The provincial government is proposing harsher penalties for distracted and careless drivers, in a move that it says could help save the lives of pedestrians and cyclists.

But some long-time safety advocates say the measures don’t go far enough to effectively crack down on dangerous driving.

The proposed changes, announced at a downtown Toronto news conference on Wednesday morning, include the creation of a new provincial offence for careless driving causing death or bodily harm, tougher punishments for distracted driving, and increased penalties for drivers who fail to yield for pedestrians.

“This is about penalties that fit the action and behaviour of the accused,” said Tourism Minister Eleanor McMahon, who has advocated for improved road safety measures since her husband Greg Stobbart was killed by a careless driver in 2006.

“It is my great hope that this will save lives, that it will deter poor driving choices, that it will send the clear signal that possibly paying a moment of inattention has lasting consequences.”

The Liberals plan to introduce the legislation this fall, although it could take two years for all the changes to go into effect. The plan doesn’t include more resources for enforcement.

The new careless driving charge would be an amendment to the Highway Traffic Act, and drivers convicted under it would face significant penalties, including a licence suspension of up to five years, as much as two years in jail, and a fine of as much as $50,000.

Those charged with the new offence would also be compelled to appear in court. That would address a common complaint of victims’ relatives, who can be forced to suffer the indignity of reading painful impact statements to a room full of only court officials.

The proposed legislation would also lay out stricter, escalating fines for using a cellphone behind the wheel and other distracted driving offences.

Under the current law, distracted drivers face fines of between $300 and $1,000.

Under the government’s proposal, fully licensed drivers would receive a three-day licence suspension, a fine of between $500 and $1,000, and three demerit points for a first distracted driving offence.

Upon a third conviction, the licence suspension would increase to 30 days, and the maximum fine would rise to $3,000. The driver would also be docked six demerit points.

Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca said the measures represent the “toughest” penalties for distracted driving in the country, and would make Ontario the first jurisdiction in Canada to enact a licence suspension for the offence.

Kasia Briegmann-Samson, co-founder of Friends and Families for Safe Streets, said she was “really encouraged” by the proposed changes and would be watching how they’re put into practice.

Briegmann-Samson’s husband Tom Samson was killed in a hit-and-run in 2012 while riding his bike at Davenport Rd. and Lansdowne. She has spent years advocating for stiffer penalties for drivers who kill or injure others, and said that Wednesday’s announcement is a sign that the government is listening.

“We seem to have the ear of the policy-makers, and they agree that these changes are long overdue.”

Safety advocate and lawyer Patrick Brown said the government’s plans are “a great first step,” but he cautioned that “there has to be a lot more done.”

He argued that the proposed legislation won’t prevent drivers at fault in serious collisions from escaping with only minor consequences.

While the new charge of careless driving causing death or bodily harm would come with harsh penalties, Brown said there is no guarantee police will use it.

Simple careless driving is already an offence under the Highway Traffic Act, but even drivers involved in fatal crashes often face lesser charges such as leaving the roadway unsafely.

Brown cited the case of 70-year-old cyclist Gary Sim, who was killed in a collision in the Rockliffe-Smythe neighbourhood in July. The driver in that case was charged with making an unsafe turn, and is facing a maximum fine of $500. The proposed penalty has outraged Sim’s family.

The Liberals’ legislation won’t change situations like that, Brown said. There are “still going to be cases where people are going to be killed, and there are still going to be small fines handed out.”

He argued that the province should enact a “vulnerable road user law” that would automatically impose stiffer penalties on drivers who seriously injure pedestrians or cyclists, no matter what offence they’re charged with.

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“You should be subject to a licence suspension, you should be subject to community service hours, you should be required to take a driving course before you re-enter back onto the road,” he said.

At Wednesday’s news conference Del Duca conceded that it will be up to law enforcement to determine when the new stricter careless driving charge is warranted. But the legislation would give police “one more tool in the tool kit,” he said.

So far this year, at least 24 pedestrians and two cyclists have been killed in Toronto. Last year 43 pedestrians died, the worst total in more than a decade.