Driver fined, vehicle seized after extreme speeding on B.C. highway

Police issued the driver a $483 ticket for excessive speeding under the Motor Vehicle Act. The vehicle was impounded for seven days at the driver’s expense, along with towing costs. (Handout)

A 29-year-old man is facing hefty fines and impoundment fees after he was caught travelling more than 200 km/h on a British Columbia highway, according to authorities.

Police say the man was stopped April 1 on Highway 97C near the Okanagan community of Elkhart, after a radar reading recorded his black 2017 Dodge Challenger travelling at 207 km/h in a 110 km/h zone.

“That’s obviously a dangerous speed, and nowhere near the already-generous speed limit,” said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin of the B.C. Highway Patrol, in a statement Wednesday.

He says the situation was made “even more dangerous” when the driver failed to pull over to the right shoulder of the highway, instead stopping on the left side.

Stopping on the left side of the divided highway put both the driver and the officer in the path of the fastest-moving traffic, though other motorists slowed and moved over after seeing the emergency lights, he said.

Police issued the driver a $483 ticket for excessive speeding under the Motor Vehicle Act. The vehicle was impounded for seven days at the driver’s expense, along with towing costs.

McLaughlin says the driver will also face increased insurance premiums associated with high-risk driving, with total costs estimated at about $2,500 over time.

“We’re glad that no one was hurt, because at these kinds of speeds, collisions lead to fatalities,” McLaughlin said.

“We would like to remind drivers to slow down. And if you do get stopped by police, remember to pull to the curb lane just like it says in the B.C. Motor Vehicle Act.”