Government

I'm sure that you have heard by now that the BC government has announced penalty points to go with a violation ticket for talking on a handheld device while driving. This new penalty, which also covers infractions like watching a DVD, programming a phone’s GPS, and operating hand-held audio players, is being combined with the $167 fine already in place and is now consistent with the three points and $167 fine currently given to drivers for texting.

On October 1, 2014 the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure announced new winter tire rules for British Columbia. The changes are part of the Rural Highway Safety and Speed Review conducted by the Ministry about one year ago when BC residents were asked to express their opinion. From the information provided to me, it appears that the only thing that has changed is the signage beside the highway and the chain option for passenger vehicles.

The Motor Vehicle Act and Regulations together make up the traffic enforcement "bible" for most police officers. They set the standards for traffic rules throughout the province of British Columbia. What you may not have considered but could still run afoul of are local traffic bylaws enacted by municipalities.

Effective on February 26th, 2014 you will no longer be able to submit an application to be exempt from wearing a seatbelt for medical reasons. The Canadian Medical Association’s Driver’s Guide states in Section 24 that “there are no medical circumstances that justify exemption from wearing a seat belt.” After this date doctors will no longer be able to issue exemptions.

Here is a link to the story called "Behind the Bike Box." My first reaction to this story is one of disgust, Is the City of Kelowna following BC road law in instituting this bike lane feature? Is the City of Kelowna trying to single-handedly redefine the Higways act? Does it not fly in the face of existing BC road law?

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner has decided that the use of GPS by an employer, KONE and ThyssenKrupp Elevator, to keep track of their employees and company vehicles is allowable under current privacy legislation.

Setting the speed limit on a highway in BC is a more complex process than most people realize. If you're curious, the Ministry of Tranportation and Infrastucture's blog explains about design, use and review with regard to speed limit setting and revision on our highways.

New Bill 52, to amend traffic court, is this proposed change scaring the crap out of anyone else? It looks the BC Government is further eroding any illusion that drivers of this province have any rights at all.

A new tribunal for traffic ticket disputes? Will it be as one sided and biased and unfair as the ones set up for the new drinking and driving legislation? Or will it be worse?

I spent most of my policing career as a traffic cop. Yes, I have an outlook that many in the public don't share, but they haven't spent 25 years investigating collisions and seeing the aftermath either. Thank goodness for that, but maybe our politicians need a bit of experience similar to my own to temper their viewpoints.

I've been watching a number of conversations in the newspaper and social media lately, mostly with regard to B.C.'s slow down, move over law, but including changes to other traffic laws as well. The general theme has been that the government has been doing a poor job of telling the public what the new laws are and how we are supposed to follow them.