Ontario Road Safety and Traffic Laws Flashcards

Vocabulary based flashcards derived from Ontario driving lecture notes covering demerit points, vehicle safety standards, road sharing, freeway rules, and traffic signs.

Ontario’s demerit point system

A system that assigns points for traffic convictions, which stay on records for $2$ years from the offence date.

Headlight visibility requirement

Must be able to see roadway in front of vehicle when it is dark; required half hour before sunset until half hour after sunrise.

Default Speed Limits

If not specified, max speed is $50\,km/h$ in cities, towns, and villages, and $80\,km/h$ elsewhere.

School Bus passing penalty

$6$ demerit points for failing to stop for a stopped school bus.

Rear-facing Baby Carrier

Required child restraint for infants weighing $20\,lbs$ or less.

Car seat weight requirement

Used for children weighing between $20\,lbs$ and $40\,lbs$.

Booster seat requirements

Used for children weighing $40-80\,lbs$, who are $4'9ft$ or less, or $8$ years old and under.

UAS

Universal anchorage system strap used to secure child car seats.

Headlight specifications

Must shine a white light seen $150\,m$ in front and be strong enough to light objects $110\,m$ away.

Highbeam switching rule

Switch to lowbeam within $150\,m$ of an upcoming car or when less than $60\,m$ behind another vehicle unless passing.

Yield sign

Indicates you must slow down and stop if necessary until the intersection is cleared.

Sharrows

Road markings (〒Ὣ2) that indicate a shared lane for cyclists and motor vehicles.

Commercial vehicle stopping distance

Large vehicles require a stopping distance of $90\,m$, compared to $60\,m$ for smaller vehicles.

Uncontrolled intersections

Intersections with no signs or traffic lights where you must yield to the person who approaches first, or the driver on the right if arriving at the same time.

Median

A physical barrier or raised strip that separates traffic traveling in different directions; vehicles cannot cross over it.

Pedestrian Crossovers

Designed areas allowing pedestrians to cross roads with no traffic lights, often featuring a yellow overhead button to signal drivers.

Two-second rule

A method used to determine whether you are following the vehicle in front at a safe distance.

High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes

Lanes reserved for vehicles carrying a set minimum number of people.

Hydroplaning

A condition where tires run over water and lose contact with the road when traveling too fast.

Threshold braking

A technique that brings a vehicle to a quick, controlled stop even in slippery conditions.

Deceleration lane

A lane for slowing down that leads drivers out of the main flow of freeway traffic.

Glare

Dazzling light that makes seeing far distances difficult; visor or sunglasses are recommended for daytime.

Skids

When tires loosen their grip with the road surface, usually on slippery surfaces.

Regulatory Signs

Signs such as the Octagon (Stop) and Inverted Triangle (Yield) with white backgrounds and black or red markings.

Warning Signs

Yellow diamond-shaped signs with black symbols or letters indicating hazards like curves or school zones.

Blood Alcohol Level for Novice Drivers

Drivers with G1, G2, M1, or M2 licenses must have an absolute zero ($0.0\%$) blood alcohol level.

Stopping distance formula

$$\text{Stopping distance} = \text{thinking distance} + \text{braking distance}$$

Ontario's Move Over Law

Drivers must slow down and, if safe, move over one lane when passing stopped emergency vehicles with flashing lights.