Traffic violation procedures
in Criminal and Misdemeanor Law ·
Douglas Miller64 said:Unless you happened to rack that up over in Canada. About ten days ago, I got absolutely fleeced by some locals there; the radar claimed I was doing 44 miles/h, supposedly accounting for a device tolerance of 5—meaning it was actually 41 miles/h—even though they didn't bother writing that down anywhere. They demanded $125 on the spot, and according to the guy, the standard fine for a local would be $250, but they just slap foreigners with half that amount😂 --> what a load of crap!😠 There wasn't even a speed limit sign right there; there was just a sign for some village about 250 meters back, even though where they caught me was nothing but woods. It’s clearly a trick they play.
I happen to have this unfortunate situation where we own a Vineyard in Canada, a family property passed down from my great-great-grandfather from back when people in that region probably weren't even recognized as a distinct group yet, so I find myself crossing the border pretty frequently for business.
To make matters worse, the officer tells me I have to pay immediately, and I obviously didn't have that kind of cash on me. So, he grabs my passport and tells me I'm not allowed back into the States until I settle up, claiming my passport is being held at the nearest police station in some tiny hamlet. It was a total nightmare. I couldn't cross the border, I didn't know anyone to borrow money from, I had no roaming on my phone, and zero signal to call for help. They walked off with my passport, and honestly, things got pretty dicey. I barely managed to scramble my way out of that bus depot mess. If you guys are interested in the rest of this disaster, I'll gladly tell the whole story later.☕
So now I'm wondering: has anyone dealt with anything similar? What kind of fines are these that get slapped on travelers at half price? How is it even possible for these kinds of absurdities to occur? Honestly, I doubt their radar reading was even accurate because I was driving incredibly slowly; I'm not a fast driver, period. That's the style I carry over from driving semi-trucks to smaller cars. I highly doubt I was doing 44 miles/h, especially since it was a residential area, which in Canada usually implies a limit of 40, 50, or maybe 37 miles/h?🤷 This all went down in the evening, but when I drove back through that same spot the next morning, I saw them pulling over an older lady in a car with American plates—it felt like they were specifically targeting American drivers. It’s just a side road running parallel to the highway where you need a toll pass, which I don't have.
Thanks!🙄
I had a similar experience myself—twice, actually. Thankfully, I had enough cash on me to cover it, otherwise they would've seized my documents just like they tried to do to him.
Regarding the part about the fine being half price if you pay it immediately or within 8 days—that's actually true. They have laws like that in Canada specifically to make fine collection more efficient, and it isn't just for foreigners; it applies to the locals too.
Basically, you have to be extremely careful in Canada. Ever since I paid that fine, I've stuck strictly to the limits—50 to 80—and haven't had any issues. It's well known that they'll pull us over first before they bother their own people.