BC Cracks Down On Excess Speed

8 Nanaimo Vehicles Impounded 

For Excessive Speed

Nanaimo RCMP Municipal Traffic Services have been hard at work making our streets safer.
With the new legislation in effect as of Monday, Nanaimo RCMP have been enforcing speeding laws on the highways.  Over the past three days eight vehicles have been impounded for excessive speeding.  Excessive speed is 41 km/hr or more above the posted speed limit.

Anyone caught excessively speeding will be issued a violation ticket with a fine of $368 to $483 and the vehicle will be impounded for seven days.  Two vehicles were stopped on the Trans Canada Highway at the south end of Nanaimo yesterday and both vehicles were impounded.  The faster of the two was going 174 km/hr in a marked 90 km/hr zone.

Excessive Speeding Sanctions

These also apply to street racers, excessive tailgating and reckless driving actions, such as wheelies and doughnuts:

• First offence: seven-day vehicle impoundment.
• Second offence within two years: 30-day impoundment.
• Third and subsequent offences within two years: 60-day impoundment.

Impoundment is in addition to existing penalties, which include: 

•  A fine of $368 to $483, depending on the degree of the excessive speed.  
• Three penalty points on a driver’s licence.  
• An ICBC driver-risk premium of $320 per year for three years, over and above Autoplan insurance premiums.

Excessive SpeedingThe Motor Vehicle Act defines excessive speed as driving at a speed greater than 40 km/h over the speed limit. It is often a death sentence for everyone involved – the driver, their passengers and other innocent road-users. About 10,000 tickets are issued by police annually for excessive speeding.

The Penalties
The faster you drive, the higher the fine. Drivers going more than 40 km/h over the limit receive a $368 fine and those exceeding the limit by more than 60 km/h receive a $483 fine. In addition, the driver will receive three penalty points on his or her driving record.

New Penalties (as of September 20, 2010)

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’ll 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. 

Why the Tough Penalties are Important
Speed is the number-one contributing factor in fatal crashes involving road-users in B.C. The tougher laws will make streets and highways safer by going after those who drive significantly and dangerously over the posted speed limit, and then get them off the road.
 

If Someone Else Gets Your Vehicle Impounded The Motor Vehicle Act places ultimate responsibility on vehicle owners for the manner in which their vehicle is operated. Owners should set clear ground rules for anyone they let drive their vehicle.
 

There is no review of impoundments of seven days or less, but if a vehicle is impounded for 30 or 60 days for excessive speeding, an owner can apply to the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles for a review of the impoundment. You can get a ‘Request for Review’ form from any driver licensing office. Along with the completed form, you will need to provide proof of your identity and proof of vehicle ownership. (See Fees for Services for costs associated with reviews.)
 

Owners are also entitled to go to provincial court to claim towing and storage costs from the person who was driving the vehicle at the time of the impoundment.