The ACT Government has passed the Road Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 to stamp out dangerous driving following Canberra’s worst yearly road toll in a decade in 2022.
“We are implementing new legislation which will give ACT Police the power to immediately remove dangerous drivers and repeat offenders from the Territory’s roads in the interests of public safety,” said Minister for Transport and City Services Chris Steel.
“The changes mean that if an offender exceeds a posted speed limit by more than 45 kilometres per hour, they will be now issued with an immediate licence suspension by ACT Police.
“In an ACT first, police will also be granted the power to seize and impound a vehicle caught speeding more than 45 kilometres over the limit.
“Under these changes, people repeatedly engaging racing and hooning behaviour could also face a court imposed penalty of up to $16,000 or a 12-month prison sentence.
“First time offenders could face the same penalty if the behaviour is aggravated, for example, if they have a minor in the car when committing the offence.
“We know dangerous driving was a significant contributor to this increased road toll in the ACT last year, so we are implementing a series of significant reforms to crack down on this behaviour.”
The ACT Government is committed to ongoing education, awareness and safety initiatives to keep our local roads safe. This has included an ongoing review of the road transport penalties framework.
Throughout this process we have heard substantial feedback from key stakeholders, including community members and advocates, ACT Policing, and the AFP Association.
“All parties involved in this reform agree that road safety is everyone’s responsibility as we strive for Vision Zero, which is no deaths or serious injuries on Canberra’s roads,” said Minister Steel.
“When we get behind the wheel we take responsibility for the lives of everyone, including our passengers and other people on the road”
This new legislation also implements important recommendations from the Coronial Inquiry into the tragic death of Blake Corney, by introducing a regulation making power to require medical practitioners to report information relating to a person’s fitness to drive to the road transport authority (RTA).
Later this year the ACT Government will also roll out a community education and awareness campaign focused on dangerous driving behaviours.
The campaign will highlight the Government’s zero tolerance stand on dangerous driving and make the community aware of the potential penalties they will face.
The ACT Government will continue to work closely with stakeholders to consider the detail of the medical practitioners requirements and ensure that any regulatory changes are compliant with the Human Rights Act, with these changes not occurring for 12 months.
The other provisions relating to dangerous driving offences will commence in the coming days, once notified on the ACT Legislation Register.
