I am writing in response to your article “RCMP put the brakes on speeding drivers” (Chilliwack Progress, March 19). As the father of one of the individuals involved, I felt I should make a comment. As the police vehicle was stuck behind a train and had to wait until it passed before arriving at the site, the existence of video footage showing them “travelling at high speeds, performing drifts and 360-degree turns” is questionable at best. Because they saw the police vehicle waiting for the train to pass, the three waited for the policeman to arrive and therefore do not understand why he told them he had video footage of them performing all these maneuvers, but refused to show them, saying “you will have to wait and see it in court.”
These three will pay the $368 fine and pay the towing and one-week storage which will be another $400 to $500. I know my son is getting rid of this vehicle right away. He is done.
There is now conjecture as to whether or not the individuals will lose their license. If they do, this will be forced upon them without any video evidence of wrongdoing. This will be catastrophic for my son who is newly married and starting a family as it will mean the loss of his job. It will mean that two more people will be on EI and then perhaps welfare for a mistake made that still has not yet been proven. It’s the word of the RCMP against three young men, you know who wins that battle every time.
Did I mention there were two other vehicles leaving that scene at the same time the three individuals arrived. The complaint was apparently about those drivers as the three men in the article had just arrived and were waiting for the police to get past the train. They did not drive the way the police states.
I feel that until this case has been proven in court and the video of this scene shows these three people actually doing what they are accused of the police should not involve ICBC and arbitrarily threaten the loss of a license.
Although these young men will pay the fines and costs, it’s not fair to cripple them further by suspending their licenses.
Thomas Fairney
