Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Safety
Alberta woman fined $632 CDN for passing a cop too fast
Alright, do we have your attention? The details of this story make it a bit more understandable. As it turns out, Valerie Montgomery was fined $632 Canadian dollars for not slowing down while passing an emergency vehicle, in this case a police car that had pulled someone else over on the shoulder of the road. We were not aware of this law, which apparently is new in Calgary, that stipulates all vehicles must slow to 60 kph in their lane when passing a stopped emergency vehicle on a shoulder directly adjacent to that lane.
Valerie eventually got the fine reduced to $115. She was quoted as saying, "What's an emergency vehicle, anyway?" Do you think it is obvious that a police car with its lights on is an emergency vehicle? Ambulances and firetrucks would be the other obvious vehicles that qualify.
We personally hate it when cars don't slow down, stop at lights (even when green) and pull over for ambulances, fire trucks and police cars en route. We bet if their loved one were waiting for that ambulance, they would want everyone to pull over or else be fined $632 Canadian dollars.
[Source: Calgary Pundit (warning: some bad language)]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
aaron 9:17PM (2/12/2007)
yeo, a little dated now - I'm local and indeed you need to slow WAY down for emergency vehicles on the highway now.
While I don't disagree with it for the idea, I've seen first hand that the safety is questionable..
Most motorists do not observe the limit first off, and typically while on the #2 highway out of Calgary travel is usually at 75-80mph.. They would have traffic slow to 40mph, but typically you get near accidents occuring when fast moving motorists move up on slower ones obeying the scene of the accident / traffic stop.
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Bob in Cobb 9:23PM (2/12/2007)
I live in Atlanta, traffic moves fast here and law enforcement waits until after the morning rush hours (6AM to 10AM) before it leaves the Dunkin Donut Shops. Many times fire engines would be going flat out at about 52mph east bound on I-285 in the morning,, while 85-88 mph traffic passed on both sides. I never envied them, the flashing red lights kept them from getting run over.
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Dave 9:56PM (2/12/2007)
This law doesn't seem that new. Texas has a similar law. I believe you have to slow down by 20 mph of the posted limit if you are in the immediate lane next to the pulled over cop. That being said most people move to the outside lane and therefor don't need to slow down.
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donny 10:04PM (2/12/2007)
Sask. has a similar law, as does Ontario. The ontario law isn't nearly as specific about fine though. Theoretically, you will either find it unenforced, or the fines are HUGE.
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Howard Kerr 10:10PM (2/12/2007)
Many states are now adopting laws that require you to move into another lane to the right of stopped state troopers or risk a ticket with a large fine similar to the one in this story. Unfortunately, this isn't always well publicised and as a consequence out-of-staters get pulled over for not moving over.
Here in my area of Tn. you often see local cops pull folks over on the left shoulders of the interstate loop (I'm not sure if you are then required to get in a right hand lane).
It's ironic, but these laws were enacted to make it safer for cops to pull over and ticket or assist drivers, yet there are probably just as many accidents caused by folks who DON'T slow down/pull over for emergency vehicles.
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Howard Kerr 10:12PM (2/12/2007)
Oops, at the beginning of my post I meant to say laws require you to move LEFT, not right. (That's what happens when you are left handed.)
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Josh Oliver 10:16PM (2/12/2007)
Yea, in Detroit it's "Police on shoulder? Move 1 lane over."
Same for tow trucks now and courtesy patrol vehicles.
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far jr 10:17PM (2/12/2007)
This should be automatic to drivers as a courtesy to the emergency vehicle. It is such a shame these courtesies actually need to be legislated and enforced because drivers feel thier time so important that they cannot afford to slow down for someone elses safety.
I worked in highway construction while in college. Cars wizzing by at 65-70 mph in a 35 mph workzone 2 feet away from you... Only orange traffic cones between you and them. Instead of courteously slowing down for our safety while we tried to improve thier ride to the office, we would get cussed at, flipped off, etc. because we dared to delay them!
