Stunt drivers continue to keep northern Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) busy across the region from the northwest to the northeast this summer.
“At approximately 3:30 a.m. on Aug. 21, an officer conducting radar patrol stopped the vehicle on Highway 11 in Clute Township, which is west of Cochrane, (performed a traffic stop),” said Const. Kyler Brouwer in an email to CTV News.
“The driver was a 25-year-old from St. Catherines.”
Police said the vehicle stopped was travelling 147km/h in a posted 90/h zone.
The driver was charged with stunt driving, driving without insurance and driving with cannabis readily available.
On Aug. 26 at about 11 p.m., a 37-year-old from Mississauga was charged with stunt driving on Highway 11.
“While conducting radar patrol on Highway 11 in the Town of Fauquier, James Bay OPP stopped a vehicle travelling 123km/h in a 50 km/h zone,” said police in a social media post.
On Sept. 2, Nipigon OPP stopped a vehicle for stunt driving on Highway 11-17.
“What do we think this driver’s excuse was for travelling 172km/h in a posted 90km/h zone,” police asked in a social media post.
“This driver is without his licence and vehicle for the rest of the long weekend… Not to mention will receive a court date, where if convicted, fines beginning at $2,000 and as high as $10,000, or possible imprisonment.”
That same day, Thunder Bay OPP charged three people with stunt driving “within a couple hours” during their patrols, according to a social media post.
Photos accompanying the post show speeds radar guns recording speeds between 149km/h and 153km/h.
On Sept. 3, Dryden OPP reported stopping at vehicle travelling 115km/h in a 60km/h zone.
“Driver was charged with stunt driving,” police said in the social media post.
Finally on Sept. 4, Dryden OPP again stopped a stunt driver.
“Dryden OPP located a vehicle traveling 113km/h in a 50km/h zone, while traveling through Wabigoon,” police wrote on social media.
“With the Labour Day weekend almost over, we want to remind everyone to monitor their speeds & slow down.”
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OPP officials in northern Ontario have said stunt driving has been a major issue this summer.
“In the north, I have seen speeds of people travelling 187 to 200 km/h on Highway 69,” said Acting OPP Sgt. Rob Lewis, during a recent interview with CTV News.
“On the backroads, I’ve seen where speeds are 40 to 50 (km/h) where drivers doing 130-140 (km/h) on those backroads -- where those roads aren’t designed for those speeds."
All drivers charged with stunt driving were issued a 30 day driver’s licence suspensions and the vehicles involved were impounded for 14 days.
“The OPP targets speeders, racers, stunt drivers and other aggressive drivers through robust enforcement and public education throughout the year,” said Brouwer.
