With more sunshine has come more speeding and more cars towed off the highway under BC’s most recent excessive speeding laws.
Cpl. Trevor Prosser of the Valemount RCMP, who is in charge of traffic violations, says he personally issued impounds to 25 drivers in the month of April after catching them going more than 40 km/h over the speed limit. Eight violations happened over the Easter weekend, alone. One vehicle was caught going 181 km/h in a 100km/h zone.
“If we can keep the speeds down we can keep the injuries less serious,” Cpl. Prosser says. “It’s the difference between a broken leg and something much worse.”
To put the numbers into comparison, there were 27 excessive speed violations between Sept 20th and Dec. 30th. Those were the first three months after new rules came into effect in BC regarding the penalties for excessive speeds. Prosser pulled over just two vehicles in March and four in February for the same violation.
Vehicles were caught speeding in numerous places including near Jackman Flats, Mount Robson, the scales area, and Albreda, and at different times during the day.
Const. Ron George says with longer daylight, there are more hours where people feel comfortable speeding. Speed relative to road conditions is the primary cause of collisions.
The McBride detachment reported just two excessive speed violations in the past two months.
Since last September, if you are caught excessively speeding, you will automatically have your car impounded for seven days for a first offence, 30-days for a second offence, and 60 days for any subsequent offences within two years. You will also pay to get your car out. Towing and seven days of storage will cost you at least $210, a 30 day impoundment will cost around $700, while a 60-day impoundment will cost over $1200.
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Having recently travelled through Valemount area, eastbound to Jasper from Vancouver, we stopped for a rest from our 7 hour drive, to take photos by a campground at Mt. Robson. Continuing on, I ascended uphill on the two lane hwy. beside a very large logging truck that made me a bit nervous, (being a 911 operator). Accelerating, I reached the top of the hill and was apprehended for speeding. I learned that this was a 70 km zone and under the new laws, any speed over 40 km. the (rental) vehicle was impounded. My daughter and I unloaded half our belongings that we could carry, received a $368 ticket, and a $300 impound, leaving us stranded on the roadside. We had nobody to call, and no cell phone range. We began walking, like a pair of pack horses ~ ladened with suitcases, gifts, books, 3 salmon, a water melon that I chased down the hill rolling past the police car which generated a slight smile from my daughter in this hopeless situation. Yes the officer did offer us a ride ‘back’ to Valemount, but we needed to go ‘forward’ to attend a graduation in Jasper, a one hour drive. I wanted to show off the Rockies, where I’d lived for 10 years. The officer remained in the area, waiting for the tow truck, but come to think of it, he never did check to see if we two women safely got away from this desolated area. By Overlander Falls, we waited around for about 40 min. and met some senior hikers who restored our faith in mankind, and were kind enough to give us a lift to Jasper. We gifted them our salmon in appreciation.
Reaching Jasper, I learned that this has happened to several motorists and car rental companies over the past few months. I could not help but wonder if this is a cash-grab to target tourists, who may never be back this way. While the new laws are meant to target road racers, I saw your article on the ‘high’ statistics of how many motorists were nabbed. It neglected to say that the majority of these offences resulted in this “40 km per hour” zone. I appreciate the need for speed zones and I do regret not seeing the sign, blocked by the logging truck. I’m 57 and have never had a ticket before. It certainly dampened our enthusiasm for our four days away with my university-aged daughter, who had this very short time to visit. There will be no more trips, due to the financial impact. With gas prices and these hefty penalties, what will it do for Tourism? Not to mention the car rental company owners, who rent in good faith to drivers, and through no fault of their own, are being penalized during their short summer season. Receiving a 7 day impoundment, losing revenue, needing to retrieve these abandoned vehicles in remote places, not to mention the snickering towing staff who are no doubt cleaning up on this. Hello BC.