Passed on to me:
This is interesting to know.....
FYI
(I think most of us are unaware of this law......)
To all those who drive in Ontario, please read and be aware!
Hi Friends,
I just had an experience which I hope you will not have to go
through yourselves... I was driving on the 427 South at Burnamthorpe in broad daylight
at 2 p.m., when I came upon two police cruisers who had pulled over a third vehicle. I slowed down to be cautious, and was surprised when the second cruiser pulled out and pulled me over. Approaching on the passenger side, the officer asked if I knew why I had been pulled over. I honestly expressed that I had no idea. He informed me that Ontario law now states that when approaching any emergency vehicle on the roadside with lights flashing, you must enter the left lane. He then proceeded to ticket me, taking three demerits and issuing a fine of, wait for it, . . $490! (Yes, I'm choking as I type that.) I realize I did not change lanes, but I do believe I was cautious.
My message is, be careful. He said that they are cracking down
hard on this because of injured officers. I did not realize this was the law. Neither did any of my recently-licensed children. Or evidently not the other 47 drivers pulled over.
If you want to read the legislation click on the site
http://ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE/2003/04/03/7335.html?lmatch=&lang=_e.html
Hefty fine if you don't change lanes!!!!!!! 3 demerit points on top
of cash. Go to the link above and check it out.
Please pass this on to your friends.
James Morton
1100-5255 Yonge Street
Toronto, Ontario
M2N 6P4
416 225 2777
6 comments:
In Alberta you have to slow down to 60kpm or move the next lane if there is one.
I've long had a problem with fines like this, as I believe they are not only unfair but discrimatory as well... primarily against the poor.
A lawyer may only take an hour to earn the fine amount mentioned above, while the guy/gal working at a fast food joint may very well have to work a full week to make what is necessary to pay the full amount of the fine. As a result, our system of handling out punishments is not fair and equitable.
There, I have been wanting to get that off my chest for some time. Now, I've done it. :-)
Seriously Morton, I think your fine was not only unfair but excessive as well.
Unfortunately, we seem to have only two types of police today; those with Tasers and those with ticket books (revenue police). Sad but true.
Good drivers always move an lane over. This should apply not only to emergency vehicles but to any vehicle on the roadside. I am astonished at hopw many drivers whiz by just a few feet from a stationary car.
So the driver has only himself to blame. He was being stupid and selfish, and the only thing he didn't know was that there was a $490 fine for that.
As for John Prince's point, I am in agreement. This was brought home to me when I lived in Edmonton and contracted a lawyer. He routinely gave us parking tickets as part of his charges. When I asked him, he said, "I park wherever I want, I can afford it, or my clients pay."
Fines are, in essence, permission for rich people to do things, and prohibitions for poor people. This applies across the board with any fixed-penalty type of fine.
Penalties should e be things that impact poor and rich people equally. For example, a 24-hour suspension of a drivers license. 12 hours in jail. Or a monetary amount proportional to a percentage of income.
This is not simply a whine about fairness. We see it demonstrated repeatedly that rich people are cavalier about their respect of the law - white collar fraud is routine, lawyers cheat clients, financial managers are careless with clients' finds. This is because, generally, they *can* get away with whatever they want. Fines are meaningless, and with good lawyers they have no real fear of prosecution, much less conviction.
Thanks for the post BUT the link does not work. Could you provide another link with that info and I would like to be clear on how to proceed (other than slowing down) if it is not possible to move the the left lane?
Thanks
Gee, for 490 bucks you at least should have been able to wing one or two of those guys.
the link to the Highway Traffic Act amendment
http://ogov.newswire.ca/ontario/GPOE/2003/04/03/c7335.html?lmatch=%E2%8C%A9=_e.html
The interesting thing is that this amendment was made in 2003. My son has also written his driver exam recently and this law is not in the handbook. If they were really serious about saving lives it would be there. Unfortunately this has nothing to do with saving lives and everything to do with collecting taxes.
My 2 cents
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