Brampton City Council is taking a strong stand on road safety, urging the provincial government to address fraudulent driving schools and tighten driver training standards.
During the January 15 Committee of Council meeting, Wards 1 and 5 Councillor Rowena Santos introduced a motion calling for immediate action to ensure that only safe and qualified drivers are on the roads. The motion was unanimously supported by council.
Santos highlighted findings from the 2023 Ontario Auditor General’s (AG) report, which revealed significant gaps in the Ministry of Transportation’s oversight of driving schools and instructors. According to the AG report, many driver training services operate outside the optional beginner driver education program, making it difficult to identify or deter substandard training practices.
Santos shared alarming statistics from Peel Regional Police, which reported over 632 careless driving charges, 559 cellphone-related driving infractions, 6,367 speeding violations, and nearly 2,000 charges for failing to stop at stop signs in Brampton and Mississauga between January and September 2024.
A December 2024 study by insurance provider My Choice Financial Inc. also ranked Brampton among the most dangerous cities to drive in Ontario, further underscoring the urgency of the issue. Santos believes fraudulent driving schools are partly to blame, as they enable unqualified individuals to receive certifications without proper training.
“Fraudulent driving instructors are taking money in exchange for training certificates for people who haven’t completed the required courses,” Santos explained in an interview. “Examiners passing drivers for cash under the table is putting lives at risk. This problem affects everyone on the road.”
Santos pointed to the AG’s report, which criticized changes made by the provincial government in January 2022 to address a backlog of road tests caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes reduced the requirements needed to pass highway road tests without evaluating the long-term impact on road safety.
Additionally, requirements for new drivers, including newcomers from countries with vastly different traffic laws, were loosened, raising further concerns about the qualifications of drivers on Ontario roads.
“The standards for training and examinations have significantly declined compared to when we were growing up,” Santos said. “Novice and newcomer drivers are being licensed faster, often without the rigorous training and qualifications we once had.”
Santos also raised concerns about fraudulent truck driving schools, which she linked to a rise in collisions involving commercial vehicles. “Fraudulent truck driving schools are issuing licenses in the same way as fraudulent driving instructors,” she said. “This is another area where immediate action is needed to protect public safety.”
Santos’ motion directs city staff to identify road safety hotspots across Brampton to better allocate police and road safety resources. This initiative aims to improve Brampton’s reputation as a safe city for drivers.
“We need to focus our efforts on ensuring that our streets are safe for everyone,” Santos emphasized. “The provincial government must take this issue seriously and implement stronger measures to regulate driver training and examinations.”
By addressing fraudulent practices and improving standards, Brampton City Council hopes to create safer roads for residents and visitors alike.