5 Surprising Ontario Traffic Laws That You Might Not Know About

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5 Surprising Ontario Traffic Laws That You Might
Not Know About
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As roads get more congested and motor vehicle
accidents are on the rise, its a good time to
take a look at some of the more obscure Ontario
traffic laws or rules of the road that you might
not be aware of.Ignorance isnt a defence, so
its important to know what you can and cant do
when operating a vehicle on Ontario roads.
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After all, if youre like the average Ontario
driver, you took your driver training and test
upwards of thirty years ago. Many laws have
changed and not knowing the new rules are wont
get you out of ticket or off of the liability
hook.
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CrossoverHave you ever watched a car blow
through a pedestrian crossover on their side of
the road, just because the pedestrian was now
into the other half of the walk? As of 2016,
thats highly illegal. Take note A crosswalks,
the pedestrian has to have FULLY cleared the
crossover and be back on the sidewalk before you
can continue to drive.
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If you dont wait for them to clear and are
caught? You could be facing a fine of between
150 and 500, with three demerit points taken.
Do it in a school or Community Safety zone and
you could see these fines and point loss double.
This law also applies to any pedestrian crossing
area when a school crossing guard is present and
holding up their stop sign.
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The rationale is obvious a vehicle on the other
side, seeing traffic moving, might not be aware
that there is still a pedestrian in the
crossover.To be clear, when I say crossover,
I mean the designated areas to cross a road where
it is marked with road markings, overhead and lit
signals (with the big X) and pedestrian buttons
to active the signal. This law doesnt apply in
the standard crossing areas at an intersection,
with traffic signals.
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Speaking of crossovers, did you know that you
cannot change lanes within 30 metres of a
pedestrian crossover? Ive seen this so many
times a vehicle stops for a crossover because
they can see the pedestrian / flashing overhead
lights and the vehicle behind them, who is only
paying attention to his / her blocked path.They
have an obstructed view of the crossover and
could easily hit a pedestrian. It seems like an
obvious rule that should go without saying, but
it gets broken all the time.
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Changing lanesDid you know that its NOT
illegal to cross a solid line on a highway, for
the purposes of passing? The line is there to
tell drivers that it might not be safe to pass in
that area of highway but its technically not
against the law. That said, you can still be
charged with making an unsafe pass if an accident
results
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from your lane change, so its not a free license
to changes lanes at will either.Changing lanes
in an intersection, however, IS against the law
and spectacularly dangerous. With people turning
right and left, a vehicle changing lanes within
the intersection is just inviting an accident.
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Distracted Driving Isnt Just About PhonesTo
the lady I saw this morning putting on her
mascara while doing 120 km/hr on the QEW? You
were driving distracted. To the guy in the
minivan with a coffee in one hand and doughnut in
the other? Also distracted.
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While you might not necessarily get pulled over
for doing one of these things, under the
distracted driving lawsintended for those caught
using a phone / GPS while drivingan accident
that occurs as a direct result of being
distracted could land you with extra charges of
careless driving, to say nothing of liability
issues on a claim.
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Dont Ignore The Countdown ClockThis one is for
pedestrians For those walking on and crossing at
street intersections with traffic signals that
have a countdown clock, did you know that it is
illegal to start crossing if the countdown has
already begun? Its a little known and
problematic law, particularly given that some
intersections
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start the countdown the second the light turns
green. The idea is that if there are no
pedestrians crossing during the countdown, cars
who are turning right against a red traffic
signal can do so with less risk to foot
traffic.The countdown is to show pedestrians
who are already engaged in crossing how much time
they have, not to show people who havent started
crossing whether they have enough time to dash
across or not.
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DUI DetailsUnless youve been living under a
rock these last decades, you know that in
Ontario, you are considered to be driving under
the influence if a roadside sobriety test reveals
that you have a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or
more. This is a criminal offence that can result
in your losing your license, your vehicle being
impounded, jail time and a criminal record, among
other things.
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But did you know that in Ontario, police can
suspend your license for three days or more if
you have a blood alcohol level of 0.05 or higher,
but less than 0.08?Its called an
administrative penalty, more commonly referred to
as the warn range. Its not a criminal
conviction, but the suspension comes with a
monetary penalty of 198.00.
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Thats for the first offence. A second roadside
suspension within five years? 7 day suspension, a
mandatory re-education program and 198 fine.
Third suspension or more, within five years? 30
day suspension, re-education, six month ignition
interlock and 198 fine.If youre wondering what
other rules of the road you might be missing or
have forgotten, you can always brush up at the
MTO website.
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Take care and be safe out there, and if you do
have the misfortune of getting into an accident,
call a lawyer. Its a good step to take up front
to ensure you dont have more problems later
on.http//derekwilsonlaw.ca