Province Reminds Visitors of Road Safety Laws

With the tourism season underway, the province is asking visitors to take note of several laws introduced in the last few years that help to make Nova Scotia's roads safer.

Guides and posters distributed to visitor information centres encourage people to become familiar with laws in each jurisdiction they are visiting.

"We do our best to communicate our laws to the public, but we also understand that it's a challenge for tourists to keep up with laws in each province," said Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Minister Bill Estabrooks. "We encourage visitors to familiarize themselves with our road safety laws, and ask tourism operators to help spread the word."

In April 2007, the province banned the use of hand-held cellphones and text messaging while driving. Hand-held cellphone use is only allowed in emergency situations.

The province also passed new laws that target people who speed in work and school zones. Fines are doubled and demerit points are assigned to a driver's record for speeding in a work or school zone.

Daytime running lights are now mandatory. If vehicles are not equipped with automatic daytime running lights, drivers are required to use their low-beam headlights during daylight hours. Antique cars are exempt.

The fines, for using a hand-held cellphone while driving or driving without daytime running lights, including court costs, range from $164.50 for the first offence to $337 for the third and subsequent offences.

The laws are part of several provincial initiatives to improve road safety. For more information on road safety, visit the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal website at www.gov.ns.ca/tran .