SENSE BC

Which cars rack up the most speeding tickets?

"Vigilantes in La Barre, France, on Saturday used a novel method to destroy the speed camera that had been issuing automated tickets on the RD673. They used a drill to cut a large hole in the lens of the camera, poured gasoline inside and ignited the blaze so that the device burned from the inside out. Around Tuesday, vigilantes in Feignies used gray spraypaint to blind the speed camera on Avenue Jean-Jaures before likewise blinding the camera in La Longueville. On August 24, vigilantes smashed and spraypainted the newly installed pole-mounted speed camera on the RD104 in Vinezac. Around the same time the turret camera on the RN31 in Ambleny was decapitated and left on the side of the road.

In Murupara, New Zealand, on Saturday, a speed camera utility vehicle failed to prevent itself from being hit by a Ford Ranger on Daniel Street. Police chased the pickup truck's driver but failed to find him. A photo radar van in Timaru was destroyed on August 19 after it failed to prevent an accident. The vehicle was parked on State Highway 1 when it was involved in a rear-end collision."

There is Saanich Mayor Fred Haynes at it again, pushing one of his favourite pet projects which is to make the rest of the province a retirement community just like his. "reduced speeds will help fight climate change by making side roads safer and encouraging more people to get out of their cars and walk or cycle".

Wait, is that really that we can fight climate change by making the roads safer, or is it all about "encouraging" people to abandon their cars?

But hold on, the leader of the scooter capital of Canada, Oak Bay, says "widespread regional support for the idea suggests that many people are driving 35 km/h to 40 km/h on most residential streets anyway."

Make no mistake about what this is really all about for these bumbling ideologues. This is social engineering which if acted upon, is costly, unnecessary, and not justified by any objective data showing a problem needing a solution. This is the kind of law which is guaranteed to snare safe and reasonable drivers just to "encourage" people to get our of their cars.

"While there are numerous fines one can get on the road, there are few traffic tickets that come as a surprise to many people.

For example, most people know that texting and driving will land them with a penalty for distracted driving; however, not everyone realizes that distracted driving covers a much broader range of penalties than simply checking your phone."

Australia consistently leads the way in methods of shaking down motorists. If you ever want to feel good about your lot in life, simply cast a gaze Down Under for a good dose of motoring misery.

When Big Brother is too much for Big Brother.