Drivers stunned by new speeding law
Brenda @ Sat Nov 10, 2007 12:30 pm
Work from home? 
My biggest problem is that there is no appeal or hearing on the suspeinsion and impoundment. If the officer is wrong or equipment is faulty too bad for you. THis law also applies to spinning your tires, aggressive lane changing, catching up to another car on the highway at a higher than normal speed, and another section called stunts. As far as I know they havent actually caught anybody racing. for the racing part the officer dosnt have to catch you now either. They just need reasonable and probable cause to seize your lisence and impound your car. I dont know if theres a time limit on that or if they can just come to your house one day and take it based on an accusation from an earlier date.
Clogeroo Clogeroo:
$1:
It's a good law, one I wish they'd adopt here in Alberta.
If people didn't want others driving fast they should have never made cars go fast. In Alberta with these flat roads I see no danger in going 130km/h or even 150 km/h in a 100 zone. A good enough driver is fully capable in good conditions of handling these speeds. Should just make a special fast lane for people who can actually drive then all the slow ones can stay in their little granny lane.
The problem is clogs that at vehicle doing 150 kph is going to do a hell of a lot more damage than one doing 120 or 130.
we deserve to protected from people who think that their speed is a personal matter. It is until they hit someone then it's everybodies problem.
50 over is way too fast.
One weeks loss of vehicle and a licence suspension for 7 days is pure deterrent, and one I support. Fantino does not make the law, the law was enacted by McGuinty's Liberals and I agree with it.
Who needs to worry except those who drive like knobs?
Clogeroo Clogeroo:
$1:
It's a good law, one I wish they'd adopt here in Alberta.
If people didn't want others driving fast they should have never made cars go fast. In Alberta with these flat roads I see no danger in going 130km/h or even 150 km/h in a 100 zone. A good enough driver is fully capable in good conditions of handling these speeds. Should just make a special fast lane for people who can actually drive then all the slow ones can stay in their little granny lane.
Who are you to make that judgement? Are you a civil engineer who's designed major highways? Are you a forensic specialist in vehicle collisions? No, you're a snot-nosed lead foot who thinks he knows better than the folks who built the road.
Yea, maybe there are a couple of stretches of highway in Alberta the could take 150, but the roads do bend here and there. Doing 150 in a 100 zone takes away a third of your reaction time, and makes the collision 2.25 times more energetic, assuming you hit a stationary object. It's just dangerous.
Alta_redneck Alta_redneck:
hurley_108 hurley_108:
Alta_redneck Alta_redneck:
hurley_108 hurley_108:
Regina Regina:
In my opinion it takes at least two cars to call it a race. If it's one car it's just plain speeding. The question is every time they ding a driver with this offence, shouldn't there be at least two cars impounded and two drivers charged? The law was promoted and passed under the premise that it would stop street racing, yet I've yet to read a single case where more than one person per stop has been charged with the new law. There were plenty of laws in place like "dangerous" or "careless" driving before hand to handle a single car going excessively fast so why call this racing when it's just speeding. I'm getting the feeling that they're not nabbing the intended clientele so are grabbing whoever to pad the stats.
Still, 50 over the limit is excessive by any definition. Doing 150 in a 100 zone means you car is carrying 2.25 times as much energy as it would if you were obeying the law. That means it'll do 2.25 times as much damage if it hits something, and you're probably 2.25 times more likely to kill someone. If playing up the racing angle is what was needed to get this enacted, than that's just politics. It's a good law, one I wish they'd adopt here in Alberta.
I’m not sure if Alberta Judges would enforce the law here. After all, that Edmonton Judge last week let the Sherwood Park teen off for killing 2 friends. She thought going close to 50 over, was a reasonable speed to be used while passing another vehicle on a 2 lane highway.
You've never, ever, not even once in your entire driving life, done 50 over the limit passing someone?
No I can't say I have, if you have to go that fast there doesn't seem to be a need to pass in the first place on a 2 lane road. I have done 35 to 40 over on the QE2 after I've looked in the mirror and seen a 1/2 mile of traffic backed up behind me, just to get the hell out of the way.
Well, I'd estimate you're in the minority. I've been on the QE2 once or twice, keeping up with the flow, doing 140 and passing nobody. In the city, on the Whitemud I've done the same at 100 in an 80. There's a culture of speed in this province, and the judge seems to have simply decided that it would not be right to punish this one kid for the sins of us all.
