Speeding is just what it sounds like. If you drive over the posted speed limit on a street or highway you could face a traffic ticket. Police can use a radar gun at what is commonly referred to as a speed trap or they can follow you in a marked or unmarked car. Some provinces also have photo radar, or speed cameras, which will record the speed of your vehicle, the licence plate, make, and model, direction of travel and the date and time of the offence. If you were speeding, a ticket will be mailed to your address. It doesn’t matter who was driving, the ticket is sent to the registered owner.
Citing Canadian Motor Vehicle Traffic Collision Statistics, 2018, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police (CANADA ROAD SAFETY WEEK 2020 – NATIONAL FACTS AND STATS [PDF]) report that 27 per cent of fatalities and 19 per cent of serious injuries involve speeding. They point to research that shows a one per cent reduction in speed can reduce the likelihood of a fatal collision by five per cent.
Almost two-thirds of Canadians indicate they witnessed an increase in dangerous driving on local roads during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to from the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA). In one instance, an 18-year-old was charged with street racing after a Mercedes was clocked doing 308 km/h on an Ontario highway. That province has stunt driving laws with fines that can include fines of up to $10,000, six months in jail and a two years driver’s license suspension.