Four excessive speeders caught, one impaired by drugs: West Shore RCMP

West Shore RCMP says its officers caught four excessive speeders in the past week, including one who was impaired by drugs.

The driver who was impaired by drugs was caught on the Trans-Canada Highway near Burnside Road in View Royal. The driver of a Ford F-150 pickup truck was driving 127 kilometres an hour in a 90 km/h zone.

When the driver was stopped, police noticed signs of drug impairment. The driver then admitted to consuming cannabis before driving and failed a field sobriety test. The driver was issued a 24-hour driving prohibition and a ticket for excessive speeding.

In the other incidents, police caught the driver of a Toyota Corolla driving 143 km/h in a 80 km/h zone on the Malahat, the driver of a Ford Focus was caught driving 140 km/h in a 90 km/h zone on the Trans-Canada Highway near Millstream Road, and the driver of a Chevrolet Silverado was caught driving 109 km/h in a 60 km/h zone in the 3600 block of Sooke Road.

All four of the drivers were issued tickets for excessive speeding and had their vehicles towed and impounded for seven days. RCMP says the ticket and impoundment will cost each driver over $1,500.

In B.C., excessive speeding is defined as anything above 40 km/h over the speed limit. Driving 40 km/h above the speed limit comes with a $368 fine, and 60 km/h over comes with a $483 fine.

Both result in three penalty points being added to your driving record.

According to ICBC, 0-3 points on a licence does not come with an annual penalty. Four points comes with an annual penalty of $214 and each additional point above that comes with a higher penalty.

The penalty goes all the way up to 50 or more points, which comes with an annual penalty of $29,376.

ICBC says speed is the top contributing factor of car crash fatalities in B.C.

“The faster you go, the longer it takes to stop – and the more dangerous a crash can be,” ICBC says on its speed information page. “So slow down and give yourself extra time to get to your destination. It’s not worth the risk to yourself, and to others.”

RELATED: ‘Not once but twice’: Excessive speeder caught twice in Comox Valley

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