Five out-of-town motorists found their trip through Chatham-Kent cut short on the weekend after they were nailed for stunt driving and had their vehicles impounded.
The weekend’s festivities began Saturday morning when just before 10:30 a.m., an officer observed a westbound BMW SUV near Charing Cross Road that appeared to be exceeding the posted speed limit of 100 km/hr. The RADAR registered a speed of approximately 166 km/hr. The 22-year-old male driver from Whitby has been charged with stunt driving and will appear in court at a later date to answer to the charge.
Later, just before 3:00 p.m., an officer observed a westbound Ford car near Kent Bridge Road that appeared to be exceeding the posted speed limit of 100 km/hr. The RADAR registered a speed of approximately 159 km/hr. The 56-year-old driver from Oakville has been charged with stunt driving and will appear in court at a later date to answer to the charge.
The third incident occurred just before 8:30 p.m., when an officer observed an eastbound BMW SUV near Kennesserie Road that appeared to be exceeding the posted speed limit of 100 km/hr. The RADAR registered a speed of approximately 162 km/hr. The 57-year-old man from Stoney Creek has been charged with stunt driving and will appear in court at a later date to answer to the charge.
Racing continued through the night when just after 3:30 a.m., Sunday morning an officer observed a westbound Mitsubishi SUV near Drake Side Road that appeared to be exceeding the posted speed limit of 100 km/hr. The RADAR registered a speed of approximately 160 km/hr. The 23-year-old female from Windsor has been charged with stunt driving and will appear in court at a later date to answer to the charge.
The second incident occurred just before 1:30 p.m., when an officer observed an eastbound Cadillac SUV near Orford Road that appeared to be exceeding the posted speed limit of 100 km/hr. The RADAR registered a speed of approximately 154 km/hr. The 34-year-old male driver from Windsor has been charged with stunt driving and will appear in court at a later date to answer to the charge.
In each incident, the driver’s licence has been suspended and the vehicle impounded for a period of seven days, as per statute.
Aggressive driving is one of the “Big Four” driving behaviours that contribute to road fatalities in Ontario. As of October 4, 2015, speed was a factor in 48 of the 170 road deaths investigated by OPP.
The risk of a fatality or serious injury is almost five times greater for vehicles crashing at 50 km/hr or more above the posted limit on a highway with a posted limit of 100 km/hr. On roads with a posted limit of 60 km/hr or lower, the risk is almost eight times greater for vehicles crashing at 50 km/hr or more above the posted limit.
The penalties for driving 50 km/hr or more over the speed limit are as follows:
· Immediate 7-day licence suspension and 7-day vehicle impoundment
· Upon conviction, $2000 to $10,000 fine, 6 demerit points, up to 6 months jail, up to 2 years licence suspension for a first conviction
· Driver’s licence suspension of up to 10 years for a second conviction within 10 years
