Drone captures senior narrowly missing oncoming traffic on highway outside Lethbridge

Senior charged after driving wrong way on Highway 3 A drone operator recorded a van driving the wrong way on Highway 3 outside Lethbridge, passing oncoming vehicles at speeds nearing 100 km/h.

Calgary — A 70-year-old man has been charged after a van travelled the wrong way on Highway 3 and the dangerous drive at highway speeds was recorded by a recreational drone.

Jason Jahnke said he happened to be in the right place at the right time Saturday afternoon to capture the van's travels.

"I just happened to see a vehicle turn the wrong way, going through a stop sign, and I felt I needed to follow him in case I can't get him to stop."

Jahnke says the driver was travelling west in the eastbound lanes of Highway 3 outside Lethbridge city limits and passed several oncoming vehicles without collision.

The drone pilot says the incident was the scariest thing he's seen in his 10 years of flying drones and he's puzzled by the driver's actions.

"The road is very clearly marked," said Jahnke. "Twenty-five years ago it was the original highway into Lethbridge, so a long time ago it was a two-way, but for 25 years it's just been a one-way into the city."

Police were deployed to the area following calls to 911 reporting the van. Lethbridge Police Service officials confirm the driver, a 70-year-old man, was stopped and charged with careless driving.