The Tasmanian Government has unveiled tougher laws to address what it calls an "epidemic of evading police on the road".

Sarah Paino, with her partner and older son. ( ABC News )

Drivers may be arrested if Tasmania Police "reasonably believe" they have evaded officers, and the laws allow suspected offenders to be arrested at a later stage.

Police Minister Rene Hidding said police needed stronger powers.

"What we've found is, to our horror that we've got an epidemic on our hands," he said.

"Just some years ago there were about 400 known evade police situations, currently we're running at about 800 a year and that is an epidemic.

"It is time that Tasmania Police were given extra powers and the Tasmanian Government is going to crack down on this epidemic of evading police on the road.

"It's a very dangerous practise, it puts the general public at huge risk."

Mr Hidding said current legislation put a much higher burden of proof on the police.

The Government will also push courts to get tougher.

They will introduce a minimum penalty of $1,540 for a first offence and six months' disqualification.

The maximum penalty for a first offence will increase from $7,700 to $15,400.

Maximum disqualification will increase from two to three years while imprisonment will double from one to two years.

"We've found that they get a lesser penalty after they've evaded police than they would have done if they'd obeyed the police direction," Mr Hidding said.

Minister Hidding said the laws were not directly related to the death of Hobart mother, Sarah Paino.

Tragic crash galvanised calls for tougher laws

Sarah Paino, 24, was 32 weeks pregnant and had her two-year-old son in the car when she dropped her partner at work in January 2016.

About 1:00am as she was driving home a 15-year-old boy, speeding in a stolen four-wheel-drive with two other young people, ran a red light and crashed into Ms Paino's car.

She died at the scene, her baby son was safely delivered at the Royal Hobart Hospital, and the toddler received minor injuries.

The teenage driver, who was on parole at the time for car theft convictions, was sentenced to five years in detention.

During sentencing in Ms Paino's case, the court heard the teen had switched off the car's headlights to evade police and had been travelling on main roads at speeds of up to 200 kilometres per hour.

Flowers placed in tribute to Ms Paino at the Davey Street site of her fatal crash. ( ABC News: Bianca Gurra )

The tragedy sparked calls for laws surrounding car theft and dangerous driving to be toughened.

Mr Hidding said the new legislation did not include changes to dangerous driving laws.

"That tragic event is obviously on our minds as it is in many Tasmanian's minds but this is a matter we were dealing with then and we've been dealing with since," he said.

"There's a separate project underway that the sentencing advisory council has a report coming to government shortly on this issue of dangerous driving causing death."

But he said the move would reduce the likelihood of deaths on Tasmanian roads.

"The offence of evading police is aimed directly at the most dangerous behaviour on the road."

But Pat Allen from the Police Association said the Sarah Paino tragedy had prompted the proposed law change.

"There needed to be changes, they needed to be urgent," he said.

He welcomed the crackdown on police evaders.

"Police are basically handcuffed from doing their job, this raft of changes will actually loosen the restraints.

"When the average fine handed out to a person who evades police is $300, that's a seatbelt fine, then there's something wrong with the system.

"These changes will loosen the handcuffs on the police."

The proposed changes will be tabled in Parliament as soon as possible.