Most British Columbians support raising fines for drivers who impede emergency vehicles, and most had no idea how low those fines already are, a new poll has found.
Research Co. surveyed 800 adults across the province between April 6 and April 8, 2026, asking respondents what they believed current fines were for three traffic violations: driving over a fire hose, following a fire truck too closely, and failing to yield to an emergency vehicle.
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Residents significantly overestimated the penalties across the board. On average, British Columbians guessed the fine for driving over a fire hose at $233.99, estimated $342.73 for following a fire truck too closely, and pegged the penalty for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle at $393.32.
The actual fines are a fraction of those figures — $81 for driving over a fire hose, $81 for following a fire truck too closely, and $109 for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle.
Once informed of the real numbers, respondents pushed back. Nearly half (48%) said the fine for failing to yield was too low, 42% felt the same about following a fire truck too closely, and a third called the fire hose penalty insufficient.
Support for increases was strong across all three violations: 60% backed raising the fire hose fine, 66% wanted a higher penalty for following a fire truck too closely, and 72% supported increasing the fine for failing to yield.
According to the press release, the gender gap was notable. “More than half of men in British Columbia (55%) say the current fine for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle is too low,” said Research Co. President Mario Canseco. “Only 43% of women share this view.”
Regional and political support was broad. According to the press release, backing for raising the fire hose fine was highest on Vancouver Island at 76%, followed by Northern B.C. (75%), Southern B.C. (74%), the Fraser Valley (71%), and Metro Vancouver (70%). Majorities of NDP voters (77%), Conservative voters (74%), and Green voters (64%) all agreed. The survey’s margin of error is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points, nineteen times out of twenty.
