Cop trap nets a dozen drivers disobeying new highway rule
Posted Jan 13, 2011 11:52:30 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Twelve drivers are smarting and likely shaking their fists after being written tickets for $340 for not slowing down enough when passing an emergency vehicle flashing its lights on the highway.
The tickets were handed out by the Mounties on the 102 near Lantz Wednesday. A fully marked cruiser was parked on the shoulder with its lights on, despite the fact there was no emergency.
RCMP officer Les Kakonyi says it was not a trap per se, but rather the Mounties emphasizing that speeding vehicles on the highways represent a safety concern for officers. “Not only police officers, but emergency personnel such as EHS, as well as Department of Natural Resources or any emergency personnel that is on the side of the road stopping a vehicle,” he says.
The new law came into effect in May 2010. It forces drivers to slow down to 60 km/hr on the highway and move to the outside lane if possible when approaching an emergency vehicle.
CAA spokesperson Gary Howard says slowing down is the right thing to do, but 60 km/hr might not be the right speed.
“Should you go from 110 to 60 by slamming on your brakes?,” he asks, “that’s never a good idea, for you or for others around you.”
He says he hopes officers take that safety aspect into account as well when deciding to ticket drivers.
