THE Road Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2022 has been passed to stamp out dangerous driving, following Canberra’s worst yearly road toll in a decade in 2022.

The new legislation will give ACT Police the power to immediately remove dangerous drivers and repeat offenders from ACT roads.

The changes mean that if an offender exceeds the speed limit by more than 45km/h, they will now be issued an immediate licence suspension by ACT Police.

Transport Minister Chris Steel says in an ACT first, police will also be granted the power to seizeand impound a vehicle caught speeding by more than 45km/h over the limit.

“Under these changes, people repeatedly engaging in racing and hooning behaviour could also face a court imposed penatly of up to $16,000 or a 12-month prison sentence,” Steel says.

“First time offenders could face the same penalty if the behaviour is aggravated, for example, if they have a minor in the car when committing the offence.

“We know dangerous driving was a significant contributor to this increased road toll in the ACT last year, so we are implementing a series of significant reforms to crack down on this behaviour.”