Teenager caught speeding without licence in parents’ minivan: B.C. Highway Patrol

A minivan caught speeding in Lake Country is seen in this image handed out by B.C. Highway Patrol.

Police say a recent incident on an Okanagan highway “had all the ingredients of an imminent tragedy.”

A teenager was allegedly speeding in his parents’ minivan with two friends in the back, where there were no seats, let alone seatbelts.

“Thankfully, a B.C. Highway Patrol officer got there before potential disaster and heartbreak,” Mounties wrote in a news release Tuesday.

The department says around 4:30 a.m. on June 4, a minivan sped up behind a police cruiser on Highway 97 south of Pelmewash Parkway in Lake Country. The minivan was going 160 km/h in a 100 km/h zone, according to police.

“Many people do not realize that police radar works just as well from behind a police cruiser as it does from the front,” said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin, in the release. “In this case, the 16-year-old driver had no driver’s licence, and two of his teenage passengers were lying on the back floor of the minivan next to yard tools and a lawn mower.”

The driver’s parents reportedly said their son did not have permission to use the van and another teen’s parents thought he was sleeping at home during the incident.

The 16-year-old was handed a $955 fine for excessive speed, not having a driver’s licence and operating a vehicle with not enough seats for passengers, according to police, and the vehicle was impounded for seven days.

“Parents, make sure you talk to your kids. Teach them well to help them have a safe summer on B.C. highways,” McLaughlin said.