A recent edition of the Victoria Times-Colonist newspaper contained an article about Justice Minister Shirley Bond considering making the driving record of B.C. drivers public knowledge.
The idea is that if conventional methods of convincing drivers to follow the driving rules are not successful, then it is time to find other solutions. This one would be aimed at embarrassing a non-compliant driver publicly.
It is definitely an interesting idea that would work if a person considered that a bad driving record would cause them loss of face.
I know that I would feel that I had failed if I had a string of convictions out there for the world to see because driving responsibly is important to me. I would even pay to exchange a ticket for formal driving training if I made a mistake, but that's a story that I've already told.
Would this make a difference to the motorcycle rider in Saanich who rode through traffic at 299+ km/h and then posted his video recording of it on YouTube?
Not likely.
Sometimes the only way to prevent a driver like this from endangering us all is to put them in a cage. Even this doesn't necessarily make a difference in attitude, it may only protect the public from the individual for a time.
While we are thinking about this though, may I suggest that we also include National Safety Code records for commercial vehicle misbehaviour available to the public as well?
It would be useful information to me when I was trying to decide which taxi company to take a ride with or who to haul my goods. If enough clients did this it could eliminate poor commercial vehicle driving practices and the businesses that allow them.
For more information on this topic, visit www.drivesmartbc.ca. Questions or comments are welcome by e-mail to comments@drivesmartbc.ca. Tim Schewe is a retired RCMP constable with many years of traffic law enforcement experience. His column appears Friday.