ION - Waterloo Region's Light Rail Transit

[bgb_ca]

OK, this has nothing directly to do with ION, but one of the vehicles actually crossed the tracks on Charles to hit another head on. How could this happen unless it was deliberate? Head-on crash in downtown Kitchener

Maybe a medical condition such as a seizure or a heart attack?

Or distracted driving...

[jeffster]

OK, this has nothing directly to do with ION, but one of the vehicles actually crossed the tracks on Charles to hit another head on. How could this happen unless it was deliberate? Head-on crash in downtown Kitchener

Please read my previous posts; it explains why this happens.

[panamaniac]

OK, this has nothing directly to do with ION, but one of the vehicles actually crossed the tracks on Charles to hit another head on. How could this happen unless it was deliberate? Head-on crash in downtown Kitchener

Maybe a medical condition such as a seizure or a heart attack?

Or distracted driving...

Or impaired driving.  Or making a left turn across the tracks.

[Acitta]

Updated report on CTV says that the driver of the pickup was charged with careless driving.

[MidTowner]

Updated report on CTV says that the driver of the pickup was charged with careless driving.

What is that, a $500 fine?

Looking at the picture, it's easy to imagine that nincompoop making a similar error in another situation and killing someone or multiple someones. It was lucky that the action was here and hopefully driving over the LRT tracks in the process of colliding head-on with another vehicle slowed his truck down. And the charge is "careless driving." What a joke.

[timc]

Updated report on CTV says that the driver of the pickup was charged with careless driving.

What is that, a $500 fine?

Looking at the picture, it's easy to imagine that nincompoop making a similar error in another situation and killing someone or multiple someones. It was lucky that the action was here and hopefully driving over the LRT tracks in the process of colliding head-on with another vehicle slowed his truck down. And the charge is "careless driving." What a joke.

According to https://www.ontariotraffictickets.com/ca...g-penalty/:

* fine $490 to $2,000
* loss of six (6) demerit points
* mandatory licence suspension for novice drivers
* possible six (6) month suspension for all drivers
* serious offences possible six (6) months in jail

This crash seems to have caused an injury. The penalties for careless driving causing bodily harm or death are greater. The fine is $2,000 to $50,000, with a suspension of up to five years, and up to two years in jail.

You know almost nothing about what happened, but you think that a charge of careless driving is a joke. What else would you charge them with?

[MidTowner]

According to https://www.ontariotraffictickets.com/ca...g-penalty/:

* fine $490 to $2,000
* loss of six (6) demerit points
* mandatory licence suspension for novice drivers
* possible six (6) month suspension for all drivers
* serious offences possible six (6) months in jail

This crash seems to have caused an injury. The penalties for careless driving causing bodily harm or death are greater. The fine is $2,000 to $50,000, with a suspension of up to five years, and up to two years in jail.

You know almost nothing about what happened, but you think that a charge of careless driving is a joke. What else would you charge them with?

A couple of things:

One, I am not specifically saying that "the police should not have laid that charge; I would have laid a different charge." The framework is what's broken, not necessarily the way police work within it. I concede that they don't have a lot of options, and so wind up charging someone with making an improper turn (fine: $110) when he runs over someone on a bike (see this article).

Two, "careless driving" and "careless driving causing bodily harm or death" are two different charges, and the former is what he was charged with. The latter is new as of less than a year ago, so maybe it's not being used widely yet.

In any case, I'll eat my hat if we read an article six months from now stating that this guy has been sentenced to actual jail time, or even a six month suspension.

[danbrotherston]

A couple of things:

One, I am not specifically saying that "the police should not have laid that charge; I would have laid a different charge." The framework is what's broken, not necessarily the way police work within it. I concede that they don't have a lot of options, and so wind up charging someone with making an improper turn (fine: $110) when he runs over someone on a bike (see this article).

Two, "careless driving" and "careless driving causing bodily harm or death" are two different charges, and the former is what he was charged with. The latter is new as of less than a year ago, so maybe it's not being used widely yet.

In any case, I'll eat my hat if we read an article six months from now stating that this guy has been sentenced to actual jail time, or even a six month suspension.

I've got a hat I will also eat.

[jeffster]

What is that, a $500 fine?

Looking at the picture, it's easy to imagine that nincompoop making a similar error in another situation and killing someone or multiple someones. It was lucky that the action was here and hopefully driving over the LRT tracks in the process of colliding head-on with another vehicle slowed his truck down. And the charge is "careless driving." What a joke.

According to https://www.ontariotraffictickets.com/ca...g-penalty/:

* fine $490 to $2,000
* loss of six (6) demerit points
* mandatory licence suspension for novice drivers
* possible six (6) month suspension for all drivers
* serious offences possible six (6) months in jail

This crash seems to have caused an injury. The penalties for careless driving causing bodily harm or death are greater. The fine is $2,000 to $50,000, with a suspension of up to five years, and up to two years in jail.

You know almost nothing about what happened, but you think that a charge of careless driving is a joke. What else would you charge them with?

I'll put it out there: Reckless driving, which is a serious offence as opposed to careless driving. If people are driving like this, it's not "careless", it's reckless. Call it as it is, let the court sort it out. Eventually people will stop being idiots if they know the consequences are serious.

[Square]

I was just at King and Green Street and saw a tow truck operator turn left from King to Green. Why is this news? On King at Green has a left turn lane with a left turn extra traffic light signal. But what did this person do?, turn left from the straight thru lane!(the left turn signal was red) If a LRT vehicle was going thru, BANG another accident. Wow terrible drivers!

[taylortbb]

I'll put it out there: Reckless driving, which is a serious offence as opposed to careless driving. If people are driving like this, it's not "careless", it's reckless. Call it as it is, let the court sort it out. Eventually people will stop being idiots if they know the consequences are serious.

Reckless driving is an American charge. The closest in Canada is dangerous driving, which is basically the criminal counterpart to careless driving.

The standard for dangerous driving is pretty high though, "wanton and reckless disregard for the lives and safety of others". Given crashing with an LRV is unlikely to kill anyone on the LRV it's a difficult standard to meet.

Increased penalties for careless driving however would probably be a good idea.

[jamincan]

I think jeffster is talking about the guy who drove across the LRT tracks and hit another car head on. That does seem like a wanton and reckless disregard for the lives and safety of others to me, but I'm not a lawyer.

[taylortbb]

I think jeffster is talking about the guy who drove across the LRT tracks and hit another car head on. That does seem like a wanton and reckless disregard for the lives and safety of others to me, but I'm not a lawyer.

If it was intentional, because the driver didn't want to wait for a left turn spot, then yeah it might be. But I drove past that accident scene, it didn't look (in my totally not professional opinion) like that's what happened. It looked much more like a loss of control situation, which I believe is generally the line between careless and dangerous.

[Acitta]

Countdown to launch: How to ride the LRT.

[panamaniac]

Will food and drink be allowed on the Ion trains?