Following a push by city police asking MLAs to enact laws to confiscate vehicles and suspend licences of drivers caught speeding excessively, an area RCMP detachment official has given his input on the idea.
Sgt. Jeff Jacobson of the Didsbury RCMP said that his officers do often catch drivers speeding excessively ñ a designation constituted by anybody driving 50 km/h faster than the posted speed limit.
"We certainly do come across people who are speeding excessively,î said Jacobson. "And at that point, we don't just issue a ticket, we issue a court appearance.î
The charge is taken very seriously by the courts, and it is recognized that by driving at those speeds, drivers are not only risking their own safety, but also the safety of others, he said.
"When people are flagrantly violating that law, they're putting everybody at risk,î he said.
He has not personally witnessed many people driving at those kinds of speeds, but he has attended multiple crashes after they happen, where excessive speed has been determined to have played a factor.
"Typically we don't find out what that speed was until after the collision analysts have completed their reports, but it's usually after something has happened,î he said.
As for whether he agrees with the push to confiscate vehicles and suspend licences, he said "certainly there's strong opinions on either side of that argument.
"From a policing perspective, if that measure will make the roads safer, then how can I not support that?î
He added his officers will support whatever the provincial government's decision is, and that they will enforce whatever laws are brought into place.
The push has been brought to the forefront after Edmonton's police chief recently said his officers routinely catch people driving at excessive speeds.
"The public is concerned about this ñ 50 kilometres per hour isn't somebody that is just in a hurry or late for work,î said Chief Rod Knecht.
"You are making a conscious effort to drive that fast and drive that recklessly.î
He said the measure of officers being able to confiscate vehicles would really drive the message home.
His comments were in an effort to revitalize a push by the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police, which called on the provincial government to amend the Traffic Safety Act to allow seizures of vehicles, as well as suspend licences of offenders for seven days.
The province has yet to officially respond to the request, but Alberta Transportation spokeswoman Donna Babchishin said the government is reviewing it.
In 2010, British Columbia brought in legislation allowing police to seize vehicles driving 40 km/h over the posted speed limit, and within one year the number of fatality and injury-related crashes in the province was cut in half.
