THE ACT government is moving in the Legislative Assembly to encourage responsible behaviour on the road.

Its Road Transport Legislation Amendment Bill No.1 makes changes to the ACT’s current road transport penalties framework, ensuring there is a clear hierarchy of offences, with escalating penalties.

It includes:

• New offences for not taking due care and attention or providing reasonable consideration when driving or riding
• New and updated offences for driving and riding without having proper control
• New police powers to direct a person to get off, or not get on, devices like e-scooters and bikes with associated penalties where a direction is ignored
• Updated penalties for the existing offence of negligent driving that does not lead to injury or death
• A new offence for negligent driving occasioning actual bodily harm, to ensure that dangerous behaviour that causes injury to another road user is appropriately recognised and penalised as the serious matter that it is
• Higher automatic licence disqualification periods for several driving offences which result in serious harm or death

The government will roll out a community education and awareness campaign from this month to ensure Canberrans are aware of their obligations.