Legislation Focuses on Road Safety
Road safety is clearly the theme of legislation tabled on the first day back in the Nova Scotia legislature.
Robbie Harrison, Minister of Business and Consumer Services, today introduced three key amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act. The amendments would: -allow consumers to find out the history of a car before buying -impose a 10-year minimum licence suspension for a third-time drinking and driving conviction -give psychologists the same protection under the law as medical doctors and optometrists for reporting unsafe drivers
A new Wrecked Vehicle Identification Program would establish a registry of wrecked vehicles, ones so badly damaged that they were written off by insurance companies. The insurance companies would report the information within five days of an accident and the permits of these vehicles would be permanently red-flagged. Once one of these cars is back on the road, potential buyers would know from the vehicle registration whether the car had been involved in a major accident. In addition, inspection requirements would be set for rebuilt vehicles to be allowed back on the road.
The advantage for potential buyers is that they would be able to obtain details of the damage to the vehicle, allowing them to make better informed purchasing decisions.
"Right now, it's buyer beware," said Mr. Harrison. "Sellers are under no legal obligation to inform potential buyers of the car's history, including whether it had been involved in a major accident or stolen. With these amendments, potential buyers will know if the car had been wrecked and can obtain information on its history from the Registry of Motor Vehicles.
"Nova Scotians will also benefit from requirements that if written-off vehicles are ever returned to the road, it is only after meeting stringent safety requirements."
Under the current system, accidents are reported to the Registry of Motor Vehicles, but insurance companies are not required to report the extent of damage or the condition of the vehicle.
"There is no link established between the accident and the vehicle, and consumers have no way of knowing for certain if the vehicle they are considering buying had been involved in an accident," said Mr. Harrison.
The proposed amendments would require that vehicle registrations be marked "salvage" or "non-repairable" depending on the severity of the accident. Salvaged vehicles could be rebuilt but would not be allowed back on the road until they pass safety requirements. Only then would the permit be changed to indicate that the vehicle has been rebuilt.
Vehicles designated as non-repairable are to be junked or sold as scrap or parts. They are not to be rebuilt and their registration cannot be upgraded.
"The Insurance Bureau of Canada and our members fully support this legislation," said Don Forgeron, vice-president, Atlantic region for the Insurance Bureau of Canada. "We are very concerned about highway safety. This legislation will help ensure that consumers know what they are buying and that wrecked vehicles do not get back on the road unless they are made safe."
These amendments are part of an effort by the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators to establish national standards regulating rebuilt vehicles. Most provinces have either introduced or are considering similar legislation. The Registry of Motor Vehicles has consulted with numerous industry associations and police agencies prior to the drafting of this legislation, including the RCMP, Insurance Bureau of Canada, Atlantic Provinces Salvage Dealers Association and the Nova Scotia Automobile Dealers Association.
Legislation passed last December made Nova Scotia's drinking and driving laws tougher. Today's amendment goes one step further and puts a 10-year minimum licence suspension on anyone with a third drinking and driving conviction.
Additional administrative amendments will also allow law enforcement officers to impose an immediate 24-hour roadside suspension on drivers who register a "warn" on a breathalyser. An administrative change to the act will permit effective implementation of vehicle impoundment.
Other amendments to the Motor Vehicle Act would allow psychologists to report unsafe drivers with the same legal protection given to physicians and optometrists. Mr. Harrison said the amendment would enable psychologists to report to the Registry of Motor Vehicles any patient they feel is unfit to drive due to mental or emotional problems. The proposed act would protect psychologists from any potential action being taken against them for reporting this information.
Currently, only medical doctors and optometrists are provided this protection. When the Registry of Motor Vehicles is notified by a doctor that a patient has a medical condition that poses a potential threat to highway safety, the driver's licence is immediately suspended pending a medical review.
"Expanding this measure to include psychologists is a reasonable and logical step," Mr. Harrison said. "It's a step that seven other provinces have taken and will lead to safer highways in Nova Scotia."