An amendment that would see distracted driving fines in New Brunswick quadrupled was defeated during a meeting of the Committee on Economic Policy on Wednesday.
Kevin Arseneau proposed the amendment to the bill that would double distracted driving fines from $172.50 to $345, but Arseneau wanted to see fines beefed up further to $690. Ultimately, concerns over enforcement led MLAs to reject the amendment.
“I have real concerns around bringing the fine up to the point where police would be hesitant to do it,” said Chuck Chiasson, the MLA for Victoria-La Vallée.
READ MORE: Distracted driving offences in Sask. drop to a record low for 2019: SGI
New Brunswick Minister of Environment and Local Government Jeff Carr was filing in for Public Safety Minister Carl Urquhart while he meets with his counterparts from across the country in British Columbia.
Carr said anecdotal evidence from police suggests that large one-time increases to fines make officers more hesitant to hand out fines and more likely to give warnings.
According to Carr, the number of speeding tickets issued after fines were doubled in 2004 fell by 25 per cent.
“The anecdotal evidence that we receive from the police forces is that when you increase fines that dramatically at one time it does effect the outcomes of issuance of tickets,” Carr said during the meeting.
Arseneau said he didn’t expect to see his amendment get much traction, but is happy that it inspired conversations around implementing a tiered fine system in the future.
“The idea was really to be able to set up the conversation on distracted driving and especially the tiers used, the ways they use tiers in other provinces,” he said.
“I think that would be a better way to go.”
The tier system is used in other provinces like Ontario, Nova Scotia, and Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan recently made the change and fines for first time offences will be $580 beginning in February.
READ MORE: Saskatchewan distracted driving fines to more than double in 2020
The fines for distracted driving in New Brunswick are currently among the lowest in the country. But even under the new rules, the province will still be below the national average. The median amount for fines across the country is $500, while the average is $453.
While MLAs poured cold water on a quadruple increase, many were receptive to the idea of a tiered system.
Chiasson raised the idea during committee, comparing it to the tiered system for impaired driving fines.
“It’s a system where first strike you pay a hefty fine, but second time it’s even bigger and your licence suspension is even longer, so have we given any thought to a graduated fine system?” he asked.
Carr said the government was not currently looking at a graduated system, but said it could be something brought in through future legislation.