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Excessive speed and careless driving

Last updated on February 4, 2021

Speed is a leading cause of death on B.C. roads. It’s a behaviour easy to change by just slowing down.

By driving at a safe speed you give yourself more time to a stop. It also reduces the impact of your vehicle should you not be able to stop.

  • A pedestrian hit at 30km an hour has a 90% chance of surviving
  • A pedestrian hit at 50km an hour has an 80% chance of being killed

Speeding, fines and penalties

Police can give violation tickets to drivers travelling faster than the law allows.

Unless otherwise posted, the speed limit inside a municipality is 50km an hour and outside is 80km an hour. Around schools and playgrounds it's 30km an hour during posted hours.

Police can ticket you if they believe you were driving too fast for the conditions even if you were driving at the speed limit. For instance, if the road was icy, crowded, narrow or had poor visibility.

For more information on speeding, fines and penalties, see these Motor Vehicle Act sections:

If a court convicts you of a traffic violation, it will apply penalty points to your driving record.

For more information on fines and points, see the B.C. traffic offences page on the ICBC website.

You have 30 days to dispute a violation ticket or fine. If you don't, the courts will find you guilty, fine you and have penalty points applied to your driver's record.

For more information, see Disputing a traffic violation ticket page on the ICBC website.

Excessive speeding

The Motor Vehicle Act defines excessive speeding as driving at a speed greater than 40 km an hour over the speed limit.

The faster you drive, the higher the fine:

  • If you exceed the limit by more than 40km an hour, you’ll be fined $368 and have three penalty points added to your driving record
  • If you exceed the limit by more than 60km an hour, you’ll be fined $483 and have three penalty points added to your driving record

Vehicle impoundment

Police can impound your vehicle for excessive speeding. They will impound it for:

  • Seven days for a first offence
  • 30 days for a second offence within two years
  • 60 days for any later offence within two years

You must pay all towing and storage costs.

If someone else gets your vehicle impounded

Owners are responsible for their vehicles under the Motor Vehicle Act. They must pay the towing and storage costs for their impounded vehicle even if they weren't driving it.

For more information, see Vehicle impoundment.