B.C. police begin testing new digital ticketing system
The province's eTicket pilot project started in Delta on Monday
B.C. is piloting a new, digital ticketing system that will make roadside stops safer and quicker for officers and offenders, the government says.
The Delta Police Department was the first of five police agencies to start testing the eTicket system on Monday.
The technology, mounted in a police officer's vehicle, scans a driver's licence and automatically fills in offence details on the ticket.
The ticket is printed from the monitor and the information can be sent straight to ICBC — eliminating the need to have the tickets mailed and the information re-entered on the insurer's end. Fines can be paid through the new online site PayBC.
DPD is the 1st of 5 police agencies to introduce E-ticketing. Officers will scan drivers’ licence information into a new online template that auto populates offence details, ensuring accuracy & saving time. Officers will be freed up to do more enforcement & improve road safety. <a href="https://t.co/4zhjLE5CHb">pic.twitter.com/4zhjLE5CHb</a>
—@deltapoliceIt should mean fewer mistakes are made and everyone gets off the roadside sooner.
"A significant number tickets are thrown out each year because of mistakes in the filling out of the form. This will eliminate that," said Mike Farnworth, B.C.'s Minister of Public Safety.
"Basically it is moving the ticketing of speeders into the 21st century," he added.
Delta Police Chief Const. Neil Dubord, who's also chair of the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police Traffic Safety committee, said less time spent writing tickets by hand also means more time to nab bad drivers.
"The process is simply more efficient and quicker, and police officers will be freed up to do more enforcement," said Chief Const. Neil Dubord. "While not everyone will welcome the idea of police officers handing out more tickets, we believe this will improve road safety in the long term."
Testing will begin in Vancouver on April 2, with Prince George and North District RCMP joining on April 16. The Capital Regional District Integrated Road Safety Unit on southern Vancouver Island will start its pilot on April 30.
The project wraps in mid-May. If all goes well, Farnworth said the eTicket system could be expanded across the province by the end of the year.
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With files from Megan Thomas