Excessive Speeder Acquitted in Collision Death of Vancouver Doctor

Each month Spraggs Law publishes Personal Injury News, a curated selection of articles about personal injury and other issues related to motor vehicle collisions.

A man who was driving almost 140 km/h moments before hitting and killing a Vancouver doctor has been acquitted on one count of dangerous driving causing death.

The man did not testify at the trial, but his lawyer argued he had been driving responsibly except for the block or less when he “momentarily accelerated his high powered Audi to an excessive speed.”

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Bonus link: Daughter of man killed by excessive speeder launches petition to appeal acquittal

Free the roads’: new candidate joins Vancouver’s race for mayor on anti-bike lane platform

Wai Young’s campaign promises include eliminating paid parking on Sundays, ensuring a cleaner city and increasing consultation with community groups.

She said new bike lanes underway for the Cambie Bridge, Kits Beach and on West 10th Avenue would be removed if elected. Additionally, any new bike lane would only be allowed if another was removed, and if there was consultation with local residents.

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Bonus link: Bike lanes save lives

Should Vancouver bring back ‘scramble’ pedestrian crossings?

Also known as “X Crossing” or diagonal crossings, one of the first scramble crossings in the world was built in Vancouver in the 1950s.

Intersections such as Broadway and Cambie Street, which see steady streams of buses, cars and pedestrians, are being scrutinized by city engineers.

The downside of such a plan would include red lights lasting even longer.

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Bonus link: Do you walk into crosswalks while the hand is flashing? It could cost you

Planned tolls intended to reduce traffic congestion may be abandoned

TransLink’s Mobility Pricing Independent Commission released its report in May, proposing options which would cost drivers between $3 and $8 a day, but concluded more study is required before any move is made.

However, mobility pricing may ultimately be eclipsed by British Columbia’s own provincial auto insurer, says a former Vancouver counsellor and lobbyist, who predicts ICBC will soon move to a distance-based insurance model — in reality another form of mobility pricing.

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Windshield shops hit by new ICBC regulations

An “arbitrary” 14 percent increase in ICBC’s discount on windshield replacements is pushing auto repair businesses to lay off staff, or in some cases even close down, an industry association says.

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What do you think?

What do you think about these stories? We’d love to hear from you. And, as always, if you have any questions about ICBC, motor vehicle collisions or personal injury, be sure to contact one of our ICBC lawyers in Vancouver.