Yogi @ Wed Nov 14, 2007 10:51 am
Clogeroo Clogeroo:
$1:
It's a good law, one I wish they'd adopt here in Alberta.
If people didn't want others driving fast they should have never made cars go fast. In Alberta with these flat roads I see no danger in going 130km/h or even 150 km/h in a 100 zone. A good enough driver is fully capable in good conditions of handling these speeds. Should just make a special fast lane for people who can actually drive then all the slow ones can stay in their little granny lane.
I recently had a conversation with a young fella about this very subject. He was bitching and whining cuz he had just gotten ANOTHER speeding ticket which was now going to cost him his licence for at least 90 days. Then the insurance costs etc.
This guy was serious! To hear him tell it, he is an excellent driver and could see no possible reason for speed limits. They just aren't necessary!
'OK', I said. 'I agree completely with you. But the law must apply equally to everyone. And that includes all 16 year old ' wannabe Mario Andretti's' who have literally just been issued drivers licences. They too would now be allowed to drive at any speed that they want to cuz they are 'good drivers' too!'
Yup Clog. You would most likely have to 'move over to the granny-lane' to let 5 or 6 of these kids on their 'rice-rockets' go by! Ah ah! Their not racing. Remember. No speed limits. And besides, THEY have all determined that they are capable of driving at 160-180-240 kph.
I guess the cops would be able to determine easily enough that the ones who tried to go thru lamposts or your mom's mini-van, weren't 'capable' after all!
Thank Christ for speed limits! They are meant to protect everyone of us from each other!
Everyone of us SIGNED an agreement to abide by the POSTED SPEED LIMITS, knowing full-well that here are penalties for failing to do so!
A few years back a guy got a ticket for doing 120 in a 100 zone.....just west of Trenton.
The following week, while driving with a JP (jusitce of the Peace) he carefully drove 100 KPH and developed a following until he was stopped by the OPP and ticketed for "unneccessy slow driving" because he was "obstructing traffic". The JP asked the OPP a few questions but did not reveal his statis.
BIG PROBLEM for the OPP.
sasquatch2 sasquatch2:
A few years back a guy got a ticket for doing 120 in a 100 zone.....just west of Trenton.
The following week, while driving with a JP (jusitce of the Peace) he carefully drove 100 KPH and developed a following until he was stopped by the OPP and ticketed for "unneccessy slow driving" because he was "obstructing traffic". The JP asked the OPP a few questions but did not reveal his statis.
BIG PROBLEM for the OPP.
Can I find anymore info on that? I live in Kingston and that would be hilarious to post at work.
This should be inforced across Canada with a 0 tollerance policy.....
Auction off all the cars and put it towards the National Debt... 
Regina @ Thu Nov 15, 2007 8:38 am
While I've read many cases of this law used to catch someone speeding. Has anyone actually been caught racing and been charged?........since that's the premise of the additional law to begin with.
Regina @ Thu Nov 15, 2007 8:53 am
We already have a "dangerous" driving law.
Regina @ Thu Nov 15, 2007 10:17 am
lily lily:
Yeah... but this new one is way better.
I hardly think so since it is also a charge that's used when there's death.
2Cdo @ Thu Nov 15, 2007 10:26 am
Just this past Saturday I witnessed my first application of the new law here in Kingston.(Actually on the 401) Some lucky Quebec driver with his "Fast and the Furious" car was pulled over after blasting by me in my truck. I think he was almost going Warp speed
. 30 minutes later as I was going home i passed him where I noticed the tow truck hooking up his car!
I couldn't resist so I pulled over and thanked the officers for getting another idiot off the road. The officers tried to keep a straight face, due to buddy being in tears, and wished me a good day! 
Regina @ Thu Nov 15, 2007 10:32 am
Again.........another story where someone was speeding........yet charged with racing?
Under the existing laws he could have been charged with careless or dangerous driving along with speeding. Why do we have a law that was designed to curb street racing yet no one is being caught street racing?
I clearly remember the government flaunting video of the aftermath of two cars racing down a street and this is what they were going to implement to combat that.
Regina @ Thu Nov 15, 2007 10:35 am
lily lily:
Regina Regina:
lily lily:
Yeah... but this new one is way better.
I hardly think so since it is also a charge that's used when there's death.
This law tows the car BEFORE a death occurs.
It's better.
Dangerous and the lesser charge of careless driving get your car towed before any death as well. Where's the racing?