The Insurance Corp. of B.C. says 14 children were injured between 2009 and 2014 as a result of drivers ignoring a school bus’s flashing lights.MIKE BLAKE/Reuters
British Columbia is more than doubling the penalty for drivers who fail to stop for school buses that have their lights flashing – increasing fines from $167 to $368.
"We [are] responding to a wide array of voices from local governments, school-board trustees, parents, bus drivers and others who were quite concerned about the increasing prevalence of motorists ignoring the flashing lights on school buses," Transportation Minister Todd Stone said Monday at a news conference.
Drivers in the province will continue to be subject to a three-demerit-point penalty, as well. A second offence will also lead to a $300 increase in insurance premiums. After a third offence, the increase to insurance premiums amounts to $640, plus the fine.
While there have been no fatalities in the past five years, the Insurance Corp. of B.C. says 14 children were injured between 2009 and 2014 as a result of drivers ignoring a school bus's flashing lights. Police have issued 1,100 tickets to drivers during the same time period.
Cindy Dettling, a bus driver from Fort St. John who has been pushing for an increase in fees, said some bus stops are particularly bad for drivers who ignore flashing lights. Bus drivers across the province have recorded more than half a dozen infractions at certain stops and posted the videos to social media, she said.
"There's more than one infraction of this law every single day in our district," Ms. Dettling said. "Every school district in the province is experiencing the same problem."
Before this week, British Columbia had the second-lowest fees in the country, only surpassed by Newfoundland and Labrador, whose own fees will increase substantially in two months. That will leave New Brunswick at the bottom, with tickets as low as $240.
British Columbia's fines remain lower than in some provinces. In Alberta, passing a school bus with its lights on earns a ticket of $402. Fees are higher still in Ontario, where penalties can range from $400 to $1,000 on a first offence and up to $4,000 for subsequent offences.
In Ontario and Alberta, each offence is worth six demerit points against the driver's licence. B.C. drivers face three points for a ticket.