Okanagan drivers aren’t scared to place the pedal to the steel on highways, a threat that comes with a hefty consequence.
The assertion comes because the Kelowna B.C. Freeway Patrol releases that they’ve impounded lots of of vehicles already this 12 months in response to extreme speeding and aggressive driving.
“The variety of automobile compounds is sort of staggering within the Kelowna space,” mentioned Cpl. Michael McLaughlin.
McLaughlin says that final 12 months there have been 225 automobiles towed and impounded as a consequence of extreme dashing. Nevertheless, this 12 months the variety of impounds has greater than doubled.
“We’re as much as 548 impounds because of extreme driving.”
The putting statistic shouldn’t be a direct results of extra policing, says McLaughlin, however a mix of things.
“We at B.C. Freeway Patrol has been focusing extra on aggressive driving behaviours, notably extreme dashing, so there may be that. However, there is no such thing as a method these sorts of numbers don’t come from folks driving too quick and they’re doing it greater than they used to,” mentioned McLaughlin.
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Including to the variety of drivers caught dashing excessively, RCMP issued 45 dashing tickets in simply two days whereas monitoring a college zone on Hollywood Street South the place some drivers had been clocked doing greater than double the posted velocity restrict.
Calum MacMillan of Younger Drivers of Canada in Kelowna, B.C., says that dashing shouldn’t be often a brand new driver’s behavior. It develops over their driving profession as they get extra comfy behind the wheel. Nevertheless, he echoes that dashing is harmful.
“In case you are going 30 km/h or decrease, when you hit a pedestrian, their likelihood of survival is 90 per cent,” mentioned MacMillan.
“For those who go as much as even 45 km/h they’re even lower than 50 per cent prone to survive.”
If drivers are keen to go quicker than the velocity restrict, they need to be ready to pay up.
“An extreme dashing ticket is critical, you’re looking at a $368 high-quality, three penalty factors in your driving file and a minimal seven-day impoundment,” mentioned Kyla Lee, lawyer.
“As well as, an extreme dashing ticket can even set off the extreme driver threat premium which is a $340 a 12 months premium for 3 years.”
Lee says that drivers can dispute the ticket however it’s going to nonetheless come at a value.
“In case you are profitable in your dispute of an extreme dashing ticket, you don’t get your impound charges reimbursed to you,” mentioned Lee.
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