A Nanaimo senior caught excessively speeding says officers should exercise their discretion when they impound vehicles, but the RCMP say theresa国际传媒檚 no grey area there.
Penny Hamilton, 71, said her vehicle shouldnsa国际传媒檛 have been taken away after she was pulled over going 120 kilometres per hour in an 70km/h zone in Ladysmith this past Saturday. Hamilton and her husband were on an errand to Duncan when she says she sped up to pass a car being driven erratically and a truck in front of it.
sa国际传媒淚 agreed with the officer, Isa国际传媒檓 sorry, I was speeding, I was trying to get past the little black car and the chipper truck, I didnsa国际传媒檛 see the sign where it says 70,sa国际传媒� she said.
Hamilton didnsa国际传媒檛 take issue with the speeding ticket, she said, but was shocked when she was told that her car was being towed and impounded for seven days and that she, her husband and their dog would need to arrange their own ride home.
Hamilton said with the ticket, fine, impound fee, cost of a rental car and effect on her insurance, sa国际传媒淚 added it all up, itsa国际传媒檚 going to cost us $2,800 for a traffic infraction. I donsa国际传媒檛 believe it.sa国际传媒�
She said shesa国际传媒檚 never had a speeding ticket and added that she wasnsa国际传媒檛 unco-operative during the traffic stop.
sa国际传媒淚 was a commercial fisherman; I would use the F word and I swear, I did not use it. I was polite, I was courteous, I did what I was told,sa国际传媒� she said.
Cpl. Mike Halskov, spokesman for B.C. RCMP Traffic Services, said police sa国际传媒渁bsolutely cannotsa国际传媒� use their discretion in instances of excessive speeding, adding that the Motor Vehicle Act, Road Safety B.C. and the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure are sa国际传媒渧ery, very clearsa国际传媒� on that piece of legislation.
He said an officer conducting laser speed enforcement sees a vehicle, not the person driving.
sa国际传媒淚n this particular case, unfortunately it was an older person that got pulled over for excessive speed, and it happened to occur during a month when wesa国际传媒檙e conducting a high-risk driving campaign,sa国际传媒� Halskov said. sa国际传媒淓xcessive speed is one of the things that wesa国际传媒檙e out there enforcing heavily this month, as always.sa国际传媒�
Hamilton said she has already begun a process to dispute her ticket. She said some people offered to give her money, but she refused them.
sa国际传媒淚 wouldnsa国际传媒檛 take money from anybody. Wesa国际传媒檙e using our Visa, thatsa国际传媒檚 what wesa国际传媒檙e doing,sa国际传媒� she said.
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