SENSE BC

British drivers caught speeding by speed cameras in the European Union will no longer face an automatic fine when they get home, now that the UK is no longer a member state. Since 2015, and the introd

Campbell River man appeals ticket, saying he was not touching the phone while podcast played

“Police in Canada’s largest city reported that a 360-kilogram photo radar speed camera was somehow stolen from its home near a busy intersection.

Under normal circumstances, police said, the camera would only be moved with the aid of a hydraulic lift.

The camera has not been found and no arrests have been made”.

“A judge in Manitoba, Canada, does not want average motorists to have a helping hand if they decide to challenge a speed camera ticket. In a ruling Monday, Court of Queen's Bench Justice Shane I. Perlmutter agreed with a lower court that barred Christian Sweryda from representing, at no charge, friends who received photo radar tickets.

Sweryda, a law student, has helped people beat tickets, so Keith MacCharles sought out his assistance in 2018 after two citations were issued against his vehicle. On the back of the ticket was a form allowing anyone to take up the accused's case. In Manitoba traffic court, it is common to find non-lawyers using this form to argue before the bench.
A judge in Manitoba, Canada, does not want average motorists to have a helping hand if they decide to challenge a speed camera ticket. In a ruling Monday, Court of Queen's Bench Justice Shane I. Perlmutter agreed with a lower court that barred Christian Sweryda from representing, at no charge, friends who received photo radar tickets.

Sweryda, a law student, has helped people beat tickets, so Keith MacCharles sought out his assistance in 2018 after two citations were issued against his vehicle. On the back of the ticket was a form allowing anyone to take up the accused's case. In Manitoba traffic court, it is common to find non-lawyers using this form to argue before the bench.”

"Six years ago, I already hated the idea. Voluntarily giving up so much private information in exchange for so little made no sense to me. It’s very much in line with the thinking “if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about.” That is probably the most sinister slippery slope of all, and one getting progressively worse. A government bill that would allow insurance companies to opt-out of getting your permission toopt-in is alarming.

When it was first introduced, insurance companies like Allstate were fierce in their defence the information collected would only be used to reward good drivers with reduced rates, and never to punish bad ones. Hogwash. In an industry that is chasing every penny, do you really think the bucks used to reward some won’t be paid out on the backs of others? There is no imaginary pot of bonus money waiting to be pulled from. Look at that opening quote again: you will be considered a bad driver (and assigned higher rates) unless you allow the squeal box or app in your car. That’s not voluntary, that’s voluntold.

Dr. Ann Caoukian is one of the world’s leading privacy experts. She agrees something that was once a carrot is now a stick. “People don’t understand what they’re signing up for. They don’t read the legalese, but the implications of this kind of technology can come back to haunt you.”

“They are so hesitant to opt-out because they want to save money, which I understand,” she says, noting the initial rollout of usage-based metrics was one thing, but if your insurance company opts to do what this proposed legislation will allow them to do – make it not something you choose, but something your company insists on – your only option will be changing companies. But what if they all do it? "

I know we’re headed this way eventually. I still don’t like it. And if we’re just frogs in a pot, we should still pay attention to how hot the water is getting.