The Safe Driver

What can really curb speeding on our roads?

It seems like there are a lot more people getting caught for speeding over the past few years than ever before. Or perhaps the news and social media is just letting us know more often. In many jurisdictions the penalty can be quite severe if they’re caught. The key word here is “caught”. Getting caught is probably the best thing that could happen since their actions haven’t injured or killed anyone…yet. High speeds amount to more than 25% of fatal crashes in many countries and jurisdictions, so why do many people still do it? Do they not see the risks associated to speeding? Perhaps they belong to the “it won’t happen to me” club. But it does and it will.

In some cases, fines can make someone think twice about speeding, but in other cases, the fines aren’t strong enough to stop some people from exceeding the speed limit. In Ontario Canada where I live, slightly speeding over the posted limit carries a modest fine and in some cases, penalty or demerit points. Once the driver exceeds the speed limit by 30 km/h the fine reach over $200. It begins to get expensive for the driver if they surpass the speed limit by 50 km/h. There is no set fine for 50 km/h or more over the limit in Ontario but it can mean a fine up to $10,000 plus an impound of the vehicle for 1 week. Is that tough enough?

Maybe fines should be geared toward your income, as they do in Finland. If you earn more money, your fine increases. If you earn less money, your fine reflects that as well. Perhaps that will slow down some of the drivers…or maybe not. Some of the US states have a ridiculously low set fine for speeding, but others can be more severe. In New York for example, speeding 1 to 10 mph over the limit the rage is between $45 and $150. For speeding 11 mph to 30 mph, the range is $90 to $300. For speeding 31 mph or more, the range is $180 to $600. In some jurisdictions, jail time is also considered. Is that enough to stop drivers from speeding? Perhaps.

In the UK, you can expect to be fined 150% of your week’s salary if caught doing 51 mph or above in a 30 mph zone – up to a maximum of £1,000 (which is just over $1600 Canadian) and is known as a level 3 fine. Get caught doing 101 mph or more on the motorway/expressway and the same rule applies but the fine will move to a maximum of £2,500 (which is just over $4000 Canadian and is considered a level 4 fine). Such fines are in addition to the courts’ ability to impose penalty points on your licence or disqualify you from driving for a period of at least seven days. Sounds serious enough to me.

Recently in Ontario Canada, many drivers have been caught and charged with speeding more than 50 km/h over the speed limit. Their vehicle was impounded for 7 days and their licence was suspended. Did it matter to them? Was it more of an inconvenience than anything else? What happened to taking ownership for your own actions? For many people, money talks but for some of these drivers who continuously speed, they seem to care less about the fine. Perhaps the penalty needs to be changed before more injuries or death on our roads increase.

I remember when my kids were little when they threw a toy at one of their siblings in a fit of frustration or anger. As a parent we took away the toys as a short term punishment. Only when they calmed down did we return the toys to them. Perhaps some of these speeding drivers need the same thing done with them? Taking away their “toys” until they act more responsibly may just curb their desire to speed. Besides, if the person doesn’t have their vehicle, they can’t speed. We need something strong in place because it appears certain drivers can’t seem to control their own conduct on the roads. Can you?

**Have a quick listen to this short episode of the “Speed Bumps” podcast as it discusses the dangers of speeding!