Excessive speeding with headlights off, carrying 8 passengers leads to steep fine

A Surete du Quebec (SQ) police cruiser. (Daniel J. Rowe/CTV News)

A man in his 20s was handed a ticket for just under $1,500 after he was driving twice the speed limit in an overcrowded vehicle without his headlights on at night.

Quebec provincial police (SQ) say that the driver was intercepted on Highway 20 in Montreal near the Norman exit, going 142 km/h in the 70 zone.

“In addition to the excessive speed, the two officers also observed dangerous driving, including several high-speed passing maneuvers, as well as the vehicle’s headlights being turned off while it was dark,” police said in a news release.

Officers also counted eight passengers in the five-passenger vehicle, and several passengers were not wearing seatbelts.

The Lachine man received a $1,468 ticket, 14 demerit points and other citations for driving without headlights and carrying too many passengers.

“Several passengers were also cited for not wearing their seat belts,” the SQ said.

The vehicle was seized and towed, and the driver’s license was suspended for a week.