Image Credit: Canada Safety Council

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: Public shaming might be the only way to stop speeders

May 20, 2020 | 4:35 AM

KAMLOOPS — HEARING LOSS AMONG B.C. DRIVERS has apparently become a major safety issue.

On Friday, police urged drivers to take it easy during the long weekend. They said they’d be out in force to catch the leadfoots. So, we were well warned.

Tuesday, B.C. RCMP Traffic Services reported a “significant” increase in the number of speeders from Saturday through to Monday. Clearly, nobody heard the warning.

Hundreds of tickets were handed out and 150 vehicles were impounded for speeding. To illustrate the point, police told a couple of stories.

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: Are the B.C. Conservatives digging their own graves?

6h ago

Sound Off

SOUND OFF: Culturally appropriate food goes beyond the ingredients on a plate

Dec 14, 2024

Two and Out

PETERS: Whether building up or tearing down, Kamloops is what you make it

Dec 13, 2024

One involved a vehicle with four people in it that was stopped on the Coq near Merritt. Nobody in the vehicle was wearing a seatbelt. It was clocked at 75 km/h over the speed limit.

In another case, a driver was caught going 130 km/h in a Lower Mainland residential zone. The vehicle was impounded. Four hours later, the same driver was stopped in Chilliwack for travelling more than 160 km/h in a different vehicle.

He faces the possibility of a lengthy driving prohibition. Fines for excessive speeding in B.C. range from $368 to $483. Then, of course, there are the points added to your record.

None of that is enough. Although no one died on the weekend due to speeding, more than 100 people a year do die in crashes in B.C. that involve speeding. So let’s get serious about it.

First of all, let’s start fines at a thousand dollars and hike them by a hundred bucks for each kilometer per hour over the speed limit.

Secondly, public shaming could do a lot of good. The only time offenders are named right now is if they have to go to court for killing somebody with their car. Why wait? Let’s publish the names of all speeders, whether they land in court or not.

Something beyond fines and warnings is needed. Maybe then people’s hearing would improve.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a former mayor of Kamloops and a retired newspaper editor. He is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a director on the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.