Source: By PoliticalData.ca
The Phones Down, Heads Up Act, 2018, prohibits pedestrians from using certain electronic devices while crossing roadways, with exceptions and municipal opt-out provisions, and mandates distracted driving awareness campaigns.
This bill amends the Highway Traffic Act to make it illegal for pedestrians to use certain electronic devices while crossing a road. It allows for some exceptions, such as contacting emergency services or continuing a phone call that started before crossing. Municipalities can choose to opt out of this new rule. The bill also requires the Ministry of Transportation to run an annual campaign about the dangers of distracted driving, especially texting while driving. The law comes into effect three months after receiving Royal Assent.
- Prohibits pedestrians from holding and using certain electronic devices while crossing a roadway.
- Provides exceptions for using devices to contact emergency services or to continue a phone call that began before crossing.
- Allows municipal councils to pass by-laws to opt out of the prohibition on pedestrian device use.
- Requires the Ministry of Transportation to conduct an annual awareness campaign on distracted driving, focusing on texting and driving.
- Establishes penalties for contravening the prohibition on pedestrian device use.
- Pedestrians
- Municipal councils
- The Ministry of Transportation
- Drivers (indirectly, through awareness campaigns)
- Pedestrians have the right to continue using a device to contact emergency services or to finish a call started before crossing.
- Municipal councils have the right to pass by-laws to opt out of the new pedestrian device use rule.
- The Ministry of Transportation has an obligation to conduct an annual awareness campaign.
- This Act comes into force three months after the day it receives Royal Assent.
- First offence fine: $50
- Second offence fine: $75
- Subsequent offence fine: $125
- Contravention of the prohibition on pedestrian device use while crossing a roadway is an offence.
- Penalties include a fine of $50 for a first offence, $75 for a second offence, and $125 for each subsequent offence.
- The specific 'prescribed devices' that pedestrians are prohibited from using while crossing a roadway are not detailed in the bill text provided, but the Act allows for such prescriptions.
- The duration and specific content of the annual awareness campaign are not detailed.
- The bill text does not specify which ministry is responsible for enforcing the prohibition on pedestrian device use.
Adds a new section that prohibits pedestrians from using certain electronic devices while crossing a roadway, with specific exceptions, and creates offences and penalties for violations. It also adds a clause that allows for regulations prescribing devices that pedestrians cannot use while crossing a roadway.
Source: Section 1, Section 2(1), Section 2(2)
Adds a new section that allows municipalities to pass by-laws to opt out of the new prohibition on pedestrian device use while crossing a roadway.
Source: Section 3
Adds a requirement for the Ministry of Transportation to conduct an annual awareness campaign on the dangers of distracted driving, with an emphasis on texting and driving.
Source: Section 1.4
Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.
Official textProcess Snapshot
Vote Summary
This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.
No published representative vote breakdown
This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.
Official sources
Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.
How this data is sourced