Langford man gets Ferrari impounded, wants speed limit changes on Malahat

CHEK

Editor’s note: Since CHEK first reported this story, Mr. Fryer has produced a YouTube video saying CHEK lied about his call for increased speed limits on the Malahat. The YouTube video was the first CHEK News had heard that Mr. Fryer was concerned about the way we reported the story. We have since met with Mr. Fryer and reviewed both our published story and the raw interview with him.  Upon reflection, the way the story was edited may have been misleading. In the interview, Mr. Fryer said there should be variable speed limits that could be changed based on weather and road conditions. Mr. Fryer said, “I think 80 km/h is too slow for summer and 80 km/h is too fast for winter if it’s snowing or raining.”  We have edited the headline and video to more accurately portray Mr. Fryer’s views. CHEK News prides itself on being accurate and accountable. We regret if our original reporting led to any misunderstanding. It certainly was not intentional.

A Langford man is calling for variable speed limits on the Malahat after he was caught speeding in his Ferrari. Calvin To has the reaction from safety advocates.

Damon Fryer, who drives exotic cars for a living, is calling for variable speed limits on the Malahat.

He was caught speeding near Goldstream Provincial Park last Saturday and ticketed for going more than 41 kilometres over the posted speed of 80 kilometres per hour.

As a result, he was given a $368 ticket and three points, and his Ferrari that he was driving at the time was impounded for a week.

Fryer says he was heading to the test track in the Cowichan Valley.

“I actually had a friend of mine in the vehicle who had actually never experienced a Ferrari before and I just geared down and I gave it a bit of gas going around that corner,” Fryer said.

Fryer says he wasn’t driving dangerously.

“I think that the speed limits on the Malahat, in my personal opinion, are not currently at the correct adjusted speed. If you’ve ever looked at other mountain passes around the country, alot of them have a variable speed limit. They have a digital speed sign that is adjusted based on the season and the weather conditions. I think that is what the Malahat needs. 80 km/ph is too slow for the summer, and too fast for the winter if it’s snowing or raining.”

Safety advocates are not impressed by this incident.

“You know, every time the Integrated Road Safety Unit is up there, there’s always somebody doing 40 or 50 over the speed limit, and that is just totally unacceptable,” Chris Foord, vice-chair of the Capital Regional District’s Traffic Safety Commission, said.

Foord says this is exactly the kind of behaviour that he would like to see curbed by implementing interval cameras on the Malahat. He says raising the speed limit would do little to solve the problem.

“It’s just not appropriate to be driving 128 km/h or whatever in an 80 km/h zone anywhere in the province or anywhere in the country for that matter,” Foord says.
As for Fryer, he says he’s normally a safe driver who just ran into some bad luck.

“I’d say that I’ve gotten a ticket almost every other year or two. So, probably got like seven or eight, if I had to guess,” Fryer said.
Fryer gets his Ferrari back on Sunday.

In 2015, a study by the B.C. Coroner’s Office found speeding to the third top contributing factor in motor vehicles deaths in the province.

 

Calvin ToCalvin To

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