Ontario Premier Doug Ford is introducing new legislation this fall aimed at preventing dangerous driving, and some experts think it’s the right move.
This comes after 35-year-old Andrew Cristillo was killed last month in a head-on crash in Whitchurch-Stouffville that also left his wife and three daughters suffering from injuries.
It was later revealed that the 18-year-old driver charged in the crash was also charged in connection with a car that hit an OPP vehicle in January that Ford was travelling in.
Now, both the Cristillo family and Ford are calling for stricter laws aimed at preventing similar tragedies.
“There should be immediate suspension, lifetime driving bans, and permanent revoking licenses after multiple convictions for serious offences,” Ford said on Friday, when speaking with reporters at Queen’s Park during a press conference.
Ford and Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria met with the Cristillo family on Friday, who is pushing for ‘Andrews Law.’
“This was preventable, and now it’s time to prevent this from ever happening to any of your families,” Andrew’s brother Michael said at the press conference.
Former President and CEO of Ontario Safety League, Brian Patterson, says the opportunity to review dangerous driving is worth the investment from the Ontario government.
“It just takes, unfortunately, more consistent review so that we just, we don’t wait for a horrific incident to be the focus. We should be reviewing a number of those charges, I would say, every five years,” Patterson said in an interview with Now Toronto.
Patterson says stricter laws have already had an impact on drunk and impaired driving.
“The statistics bear out the premier’s position that waiting for something to go through the court process is way out there, and often even allows people to double the offense,” he said.
Patterson says there should also be harsher penalties for drivers who flee the scene of a collision, that could include incarceration and having their vehicles seized.
Ultimately, Patterson says enhanced education is needed in partnership with new legislation.
“The more people focus on driver education and their young people, the safer their driving is likely to be OK,” he said.
