Police across the province will be targeting speeders this long weekend, and drivers caught exceeding the speed limit by more than 40 km/h could face hefty new penalties.
In addition to a fine of $368 to $483, excessive speeders will now have their car towed and impounded.
RCMP in the Lower Mainland charged 111 drivers with excessive speeding during the 2010 May long weekend.
“Why ruin a vacation by losing your vehicle? Or worse, why spend the long weekend in the hospital caring for a loved one who was injured in a collision?” said Cpl. Aaron Sproule, spokesperson for the RCMP's Lower Mainland Traffic Services. “We want people to slow down and reach their destinations safely this weekend.”
As people travel to and from vacation destinations over the May long weekend, RCMP officers will be targeting aggressive drivers who tailgate, ignore posted signs, run red lights, recklessly pass other vehicles, and who are travelling at excessive rates of speed.
Police forces throughout B.C. have partnered with ICBC this month to highlight the dangers associated with speeding and aggressive driving. Speeding and aggressive driving are contributing factors in an average of 41,000 injury collisions every year in B.C., and were factors in more than 160 roadway fatalities in the Lower Mainland during 2009 and 2010.
The Lower Mainland District RCMP will be deploying every traffic enforcement resource at their disposal this weekend to keep roads safe and reduce the likelihood of injury and fatal collisions.
“The only police unit we don’t want to deploy this weekend is the Integrated Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Service (ICARS),” said Sproule. ICARS is the RCMP unit responsible for the forensic reconstruction of collisions and is only deployed to those collisions resulting in a serious injury or a fatality.
"Let’s all slow down and reach our destinations safely so we can all enjoy the May long eeekend with our friends and families this year.”