Stunting charge should come with longer licence suspension : advocate
Posted Oct 28, 2020 03:17:00 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A pedestrian safety advocate wants drivers charged with stunting to face a longer licence suspension.
The charge is automatic for any vehicle caught going at least 50 km/h over the speed limit.
In the last week alone, at least 6 drivers have been charged with stunting by Halifax Regional Police.
The fine in Nova Scotia for stunting is $2,422.50 and six points are assigned to the driver's record.
Anyone facing the fine also has their vehicle seized and towed, which would make stunting even more expensive.
Norm Collins with the Crosswalk Safety Society of Nova Scotia says that's a fairly substantial amount for most people, so boosting the fine isn't likely to be more of a deterrent.
He wants to see stunters banned from driving for much longer than the current 7 days.
“I would take away their licence for a year,” he told NEWS 95.7's The Rick Howe Show. “Driving is a privilege, not a right.”
“If you don't respect the Motor Vehicle Act and you're so far out of line with what society expects of you that you're driving at these speeds and creating this danger, to me, you shouldn't be able to drive for a prolonged period of time.”
Collins called the current week-long driving ban “a joke.”
Stunting charges can be handed out for more than just excessive speed. According to the Motor Vehicle Act, the charge can also be laid for other actions such as:
- attempting to lift all or some of a vehicle's tires from the surface of the highway, other than when using lift axles on a commercial motor vehicle
- attempting to spin or circle a vehicle without maintaining control of the vehicle
- driving on the portion of the highway designated for use by oncoming traffic for longer than necessary to overtake 1 or more other vehicles
- driving with a person in the trunk of the vehicle
- driving from a position in a vehicle other than the designated driver's seat
- driving without due care or attention, reasonable consideration for others on the highway or in a manner that may endanger other persons
Anyone who spots a dangerous driver is asked to report it by calling 911.
