Traffic Tickets

My highway patrol unit was issued its first laser speed measuring device back in the early 1990s. It quickly became a popular enforcement tool due to its precision in targeting specific vehicles and measuring speed accurately. Just like radar before it, laser technology required time for case law to mature in the courtroom.

A common belief among drivers in British Columbia is that a police officer must personally witness a traffic violation to issue a ticket. However, this is legally incorrect. An officer may issue a traffic ticket based entirely on third-party witness accounts, statements from drivers, and physical scene evidence.

I'm not a lawyer reads the e-mail, I'm a grandfather but I want to be able to help my grandson dispute a ticket in traffic court. At his first appearance the presiding justice refused to let me participate telling me that my grandson was old enough to do it himself. There wasn't enough time to get to his hearing that day so I want to try again. How do I get the court's permission to do this?

We’ve all been there: you’re driving on a Sunday, the road is perfectly paved, there isn't a worker in sight, but the orange 70 km/h signs are still up. Do you have to slow down? A recent BC Provincial Court decision, R. v. Markowsky, suggests that if the "reason" for the sign is gone, the legal requirement to obey it might be gone too.

Question: I would like to know how long the police have to write me a traffic ticket after an accident. I was involved in a traffic accident 2 nights ago in Vancouver. I hit another vehicle at an intersection and called the police. They took down all the information, asked me to report to ICBC but did not give me a ticket and did not say that they would be giving me one.

Question: My son was ticketed with driving too fast for road conditions. The air and roads were dry so there were no road conditions. He was in an unfamiliar area at night and was in a roundabout which had a steep ditch on one side. As he was unfamiliar with the roundabout, he simply turned into the curb instead of following the curve of the road, and ended up over the curb and slightly down the embankment.

I found your article that explains the Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) requires that the JP impose the fine legislated for the speed being travelled. If they find between 20 and 40 over, for instance, they must impose the $196 fine and cannot reduce it. I am not able to find where the MVA says that speeding fines can't be reduced.