A new way of determining exactly how much a driver’s speeding ticket would cost could be on the horizon, if the majority of Canadians get their way.
In a poll recently conducted by BC based survey group, Research Co., the majority of Canadians have agreed the enforcement of speeding tickets should undergo the concept of “progressive punishment” based on the income level of the offending driver.
Comparatively, two European countries—Finland and Switzerland—have implemented a “progressive punishment” system for speeding tickets.
In Finland, the fines are set on the basis of two indicators: the disposable income of the offending driver, and how much speed the offending driver went over the posted limit.
The online survey, which received a national sample of 1,000 responses across the country, found 65% of Canadians support implementing a similar “progressive punishment” system for speeding tickets, while 24% oppose the idea and 11% are undecided.
In BC, 69% are in favour of “progressive punishment”. According to Mario Canseco, President of Research Co., those not in favour tend to be in the higher income bracket.
“Canadians in the highest income bracket are decidedly more dissatisfied with the concept of progressive punishment for speeding tickets,” says Canseco.
“Opposition to this course of action among Canadians who live in households earning more than $100,000 a year reaches 34%, 10 points higher than the national average.”
There has been some discussion about implementing a “progressive punishment” system for parking tickets issued by municipalities.
The fines would be set on the basis of two indicators: the disposable income of the offending driver, and how many days the fine has gone unpaid.
What are your thoughts? Are you in favour or opposed to speeding tickets being based on the driver’s income?
