Changes to legislation, expected to be introduced in the next session, would result in drivers being suspended sooner for serious infractions. This announcement was made by Justice Minister James Allum, minister responsible for Manitoba Public Insurance.
The proposed amendment to the Highway Traffic Act would require law enforcement officials to notify the registrar of motor vehicles of serious driving infractions immediately after charges have been laid, Minister Allum said. This will allow the registrar to take immediate action to suspend a driver’s licence or to order driver-improvement interventions, the minister added.
“These enhancements will ensure high-risk drivers are dealt with faster and taken off our roadways for the safety of other Manitobans,” said Minister Allum. “Several hundred high-risk drivers could be taken off the roads yearly with this new law in place. Affected drivers would still have the ability to appeal immediate licence suspensions to the Licence Suspension Appeal Board.”
Currently, Manitoba Public Insurance’s Driver Improvement and Control Program identifies drivers with at-fault collisions, convictions and administrative roadside suspensions for driver improvement actions including suspensions. Last year, about 4,000 drivers had their licences suspended, while another 5,000 were directed to take a driver’s course as a requirement to keep their licences.
“The corporation’s ability to review and subsequently deal with high-risk drivers will be expedited with this change,” said Ward Keith, acting vice-president, business development and communications, and chief product officer, Manitoba Public Insurance. “These enhancements provide additional information to assess driver improvement actions as we work to keep our roads safe for everyone.”
“The RCMP welcomes any efforts to get dangerous drivers off the road,” said Insp. Joanne Keeping, officer in charge, traffic services, RCMP D Division. “Our officers are out there observing high-risk drivers and intervening, so it is a positive step to have a new tool law enforcement can use to get those drivers out from behind the wheel. Making Manitoba roads safer is our primary goal.”
High-risk drivers also face financial penalties. A driver who sits at the bottom level (-20) of the Driver Safety Rating pay a premium of $2,500 for their licence. At the opposite end of the scale, long-time safe drivers receive a 33 per cent discount off their basic Autopac premium, in addition to a saving on the cost of their licence.
