Province Introduces Additional Road Safety Legislation

The province introduced amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act today, Oct. 30, requiring all vehicles on Nova Scotia roads to use daytime running lights, which have been shown to reduce crashes.

"In the last several years, we've introduced several pieces of legislation to improve road safety in Nova Scotia," said Murray Scott, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. "The legislation we are introducing today will help make sure everyone on our roads benefits from the added safety that daytime running lights provide."

Daytime running lights have been shown to reduce daytime injury crashes by three to 10 per cent. While the automatic lights are mandatory on all vehicles manufactured and sold in Canada after 1990, there are a number of vehicles on Nova Scotia's roads that predate the change.

The proposed legislation will require drivers to use their low-beam headlights during daylight hours if they do not have daytime running lights that come on automatically.

The legislation is part of the province's legislative, enforcement and awareness initiatives to improve road safety. The initiatives include a ban on hand-held cellphones, stronger and expanded penalties for street racing, legislation and funding to improve crosswalk safety, and an integrated impaired driving enforcement unit.

Legislation was also introduced to allow for regulations that would permit some vehicles to cross highway medians, such as snow-clearing equipment contracted by the province or municipalities.

Currently, the Motor Vehicle Act only authorizes police, fire or emergency vehicles as well as vehicles operated by employees of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal to cross the median of a divided highway at locations other than intersections.

"The legislation will support our efforts to ensure that our roads are cleared as quickly and efficiently as possible during the winter season," said Mr. Scott.