A bill that passed unanimously will soon require most commercial vehicles in B.C. to be equipped with dashcams by law, and many feel like it shouldn’t be limited to that group of drivers.
The bill states that the owner of a commercial vehicle must install and maintain a dashboard camera in the commercial vehicle. If that vehicle is leased, the leassee must take on that responsibility.
Ward Stamer, MLA for Kamloops – North Thompson, is the one who authored the bill.
Speaking to reporters at the B.C. legislature, Stamer said, “I’m quite happy the way it turned out. I mean, it’s a bipartisan bill, it’s not just my bill. We’ve had universal support.”
Operators of commercial vehicles in B.C. will have to ensure that the dashcams are recording at all times that the vehicle is being operated and that it is not obstructed or prevented from recording.
“This Act comes into force on the date that is six months after the date of Royal Assent,” the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia states.
This tool could help B.C. investigate commercial traffic incidents, as situations like overpass strikes have become quite the nuisance on the province’s highways.
The Government of B.C. actually has a whole page dedicated to overpass crashes for the sake of transparency about why crashes occur and how they are enforced. The dashcams in question would be front-facing, not facing the driver.
Dashcams could prove to be a useful tool for enforcement for all types of commercial vehicle incidents.
Should all B.C. drivers have dashcams?
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In response to the news, many feel like all drivers, not just commercial vehicle drivers, should have dashcams installed.
A Reddit thread discussing the bill’s passing had many in support of a wider utilization of dashcams.
“It’s the cheapest insurance you can get,” one Redditor said.
“Everyone should have to have a dash cam,” said another.
“Dashcams are worth it even if you aren’t a commercial driver. Every day I see stupid things on the road, and in the event of an accident, definitive proof helps speed things along with the entire process,” one Redditor reflected.
Someone referenced overpass strikes in relation to the news, saying, “We’ll be able to see the overpass before it hits!”
Do you have a dashcam installed in your vehicle? Do you agree that everyone should have dashcams? Would you go so far as to mandate that by law? Let us know in the comments.