OPP lay stunt charge after 151 km/h stop on Hwy. 17

Ontario Provincial Police charged a Kitchener driver with stunt driving after clocking their vehicle going 151 km/h in an 80 km/h zone on Highway 17 near Sturgeon Falls. The vehicle was impounded for 14 days. (Ontario Provincial Police/Facebook)

A 31-year-old driver from Kitchener is facing a stunt driving charge after provincial police stopped a vehicle travelling more than double the posted speed limit on Highway 17.

Ontario Provincial Police said, in a social media post, that officers conducting speed enforcement on Highway 17 near Sturgeon Falls stopped a vehicle on July 4 at about 3:30 a.m.

Police said the vehicle was clocked travelling 151 km/h in an 80 km/h zone.

Licence suspended, vehicle impounded

In addition to the stunt driving charge, the driver received a 30-day driver’s licence suspension and the vehicle was impounded for 14 days.

A court date has been scheduled for September in Sturgeon Falls for the driver to answer the charges.

Part of broader enforcement effort

This charge was among 19 impaired driving offences laid by OPP in the North East Region during a 10-day traffic and marine safety blitz centred around the Canada Day holiday, which ran from June 26 to July 5.

Over the same period, police in the region laid more than 1,000 speeding-related charges.

Police warn of speed-related risks

OPP used the incident to highlight the dangers of excessive speed.

“Excessive speed remains one of the leading factors in serious and fatal collisions,” wrote OPP Const. Kyler Brouwer in the post.

“Arriving a few minutes sooner is never worth the potential consequences.”