Yesterday, the Traffic Safety Act received Assent in the Yukon Legislative Assembly. The new legislation will replace the outdated Motor Vehicles Act, which was drafted in 1977, with a modern, forward-thinking approach to safety on the Yukon’s highways. Developed with feedback from Yukoners at the forefront, this much-needed legislation paves the way for the Government of Yukon to address major concerns like road-user safety and dangerous driving.
This Act sets a framework to improve road safety in the Yukon by targeting dangerous and impaired driving, with the goal of reducing injuries and fatalities. It includes stricter fines and penalties, with escalating consequences for repeat offenders to discourage reckless behavior. The Act extends not only to drivers of motorized vehicles but also to pedestrians and cyclists, introducing new measures to protect these vulnerable road users.
While the full Traffic Safety Act will not take effect immediately, two important regulations will come into force in 2025:
- penalties for unsafe driving; and
- authority for municipalities to create traffic safety bylaws.
These changes will introduce higher fines for certain offences, helping to deter poor driving behaviour and provide stronger consequences for repeat offenders of certain, more serious offences. Municipalities will also have more authority to govern traffic safety issues on local roads without waiting for the entire Act to be in force.
The Traffic Safety Act requires several accompanying regulations, which will include the detailed rules needed for the Act to come into force. The Government of Yukon is working to develop the remaining regulations as quickly as possible, after which the full Act will come into force.
The Fuel Oil Tax Act is also being amended to enable the Yukon to eventually enter into the International Fuel Tax Agreement. Joining the agreement will simplify fuel tax reporting for the trucking industry.
The Government of Yukon began full-time work on replacement legislation for the outdated Motor Vehicles Act in 2018. Since that time, the project team has conducted a large-scale public engagement, as well as several smaller stakeholder engagements, and examined over 400 policy issues raised by the public and stakeholders. This collaborative approach to drafting a very complex piece of legislation has resulted in traffic safety laws that will work for Yukoners for years to come.
This marks the close of a significant chapter in the Yukon’s legislative history. Replacing the 1977 Motor Vehicles Act, the new Traffic Safety Act brings the laws governing Yukon highways into the 21st century. Developed with feedback from Yukoners in mind, this legislation will allow our government to address long-standing road safety issues for all Yukon road users, well into the future.
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The Traffic Safety Act will replace the outdated Motor Vehicles Act.
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The Yukon’s Motor Vehicles Act was drafted in 1977 and has been subject to numerous amendments over the past 47 years.
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The Traffic Safety Act is designed to make Yukon roads safer by helping to prevent dangerous and impaired driving and reducing injuries and deaths.
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The Act will not come into force in its entirety immediately, as there are several regulations that must be completed for it to function properly. However, in the interest of traffic safety, the government will bring two important pieces into force ahead of the rest of the Act:
- unsafe driving penalties; and
- municipal bylaw-making authorities.
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This means that these portions of the Act and their associated regulations will come into force in 2025.
Laura Seeley
Cabinet Communications
867-332-7627
[email protected]
Kalah Klassen
Communications, Highways and Public Works
867-332-3595
[email protected]