Speed

Information related to vehicle speed and speeding.

Appeal of Speeding Ticket Conviction

BC Courts Coat of ArmsZihe Ren was convicted of speeding for traveling in excess of 80 km/h in the posted 50 km/h zone of the 4900 block of West 16th Avenue in Vancouver. He appealed the conviction citing that:

  1. The investigating officer, by mistaking the model of his vehicle on the traffic violation ticket, demonstrated that he was “obviously absent-minded" and it should be assumed that he was equally absent-minded about his estimate of the accused’s speed; and
  2. The decision is invalid because the investigating officer did not provide calibration records of his “speeding radar".

CASE LAW - R v Chamberlain

BC Courts Coat of ArmsColt Chamberlain was convicted in traffic court for driving at 145 km/h in a posted 90 km/h zone on highway 19 in Delta. He appealed the conviction based on the failure of the Crown to prove that the speed sign in place on the highway that day was posted by the minister responsible for the administration of the Transportation Act and that the sign applied to his lane of travel.

CASE LAW - R v Duplisse

BC Courts Coat of ArmsJeremy Duplissie was riding his motorcycle in the 10,300 block of 272 Street in Maple Ridge. This road has a posted speed limit of 50 km/h. The speed chosen by Mr. Duplissie was measured at just over 100 km/h by Corporal Martin. A ticket for excessive speeding was issued and subsequently disputed.

RESEARCH - Raising Rural Speeds Also Raised Collision Numbers

120 kmh speed signSome sections of rural highways in British Columbia saw an increase in the posted speed limit in 2014 following a provincial government review which included a poll of the population. Within two years some of these increases were rolled back due to rising collision rates. Today a research report released by academics from the University of British Columbia evaluates the effect that the initial speed increases have had since they were implemented.

OPINION - Does Speeding Actually Cause Crashes?

Speed Demon Many drivers believe speeding alone does not actually cause crashes. While not totally inaccurate, this over-simplified phrase does not paint the whole picture. The fact is, very few crashes are caused by one factor alone, and this includes speeding, but downplaying the impact of speeding can prove to be deadly.

VIDEO - Speed Talk

VideoThis is a video produced by the Belgian Federal Highway Police in collaboration with the Parents of Child Highway Victims. It is in French with English sub-titles. It features conversations between drivers caught speeding and the parents of children who died in collisions. Both are seated in the rear of a vehicle immediately after the driver had been stopped by police.

CASE LAW - R v Scherbey

BC Courts Coat of ArmsIn the case of R v Griffith we find ourselves in the Supreme Court at an appeal of a conviction for speeding. Edward Scherbey was driving out of a 30 km/h school zone travelling at 54 km/h. Constable Sabulsky made both a visual estimate of his vehicle's speed and measured it with a Stalker Dual DSR radar device before issuing the speeding ticket. At the conclusion of the trial in Provincial Court, a conviction was entered.