More than three-in-five residents of the province agree with four different types of automated speed enforcement.
Vancouver, BC [September 16, 2022] – Sizeable majorities of British Columbians continue to endorse the use of technology to identify vehicles whose drivers choose not to abide by existing speed limits, a new Research Co. poll has found.
In the online survey of a representative provincial sample, 76% of British Columbians approve of the use of fixed speed cameras, or cameras that stay in one location and measure speed as a vehicle passes, up four points since a similar Research Co. survey conducted in 2021.
Automated speed enforcement works by using cameras or sensors to pick up a vehicle speeding. A ticket is then issued to the owner of the vehicle. Driver’s license points are not issued as the driver of the vehicle cannot be identified.
Majorities British Columbians have voiced support for automated speed enforcement in Research Co. surveys conducted in 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021.
More than seven-in-ten British Columbians (72%, +1) approve of the use of speed-on-green intersection cameras in the province. This type of enforcement entails using red light cameras to capture vehicles that are speeding through intersections.
“Women (74%) and British Columbians aged 55 and over (79%) are particularly supportive of speed-on-green intersection cameras,” says Mario Canseco, President of Research Co. “The practice is also endorsed by majorities of British Columbians who voted for the BC New Democratic Party (NDP) (77%), the BC Liberals (75%) and the BC Green Party (69%) in the 2020 provincial election.”
Two thirds of British Columbians (66%, +2) are in favour of mobile speed cameras, or devices that can be moved from place to place to measure speed as a vehicle passes.
Just over three-in-five British Columbians (61%, +8 since 2021) favour the use of point-to-point speed enforcement, which relies on cameras placed at two or more distant points on a road. The average speed of vehicles that pass between points is calculated and tickets are issued to vehicles whose average speed over the distance was excessive.
Results are based on an online survey conducted from September 8 to September 10, 2022, among 800 adults in British Columbia. The data has been statistically weighted according to Canadian census figures for age, gender and region in British Columbia. The margin of error—which measures sample variability—is +/- 3.5 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
Find our data tables here and download the press release here.
For more information on this poll, please contact:
Mario Canseco, President, Research Co.
778.929.0490