Transport Minister Chris Steel said it would take 12 months to establish the scheme to cover heavy vehicle drivers, which was a recommendation from the coronial inquest into the death nearly five years ago of Blake Corney.

"This new mandatory reporting regime will be rolled out in 12 months' time. We'll be working closely with medical practitioners to make sure they've got the processes in place to start making these reports to the Road Transport Authority," Mr Steel said.

Amendments to the ACT's road safety laws were passed in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday morning, giving the government the power to establish the mandatory reporting scheme.

Blake Corney was killed in a major rear-end collision on the Monaro Highway in July 2018 by a truck driver who likely had sleep apnoea for five years and whose doctor knew of his condition.

The laws also include tougher penalties for drivers caught speeding more than 45kmh over the limit and the option of jail terms for the first time for drivers caught street racing.

The government has also closed a loophole by introducing a new offence of trespassing in a motor vehicle.

Mr Steel said the laws would also provide police with the power to immediately suspend a person's licence if they're engaging in dangerous driving behaviour, including excessive speeding.

"This is an important legislative step to address some of the high end data for driving that we have seen over the past few years. Last year was the worst year in terms of our road toll for the last decade," he said.

"And so this will go some way to helping address that driver behaviour. But ultimately it is also up to individuals on our roads to make sure that they're looking out for other people and taking responsibility for their own safety as well."

Mr Steel also took aim at the Canberra Liberals, who he said had played down the potential impact of casual speeding.

Opposition transport spokesman Mark Parton spoke in the Assembly in support of the bill, saying road safety should not be a political issue and the government had taken sensible steps.

"I think we should be very clear this bill doesn't seek to demonise Canberrans who find themselves on occasion straying over the speed limit. Its focus is instead on those who turn our roads into race tracks and risk lives in the process," Mr Parton said.

MORE A.C.T. POLITICS NEWS:

Mr Steel later told a press conference Mr Parton's comments were extraordinary.

"The Canberra Liberals suggested that we were demonising drivers for giving them infringement notices when they speed over the speed limit, which is quite an extraordinary claim and it needs to be called out," he said.

"What we know is that if you travel five kilometres over the speed limit, when it's a 60kmh zone, you're double the risk of causing a crash. And if you've travelled 10 kilometres over, you're four times more likely to be causing a crash.

"So that sort of casual attitude to speeding that we've heard in the chamber today is exactly the type of dangerous driving behaviour that we're trying to target through education campaigns."

The Canberra Times Blake's Legacy campaign in 2022 called for the coroner's recommendations from the inquest into Blake Corney's death to be adopted nationally; the recommendations included more stringent medical assessments and reporting, and the expedited uptake of modern truck safety technology.

We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.