British Columbians want speeding drivers to pay fines according to their earnings: poll

Results from a recent poll have found that most British Columbians believe drivers who are wealthier should pay higher fines for speeding tickets — AKA a concept called “progressive punishment.”

According to Research Co., Finland and Switzerland have enforced this system for people caught speeding. 

“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 report from Research Co. reads. 

Through an online survey, 65% of Canadians said they favour implementing a similar “progressive punishment” system for speeding tickets. 

However, 24% were opposed to the idea and 11% were undecided.

When those numbers were broken down by province, BC and Quebec were the top two provinces most in favour of the system. 

“Almost seven-in-ten residents of British Columbia and Quebec (69% each) are in favour of “progressive punishment” for speeding tickets, along with majorities of those who live in Ontario (63%), Saskatchewan and Manitoba (62%), Atlantic Canada (60%) and Alberta (59%),” Research Co. found. 

Meanwhile, 65% of Indigenous and First Nations people support “progressive punishment” for unpaid parking tickets issued by municipalities. As well, 62% of Canadians of South Asian descent, 60% of European descent and 59% of East Asian descent also favoured the concept. 

More than half of Canadians (58%) support implementing a “progressive punishment” system for unpaid parking tickets issued by their city or town, while 31% are opposed and 11% are undecided.

“Canadians in the highest income bracket are decidedly more dissatisfied with the concept of progressive punishment for speeding tickets,” President of Research Co. Mario Canseco said. 

“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.”

The representative survey conducted gauged the opinions of 1,000 Canadian adults, with a margin of error of +/- 3.7% 19 times out of 20.