Comox Valley RCMP is reminding drivers to follow the posted speed limit as it highlights a trio of excessive driving incidents, including one that saw a driver nabbed for travelling 185 kilometres per hour in a 90 km/h zone.
The latest incident happened on Jan. 31 around 2:30 p.m., when an officer on 29th Street in Courtenay observed a black Jeep Wrangler travelling 100 km/h in a 60 km/h zone amid wet, slushy and snowy road conditions, RCMP said Tuesday.
The Mountie pulled over the driver and initiated an impaired driving investigation after smelling a liquor-type odour, according to police in a news release.
But the driver refused to provide a breath sample at the scene, prompting their vehicle to be impounded for 30 days and their driver’s license to be suspended for 90 days, in addition to being handed a violation ticket for excessive speed, said police.
A few days prior, on Jan. 27, an officer on Highway 19 at Cook Creek observed a luxury vehicle, an Audi A7, travelling 185 km/h in a 90 km/h zone. The vehicle was impounded for seven days and, like the subsequent incident, the driver was issued a violation ticket for excessive speed.
Earlier in the month, on Jan. 6, an officer on Ryan Road observed a vehicle, a Toyota 4Runner, travelling 120 km/h in a 60 km/h zone. The vehicle was also impounded for seven days and the driver was issued a violation ticket for excessive speed.
Rules of the road
British Columbia’s Motor Vehicle Act defines excessive speeding as 40 km/h or more over the speed limit, according to information on the government’s website.
The faster you drive, the higher the fine, provincial officials say.
Those who exceed the speed limit by more than 40 km/h face a fine of $368, while those who drive more than 60 km/h over the limit will be fined $483. In both instances, drivers will also see three penalty points tacked onto their driver’s license.
In B.C., drivers caught speeding excessively by police will have their vehicle impounded for seven days if it’s their first offence, 30 days for a second offence within two years or 60 days for any later offence within two years.
Ethan Morneau