Just like the blog regarding the Brits going to the south with inflamatory slogans on thier cars... you would have thought we had severly offended many of these drivers... and this was nowhere near the southern US.
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Jim Sanders 10:35PM (2/12/2007)
Yes in Texas we do have this law.
You have 2 options:
1. Move over 1 lane
2. if you cannot change lanes, slow down to 20 mph below speed limit (so 40-50 mph on highway).
Doesn't the entire USA have this law?
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Jim Sanders 10:37PM (2/12/2007)
When a car zooms by you really fast, the airflow sucks you into the car's wake behind the car.
Quite dangerous. Especially when a truck does it.
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Jim Sanders 10:40PM (2/12/2007)
an "emergency vehicle" is any service vehicle with its lights flashing.
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Jim Sanders 10:48PM (2/12/2007)
http://www.dot.state.tx.us/services/traffic_operations/highway_driving.htm
Texas fine is $200.
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futurepastnow 10:51PM (2/12/2007)
In Illinois, you're required to slow down and pull as far to the left as you safely can when passing a stopped emergency vehicle. And they decide if you've slowed down enough.
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aSHIRTandTIEguy 10:59PM (2/12/2007)
Off topic, IF the author is reading this.
It is written "km/h" and not "kph". Just like how miles per hour is "MPH" and not "mph".
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bathtub gin 11:47PM (2/12/2007)
It's a good law, and really just codifies what should be a common-sense reaction anyway. Who wants to be responsible for maiming or killing a cop?
PS - far jr - you are obviously nowhere near the South if you think that drivers down here routinely give the finger to highway workers. But, if you do make an obscene gesture to someone, you'd better be prepared to back it up. A guy cut me off once, and after I told him he was #1, he chased me 5 miles down the interstate until we came upon a state trooper doing the rolling roadblock in the left lane. I snuggled in behind that police car and we got off at the next exit. My new friend told me he thought I was #1, too, before he sped out of sight at 1 MPH below the speed limit.
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Tim UF 11:49PM (2/12/2007)
can you imagine the chaos that it would cause to force people to slow down to ~36mph on any major interstate any time there was a vehicle with its flashers on? People rubber neck enough as it is.
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epp_b 1:02AM (2/13/2007)
JR said it best. It's pretty sad that we need to legislate common sense to make up for all the morons who don't deserve driving licenses.
I'm all for rights of the public, but, c'mon... "What's an emergency vehicle"? How thick are you, woman? Thanks to your stupidity, we'll have more ridiculous and over-complicated laws with more loopholes to slip through.
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It is written "km/h" and not "kph". Just like how miles per hour is "MPH" and not "mph".
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There's no need to be pedantic; they mean exactly the same thing.
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Rahul 1:17AM (2/13/2007)
The Texas law is a couple of years old (or at least they started to enforce it only a couple years ago). From what I can remember, it was after the news blitz about exploding cop vehicles when they were hit at high speeds, that the law became a big deal. Just my speculation, but there are numerous other GOOD justifications for this law. Too bad common sense is in too short of a supply, thus creating the need for such laws.
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Bryan 2:08AM (2/13/2007)
Uh, duh. It's common sense. And Canadians wonder why we poke fun at them..at least our lowest class of people know what an emergency vehicle is..with all of the domestic disputes how could they not? j/k lol. I always slow down for a vehicle like that no matter what. Would YOU want to be on that part of the road pulled over having cars go 40,50,80 mph past you? NO!
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Matt 5:02AM (2/13/2007)
It isn't fair to judge the whole South or the whole country on one video. They came here to make trouble, they found it. I'm from NY, but I live in NC now, and while places like this certainly do exist, it's not everywhere. Tell me that you'll never find more than 5 irrational people in Britain, or France, or New Zealand. Someone tell me that that 10-15 people on a 5-minute episode can accurately represent all 300 million residents of this country
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