“More than 75 per cent of Canadians are currently covered by similar legislation in B.C., Ontario and Quebec,” said EPS Police Chief Rod Knecht. “The Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police has periodically approached previous governments on this issue. We’ll be making arrangements to meet with the new Transport Minister in the near future to again discuss this important issue.”
Within the past 24 hours, excessive speed appears to have played a factor in the death of two more motorists; one involving a motorcycle that collided with a parked vehicle, the other involving a vehicle rollover on Yellowhead Trail, earlier this morning, which claimed the life of the driver.
On just one evening alone this week, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2015, EPS officers dealt with five individuals driving at excessive speeds.
- Driver of a Ford Mustang was recorded travelling southbound on 34 Street near 28A Avenue at 141 km/h in a 60 km/h zone.
- Driver of a Cadillac Seville was travelling westbound on Argyll Rd. and 75 St at a speed of 127 km/h in a 60 km/h zone.
- Officers conducting laser enforcement near 73A Street and 153 Avenue observed a driver passing several vehicles at a speed of 154 km/h in a 60km/h zone. Several children had just crossed the road.
- Driver of a stolen Dodge Ram truck entered into a Criminal Flight reaching speeds of between 120-140 km/h through a residential area near 90 Avenue and 50 Street.
- Driver recorded travelling 112 km/h in a 60 km/h zone on 184 Street at 126 Avenue. The male driver had recently received his licence back after a suspension for previous traffic offences.
“There isn’t a day that goes by that the lives of innocent citizens and offenders aren’t placed in life-threatening situations by motorists driving at irresponsible speeds,” said Chief Knecht. “To be clear, this sort of reckless driving behaviour isn’t just occurring on freeways. It’s now happening on residential streets in many jurisdictions across the province, which should be deeply concerning for all Albertans.”
The Edmonton Police Service proposes that Alberta introduce Excessive Speed legislation that gives police the discretion to seize vehicles and issue suspensions to drivers going in excess of 50 km/h over the posted speed limit.
The EPS proposal also calls for court-imposed fines and six demerit points applied to the individual’s driving profile. First-time offenders would have their licence suspended and vehicle seized for seven days, second-time offenders would be penalized at 30 days respectively, and subsequent offences would translate into a 30-day licence suspension and vehicle seizure.
So far in 2015 (YTD to end of July), a total of 277 tickets have been issued for mandatory court speeding violations - speeds exceeding 50 km/h over the limit.
There have been 24 traffic fatalities in Edmonton in 2015 (YTD). There were 23 over a 12-month period in 2014.