Obstruction, Sovereign Citizens & Fleeing Police | Driving Law Episode 455

A new episode of Driving Law is now available! This week, Kyla Lee and Paul Doroshenko discuss two significant BC driving law decisions involving obstruction and failing to stop for police. Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 01:20 Sovereign citizen obstruction case 09:35 When refusing to identify yourself becomes criminal obstruction 15:15 Can you be guilty of flight from police if there is no pursuit? 21:10 Dangerous driving and stale red lights 24:15 Ridiculous Driver of the Week Episode Summary The first case involves a self-described sovereign citizen who refused to identify himself during a traffic stop and was ultimately convicted of obstruction. Kyla and Paul discuss when police can rely on criminal obstruction charges instead of provincial regulatory offences and why pseudo-legal arguments continue to fail in court. They also examine a BC Provincial Court decision where a driver stopped for police, then drove away before the stop was completed. The court acquitted the driver of flight from police after finding there was no actual pursuit, raising important questions about gaps in the law and the requirements of the offence. Finally, they review a dangerous driving allegation arising from a driver proceeding through a stale red light and discuss how courts determine whether conduct crosses the threshold into criminal liability. Ridiculous Driver of the Week A man was caught sitting in the open trunk of an SUV while filming sports cars travelling on an Ontario highway. The driver received a stunt driving charge while the passenger received a ticket for occupying a position without a seatbelt. Check out the "Lawyer Told Me Not To Talk To You" T-shirts and hoodies at Lawyertoldme.com and "Sit Still Jackson" at sitstilljackson.com. #DrivingLaw #KylaLee #PaulDoroshenko #AcumenLaw #TrafficLaw #ImpairedDriving #CriminalLaw #BCDrivers #SovereignCitizen #FlightFromPolice