The new year will bring changes to the way fines for speeding are calculated in Manitoba, Attorney General Andrew Swan announced.
Rather than slotting ranges of speed into one of 10 set fine categories, people will be charged a base fine of $7.70 for every kilometre they speed over the posted limit.
“The change will make every ticket better reflect the actual offence and provide greater incentive for individuals to slow down,” said Swan.
Fines for extreme cases of speeding require a court appearance for the fine to be assessed and the threshold for that will drop to 100 from 120 km over the limit.
The majority of the base fine goes to municipalities that issue the tickets to support their policing costs. It is one of four components of the amount paid on such tickets. The other three parts are court costs, the justice services surcharge and the victim surcharge. Starting in January, the court cost portion of tickets will increase to 45 per cent from 35 per cent of the fine to better reflect the expense of administering these tickets by the courts.
Manitoba Justice expects to recover roughly 14 percent of its expenditures from fees and fines due to these changes.
“Those who break the law should bear more of the cost to taxpayers for administering the law,” said Swan. “Speeding costs our communities more than dollars and cents, and I hope this change will encourage safer behaviour, preventing tragic events and saving lives.”
