High-risk driving behaviours, like speeding, increase your chances of crashing. In 2016 alone, there were 330,000 crashes in B.C.: 900 crashes per day. The number of crashes and claims has been growing steadily, and the costs of those claims are ballooning. Injury claim costs alone are now close to $3 billion a year.
These numbers are not sustainable. One way ICBC, police, and the B.C. government are tackling the issue is through ongoing road safety. May 1 marked the launch of a month-long campaign urging drivers to slow down, with police targeting speeders during the month of May, including a province-wide enforcement blitz on May 19.
ICBC will be working with Speed Watch volunteers, who will be set up in B.C. communities to encourage drivers to slow down. The campaign also includes radio and social media advertising.
“We’re at a point today where the number of crashes across our province, and the number of claims we’re receiving, are growing by the thousands every year,” says Lindsay Matthews, ICBC’s acting vice-president responsible for road safety. “We can all do our part by slowing down to make roads safer and save lives.”
High-risk driving behaviours, like speeding, distracted driving, and running red lights, are a concern for all demographics of drivers. Everyone has a part to play in keeping our roads safe: if we want everyone else to drive smart, we first need to start with ourselves.
“Speeding, failing to yield, and unsafe lane changes are high-risk driving behaviours that put everyone at risk,” says Chief Officer Neil Dubord, Chair of the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police Traffic Safety Committee. “Drivers have to be responsible for their actions, pay attention, and focus on driving. Police will be out in full force across the province this month looking for drivers who feel the rules don’t apply to them.”
On average, 42 people are killed every year in the Southern Interior from crashes involving high-risk driving. High-risk driving includes speeding, failing to yield right of way, following too closely, ignoring a traffic control device, and improper passing.
If you’re caught speeding, you end up paying in a number of ways, and the cost increases the more you speed. If you have one or more excessive speeding tickets, you pay a driver risk premium, which is based on convictions over a three-year period. You pay the driver risk premium on top of your cost of insurance.
Ticket fines increase the further over the speed limit you drive. If you’re caught doing 20km/hr over the speed limit on a highway, you’ll be ticketed $138; do more than 40km/hr, and the ticket is $368. In a school, playground, or construction zone, the fines range from $196 to $483. For more information see the full listing of fines and points for B.C. traffic offences at http://bit.ly/2jz7NFf.
Besides the violation ticket fine and driver risk premium, police can immediately impound your vehicle for seven days for those travelling 40 km or more over the posted speed limit. This could escalate to 30 or 60 days for repeat offenders. The owner is then required to pay the vehicle towing and storage fees to get their vehicle back.
Most vehicles operate most fuel efficiently when travelling between 50 and 80km/hr and when maintaining a consistent speed. When you increase your speed above this range or vary your speed too frequently, your fuel consumption goes up. So watch your speed and save on gas.
Some tips to help you stay safe on the road include:
• Allow at least two seconds’ following distance behind other vehicles in good weather and road conditions (three seconds on a highway).
• Slow down for poor weather conditions or uneven roads, and increase your following distance to at least four seconds. Remember that the distance required to stop increases in wet or slippery conditions.
• Don’t speed up as someone is trying to pass you. Help the other driver get back into your lane by slowing down and making room.
• Be realistic about your travel time and plan your trip beforehand. Increasing your speed does not decrease travel time in a meaningful way, so if you’re running late, accept the delay. Better late than never.
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