Okanagan drivers' need for speed results in hundreds of seizures and tickets – Okanagan

Okanagan drivers aren't afraid to hit the accelerator on the highway, a risk that has major consequences.

The statement comes as the Kelowna BC Highway Patrol announces it has already impounded hundreds of cars this year in response to excessive speeding and aggressive driving.

“The number of vehicle complexes in the Kelowna area is quite staggering,” said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin.

McLaughlin says 225 vehicles were towed and impounded for speeding last year. This year, however, the number of seizures has more than doubled.

“We have made 548 seizures as a result of excessive driving.”

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Speeding on Kelowna roads

The striking statistic is not a direct result of increased police action, McLaughlin says, but a combination of factors.

“We at BC Highway Patrol have been focusing more on aggressive driving, especially excessive speed, so there is that. But there's no way these kinds of numbers aren't coming from people driving too fast, and they're doing that more than in the past,” McLaughlin said.

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In addition to the number of drivers caught speeding, RCMP issued 45 speeding tickets in just two days while monitoring a school zone on Hollywood Road South, where some drivers were clocked driving more than double the posted speed limit .

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Traffic tips: speed is important for road safety

Calum MacMillan of Young Drivers of Canada in Kelowna, B.C., says speeding isn't usually the habit of new drivers. It develops over their driving career as they become more comfortable behind the wheel. However, he reiterates that speeding is dangerous.

“If you are driving at 30 km/h or less and hit a pedestrian, their chance of survival is 90 percent,” MacMillan said.

“If you even go 45 km/h, there is less than a 50 percent chance that they will survive.”

If drivers are willing to drive faster than the speed limit, they should be willing to pay for it.

“An excessive speeding ticket is significant, you will receive a fine of $368, three demerit points on your driver's license and a minimum of seven days in jail,” said lawyer Kyla Lee.

“In addition, an excessive speeding ticket will also trigger the excessive driver risk premium, a premium of $340 per year for three years.”

Lee says drivers can dispute the ticket, but there will still be charges.

“If you are successful in your challenge of an excessive speeding ticket, you will not be reimbursed for the impound costs,” Lee said.

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