This weekend, the VPD Traffic Section shared a post on social media about a speeding ticket issued to a Porsche driver.
The driver was found to be going nearly three times the limit, driving at 130 km/h in a 50 km/h zone, after they were caught speeding on the Georgia Viaduct on Saturday morning.
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We spoke to someone who is an expert on all things related to traffic law, criminal lawyer Kyla Lee.
The B.C. government sets fines for tickets.
Regarding how fines are set and why they’re valued at specific amounts, Lee said, “The amount of the fine is generally supposed to capture the severity of the offence, but it doesn’t always work that way because the fines have to be set to cover a broad range of circumstances under which a person may be issued a ticket. Sometimes, the phone may not reflect the seriousness, or it may overstate the seriousness of the offence. The legislature is attempting to strike a balance when they are choosing the fines that they choose.”
Do speeding tickets work? Lee says that social sciences research concludes that a ticket is a consistent, visible enforcement that causes people to change their behaviour.
“Some studies have suggested that for a short period after being issued a ticket, a person may decrease their speeds. But the effect of that tends to wear off over time.”
Lee also says that folks who are repeat offenders when it comes to speeding are in the minority.
Read here.
