SPEEDERS TARGETED
New electronic traffic tickets and better enforcement of speed limits are touted as ways to reduce crashes and boost ICBC’s bottom line
A University of B.C. economics professor says better enforcement of speed limits could help the beleaguered Insurance Corp. of B.C. by reducing the number and severity of crashes.
The Crown insurance corporation, from which drivers in B.C. must buy their basic insurance, is facing a $1.3-billion shortfall this year, a situation the attorney general has called “a financial dumpster fire.”
On Monday, Attorney General David Eby put forward a series of changes to ICBC’s rate structure that will be subject to public consultation and previously announced a series of changes that include a $5,500 cap on pain and suffering awards for minor injuries, such as whiplash.
“I really appreciate the measures our minister David Eby is looking at and has made an announcement about,” UBC’s Werner Antweiler said. “I think they are on the right track looking at the problem from all angles, not just one.”
However, one issue for ICBC is that high accident rates have led to more payouts for collisions and injuries.
Antweiler said new speed control measures, such as setting up speed enforcement zones that focus on problem intersections and rural highways, could help reduce accidents and injuries.
For instance, such zones could be instituted on the Coquihalla and Sea to Sky highways. Vehicles would be recorded going into and leaving the zones, and a computer would figure out a vehicle’s average speed based on those entry and exit times. Speeders would be sent tickets, while information about law-abiding drivers would be erased. The zones would be well advertised so people would know when they were being monitored.
“Everyone over the speed limit will be subject to enforcement action,” Antweiler said. “It’s that 24/7 enforcement that will change behaviour because right now … people don’t care about speeding because the chances are pretty low
that they’ll get a ticket.”
Antweiler said speed control areas have worked in Scotland, bringing down average speeds and leading to fewer crashes. When there are crashes, the speed differential between vehicles is smaller and injuries are less severe.
Problem intersections could be targeted by converting red-light cameras to record speeds when the lights are green, catching speeders as they drive through.
Antweiler said the goal is not to raise revenue through increased ticketing. In fact, if the measures work well, fewer people will get tickets because they’ll obey speed limits.
“The idea of using speeding tickets as a way to fix a problem, that’s completely wrong — you shouldn’t do that,” Antweiler said. “The idea is to bring down the accidents. That is where the savings are.”
Speed enforcement should be part of a holistic approach, he said. That means going after distracted and impaired drivers using new technology and methods, and improving driver education.
“All these parts have to come together to bring down the accident rate,” Antweiler said.
Keeping car insurance affordable is one reason B.C. is embarking on a pilot project that will see police officers issue electronic traffic tickets instead of written ones.
Officers will scan drivers’ licence information into a new online ticket template that automatically fills in offence details, which is meant to ensure accuracy and save time at the roadside. The e-ticket equipment, which will be mounted in police vehicles, will share the information with partner organizations such as ICBC, eliminating the need to mail tickets and have organizations re-enter the details in their systems.
“It’s a smart way to lower the cost of enforcement,” Antweiler said. “We need to look at efficiencies in targeting bad drivers.”
Those who receive e-tickets will be able to pay their penalties through a new online payment service, PayBC, or use existing payment methods.
Delta police began issuing roadside e-tickets on Monday. Vancouver police will join the pilot on April 2, followed by Prince George municipal and North District RCMP on April 16 and the Capital Regional District’s Integrated Road Safety Unit on April 30. The project will wrap up in midMay and the ministry will receive a report in the summer.
“E-ticketing will allow police officers to leverage technology,” said Delta police Chief Const. Neil Dubord, who is also chair of the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police traffic safety committee. “The process is simply more efficient and quicker, and police officers will be freed up to do more enforcement. While not everyone will welcome the idea of police officers handing out more tickets, we believe this will improve road safety in the long term.”