Bill 62 explained in plain English
Protecting Vulnerable Road Users Act, 2018
Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.
At a glance
Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 42nd Parliament, 1st 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 Protecting Vulnerable Road Users Act, 2018, creates a new offence for drivers who cause death or serious injury to vulnerable road users by breaking specific traffic laws, leading to penalties, mandatory probation, and licence suspension.
This bill, called the Protecting Vulnerable Road Users Act, 2018, amends the Highway Traffic Act. It creates a new offence for drivers who cause death or serious bodily harm to certain vulnerable road users by breaking specific traffic rules. Consequences for this new offence include penalties similar to the original traffic rule violation, a mandatory probation order requiring a driving course and community service, and a suspension of the driver's licence during probation. The bill also changes how proceedings for these offences are started and requires the defendant to attend sentencing hearings. Victim impact statements can be considered during sentencing.
- Creates a new offence for drivers who cause death or serious bodily harm to vulnerable road users by contravening certain traffic laws.
- Establishes consequences for this new offence, including penalties related to the original traffic violation, a mandatory probation order, and a driver's licence suspension.
- Specifies conditions for the mandatory probation order, such as completing a driving instruction course and performing community service focused on public education or improving driving safety.
- Changes the procedure for initiating legal proceedings for this offence and related traffic violations.
- Requires defendants to attend sentencing hearings in person.
- Allows for victim impact statements to be considered during sentencing.
- Defines who is considered a vulnerable road user under this new offence.
- Lists the specific traffic laws, the contravention of which can lead to this new offence.
- Provides for regulations to be made regarding driving instruction courses and additional prescribed vulnerable road users.
- Amends aspects of the Police Services Act, 2018 and other sections of the Highway Traffic Act.
- Drivers of motor vehicles
- Pedestrians
- Individuals on bicycles or motor-assisted bicycles
- Individuals using wheelchairs or similar mobility devices
- Roadway workers performing construction, maintenance, or repair
- Police officers, special constables, First Nations Constables, municipal law enforcement officers, and auxiliary police members
- Firefighters
- Individuals attending on an ambulance call
- Emergency response workers
- Individuals prescribed by future regulations
- Courts and judicial officials
- Victims of traffic incidents
- Drivers have a new obligation to avoid causing death or serious bodily harm to vulnerable road users by contravening listed traffic provisions.
- Convicted drivers are subject to mandatory probation orders.
- Drivers must complete a driving instruction course as part of probation.
- Convicted drivers must perform community service related to driving safety.
- A convicted driver's licence is suspended for the duration of their probation order.
- Defendants have the right to have victim impact statements considered during sentencing.
- Defendants are required to personally attend sentencing hearings.
- The Act comes into force six months after receiving Royal Assent, except for certain subsections (1(2), (3), (4), and (5)) which come into force on a day named by proclamation.
- Penalties for the new offence will be similar to those for the underlying traffic violation.
- Breaching a probation order can result in a fine of up to $50,000.
- Conviction of the new offence carries penalties, consequences, and probation orders associated with the contravened traffic provision.
- Mandatory probation orders for up to one year, including a driving instruction course and 50 to 200 hours of community service.
- Suspension of the driver's licence for the duration of the probation order.
- Breaching a probation order can lead to a fine of up to $50,000 and a potential licence suspension of up to two years.
- The specific driving instruction courses and their requirements are to be set by regulation.
- The list of vulnerable road users may be expanded through regulations.
- The specific provisions under the Highway Traffic Act that constitute the 'listed provisions' are numerous and detailed.
- The exact start date for some provisions is not yet proclaimed.
Adds a new Part (X.0.1) to create the offence of harm to vulnerable road users and outlines its related penalties, probation orders, charging procedures, sentencing attendance, victim impact statements, and breach of probation. It also amends existing provisions related to penalties and processes.
Source: Section 1(1), Section 2
Clarifies the definition of certain law enforcement personnel within the context of vulnerable road users.
Source: Section 1(2)
Modifies procedures for commencing proceedings and affects conditions related to probation orders and sentencing hearings.
Source: Sections 191.0.4(1), 191.0.5(2), 191.0.7, 191.0.8(2)
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