Quebec Transport Minister André Fortin tabled a much-anticipated bill to severely punish distracted drivers on the province’s roads.
“More and more Quebeckers are driving while using a cellphone. And it’s something that really wasn’t a factor when the last large modification was made to the safety code,” Fortin said in a Quebec City news conference Friday.
The bill would dramatically stiffen punishments for distracted driving — raising the fines for a first offence to as much as $600.
The bill also would suspend a licence for three days for one offence, a week for two and at least a month after three offences.
It also would move up the deadline to put on winter tires to Dec. 1 from Dec. 15 and create a 1.5-metre buffer zone for cyclists on roads where the speed limit is higher than 50 km/hr. It’s the first major overhaul of the traffic code since 1986.
— With files from the Canadian Press
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