Distracted drivers on their cellphones and careless motorists who knock down cyclists with their open doors will face maximum fines of $1,000 and three demerit points under sweeping new road safety rules introduced Monday.

And, for the first time, motorists would be required to move over a lane for working tow trucks with lights flashing, just as they are required now with emergency vehicles.

Transportation Minister Glen Murray introduced proposed “comprehensive” legislation Monday dealing with pedestrians, truckers, motorists and cyclists.

“Our new legislation, if passed, would keep drivers, cyclists and pedestrians even safer as we get tougher with those who ignore the law,” Murray said, adding the changes have been years in the making.

Ralph Palumbo, Ontario vice-president for the Insurance Bureau of Canada, said the proposed demerit points should make scofflaws think twice about picking up that cellphone or other electronic device, knowing their insurance premiums could be affected.

“Demerit points will certainly cause an insurer to look at a driver as a greater risk,” Palumbo told the Star.

According to the government statistics, distracted driving has passed impaired driving as the leading cause of traffic fatalities in Ontario.

The push to toughen up distracted driving penalties follows an unexpected decision by Annemarie Bonkalo, chief justice of the Ontario Court of Justice, who unilaterally decided last month to use her judicial powers to increase the fine for using hand-held devices while driving to $280 from $155, effective March 18.

That provision will remain in effect unless the new legislation is passed and changes it.

The proposed provincial changes won the approval of the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA), the Ontario Trucking Association and Share the Road Cycling Coalition.

“We need to make distracted driving as socially unacceptable as impaired driving and we think some of provisions included today should do that,” CAA spokeswoman Teresa Di Felice told a Queen’s Park news conference following the release of the bill.

The proposed Keeping Ontario's Roads Safe Act and supporting amendments to the Highway Traffic Act would:

Increase fines for distracted driving to a range of $300 to $1,000, up from a range of $60 to $500, and assign three demerit points upon conviction.

Increase fines for drivers who open their door into the path of a cyclist to a range of $300 to $1,000, up from a range of $60 to $500, and raise the demerit points from two to three.

Require all drivers to maintain a distance of one metre when passing cyclists. Several U.S. states have implemented similar rules.

Require motorists to yield to pedestrians at school crossings and pedestrian crossovers until they have completely crossed a road or street.

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Cyclists are not let off scot-free under the proposed legislation.

The fine for not using required bicycle lights and other reflectors or reflective material will range from $60-$500, up from the current $20. The change also permits the use of flashing red lights on bicycles.

In the competing world of motorists and cyclists, Murray said if the two can live side by side in congested New York City, then the two can live together in Toronto and other Ontario cites.

“This is an obligation for everyone using the road,” he said.

Eleanor McMahon, founder of Share the Road, said previous inquests have determined the majority of cycling deaths are preventable.

“From the cycling perspective, it is part of a large effort to protect the over 600,000 cyclists on Ontario's roads everyday,” she told reporters.

The current fine for not maintaining a safe distance between a vehicle and cyclists ranges from $60 to $500 in addition to two demerit points.

In a series on cycling in the city, the Star revealed last summer that while “being doored” is a common occurrence in Toronto, police do not track it.

The proposed amendments to the Highway Traffic Act would also require all drivers who repeatedly drive while impaired to complete an alcohol education program followed by an alcohol treatment and monitoring program.

The changes would also clarify what medical conditions must be reported and allow additional medical professionals to report drivers with medical conditions that may make them unsafe drivers.

The bill also provides for trucking rule changes, including allowing for longer tractors.

The additional length takes into account the sleeping quarters and other equipment that many tractors now include.