There were more driving deaths on B.C. roads in July than in any other month in the last 11 years.
BC Emergency Health Services, which operates the province’s ambulance service, said there were 51 driving fatalities last month.
In response to the deadly surge, the province announced Thursday it was hiking penalties for the towing and storage of dangerous drivers’ impounded vehicles.
Starting on Sunday, the flat rate towing fee will climb 38 per cent to $110, and the storage fee will increase by 96 per cent, to $40 per day.
But some municipal leaders say it’s still not enough.
“We’re looking at several hundreds of people dying on our roads every year and these are completely unnecessary,” Saanich Coun. Teale Phelps Bondaroff said.
“We should be able to design our roads and have laws and regulations that keep people safe and you shouldn’t have to worry about losing your life just going to get groceries or going to the cabin or going to visit family or friends.”
Bondaroff added he would like to see fines for dangerous driving pegged to a person’s income, rather than a flat-rate structure.
BCEHS receives more than 60 calls per day for vehicle crashes on long weekends, and British Columbians are being warned to slow down and drive with care over the Labour Day holiday.