HIGH-DEFINITION video is everywhere, and BC Highway Patrol warns it is following up with enforcement against dangerous drivers.
A Surrey man has learned an expensive lesson after a motorcycle was captured on video by a witness driving on Highway 1 near 176 Street in Surrey on July 3. The witness was passed by a motorcycle that was weaving in traffic and travelling at excessive speed. The motorcycle, the motorcycle rider, and the licence plate were clearly visible on the witnesses’ high-definition dash camera. Four days after the incident, BC Highway Patrol tracked down the motorcycle’s owner.
“When the video quality is high-quality, and we have a witness ready to testify in court, we can and do follow up with over-the-top driving violations,” says Cpl. Michael McLaughlin with BC Highway Patrol. “It’s not hard to imagine how the speed and unsafe driving behaviour in this video could have easily led to the motorcyclist’s death.”
The 23-year-old Surrey man who was the owner of the motorcycle was issued $1,769 in tickets:
- Drive without consideration, for a fine of $196
- Excessive speed (more than 60 km/h over the limit), ($483)
- Unsafe lane change, ($109 x 5)
- Lane change without signal, ($109 x 4)
- Fail in duty to supply information, ($109)
“We understand how much bad driving not only makes our highways unacceptably unsafe, it also annoys safe drivers,” says McLaughlin. “We’re enforcing these laws to improve people’s behaviour by delivering real consequences.”
