Vancouver police warn that drivers should use extra caution driving in wintry weather — and that may mean travelling below the speed limit.
Vancouver Police Department Traffic Unit Sgt. Mark Christensen took to Twitter on Tuesday (Dec. 28) to share an image of a car pulled over on a frosty city street. While the road is relatively clear, the officer notes that snowfall and ice make for dangerous conditions. As such, speeding during inclement weather comes with a steep fine.
"The posted speed limit is the maximum speed when [the] road is in good condition," he writes, adding that the individual was driving 70 km/h in a 50 zone, which would be considered speeding anyway. "When it is snowing [and] icy, it is speeding relative to conditions with [an] increased fine."
Finally, Christensen emphasizes that "you don't have to be going over the limit to receive this!"
The posted speed limit is the maximum speed when road is in good condition. 70KMH in 50 is speeding but when it is snowing & icy, it is speeding relative to conditions with increased fine. FYI you don’t have to be going over limit to receive this! @VancouverPD @VPDTrafficUnit pic.twitter.com/vYnv3eRaCz
— Sgt Mark Christensen (@baldguy1363) December 28, 2021
In good conditions, a driver speeding upwards of 60 km over the speed limit will be issued a minimum fine of $483 for excessive speeding and a seven-day vehicle impound.
Speeding driver tells Metro Vancouver police officer to 'focus on the drugs and alcohol killing people' instead
While some drivers make up excuses for their behaviour, others tell traffic enforcement officers to change what they are doing instead.
Metro Vancouver Transit Police officers recently pulled over a driver who was speeding 53 km/h over the limit, and the individual asked "why police don't do their job [and] focus on the drugs [and] alcohol killing people."
Naturally, the point wasn't well-received and Transit Police noted in a Twitter post that there were a staggering 252 fatal traffic collisions in 2019 in B.C. and speed was the biggest contributing factor.
