B.C. increases fines for drivers who pass on-duty school buses
For Cindy Dettling, the turning point came one morning last year along a busy highway near Fort St. John.
A school bus driver, she was picking up students at three separate stops within a few minutes of each other. At each stop, a motorist ignored the flashing lights on the bus and blew past.
“So I said enough is enough,” Dettling said.
“This can’t keep going on. We’ve just been lucky up to this point that, touch wood, nobody has lost their life.”
She started writing letters to school boards, to municipalities, to politicians.
“Anybody who would listen to me and some of them who didn’t want to,” she said.
Her efforts paid off Monday when Transportation Minister Todd Stone announced that the fine for passing a school bus with flashing lights will more than double to $368, effective immediately.
The previous fine of $167 was one of the lowest in Canada.
A second offence within a year will carry the same fine and three penalty points worth $300 in extra insurance premiums. In addition, the driver will face a licence review and possible suspension.
“With the new increase, we’re hopeful that drivers will be more diligent and they’ll take into consideration the well-being of our children,” Stone said.
He paid particular tribute to Dettling for her “tireless efforts” to highlight the issue.
“It’s the voices of these bus drivers, it’s the voices of parents and school trustees and educators that motivated us to look into increasing the fines,” he said.
Victoria acting police chief Del Manak said police issued 1,100 tickets for failing to stop for a school bus from 2009 to 2014.
“But drivers are still not getting the message,” he said.
“Far too many drivers are risking the lives and safety of our children.”
No child has died getting on or off a school bus, but 14 children have been injured, he said.
“It is clear that our current penalties have not been enough to change this dangerous driving behaviour. This is why police across the province welcome these new penalties.”