Speed

Information related to vehicle speed and speeding.

Visual Speed Estimates

BC Courts Coat of ArmsThis case is an appeal of a traffic court conviction where the officer who issued the ticket used a visual observation of vehicle speed to base the ticket on. The estimation was 90 km/h in the posted 60 km/h zone on the Lougheed Highway near the North Road intersection.

Road Safety - May 2025

image of road safety signMay 2025 is a busy month for road safety campaigns in British Columbia. ICBC is holding a speeding campaign and the BC Association of Chiefs of Police are running motorcycle safety and high risk driving campaigns.

Laser Speed Measurement Accuracy

BC Courts Coat of ArmsMy highway patrol unit was issued its first laser speed measuring device back in the early 1990s. It was a popular tool to use because of both it's accuracy in targeting a specific vehicle and the measurement of that vehicle's speed. Case law regarding the use of the instrument developed over time in court the same way that it did with radar when that was introduced.

The Keep Right Attitude

SoapboxThe left lane is so popular lately that when I keep right I often find myself behind fewer vehicles at the next red traffic light. In fact, at one particular intersection on my commute many times I can be first in line. Everyone else seems stuck in the left lane trying to get ahead, fuming, following too closely and making sudden lane changes.

Q&A - Back Alleys

Q&A ImageQuestion: For a few months now I have been trying to locate specific information on the rules of the road pertaining to back alleys. Simply trying to get a concrete source on the speed limit of back lanes, especially those running along school zones, has been incredibly difficult.

Where Does a Speed Zone Boundary Change?

Speed SignWhen approaching a speed limit change along the highway as indicated by appropriate signage, where is the actual speed zone boundary? Am I expected to change my speed once the sign becomes visible to me so that I have reached the new limit by the time I reach the sign, or do I maintain my speed and then increase or reduce it only after I have reached the sign?