The McGuinty government in Ontario is now seeking to introduce new legislation that suspends and restricts young drivers who speed, as well as fundamentally undermines their driving privileges when they are with other teenagers. The proposed legislation restricts, among other things, to deny drivers between 16 and 19 having more than one teenage passenger in the vehicle.
This would apply to all people who fit in that category no matter how cautious of a driver they are. It would effectively prevent several young people from going to the movies together, car pooling to work, going on a road trip, coming back from university or college together to see their families, being responsible designated drivers for parties, and the list goes on. Of course, none of this applies, if all the teenagers take their own individual cars for such activities.
We have HOV lanes up and down the DVP that are supposed to promote car pooling, contrasted with the image of four individual mini-vans teens borrowed from their mothers following each other up to Blue Mountain to ski. Also, does this mean that a young mother cannot drive her children to the hospital, daycare, or school without someone over the age of 19 in the car? I suppose time will tell in proving the ill-conceived purpose and effects of this legislation.
Is it just me, or does it seem that the laws in Ontario are becoming more and more absurd as time goes on? It seems every hair-brained idea is entertained and somehow enacted so our most basic, and even trivial of liberties, is restricted. What makes this worse, is that it the majority of people this proposed law affects, are not able to vote for the government who has enacted them as they are too young. Worse still, is that these rules are passed under regulatory provisions that do not need the approval of the Provincial Legislature, much like the new “speed racing” and “stunting” legislation. In my view, this is another example of lazy and unaccountable government actions that bring me even further to never returning my vote to the provincial Liberals.
We have a state of affairs where an entire Humvee full of teenagers can drive around in Afghanistan with the Canadian Army amongst road-side IEDs, yet those same teenagers on their return (if lucky) cannot go to the hockey rink together without breaking the law.
As Winston Churchill stated: If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law.
Wheels.ca - New rules too harsh, young drivers say - Canada's Most Trusted Auto Resource
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In a phone conversation with Dalton McGuinty, Tim Mulcahy remarked that 'with these new laws, Ontario will have the safest roads in the world.' But if you are between the ages of 16 and 21, they will also be among the most restrictive.
My friend, CSR expert storyteller Billie Mintz, an innovator in new media production is currently filming an investigative documentary that scrutinizes the distribution of the responsible drinking message. He wants to hear what you think about McGuinty's proposed new laws? Sound off here on the Toronto Chat Forums.
The Message in a Bottle is a 12 part web video series which examines the responsibility everyone shares regarding the advertising, sales, purchase and consumption of alcohol.
The world is changing; Ontario is becoming a safer place, but are we sacrificing freedom for safety?
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