‘Absolutely no tolerance for it:’ RCMP impound vehicles of speeding drivers

Two drivers are paying the price for treating a North Okanagan highway like it was the Autobahn.

RCMP stopped two vehicles in separate speeding incidents on Highway 97A Wednesday night (Aug. 18), one where the driver was travelling at more than double the posted limit.

Just after 8:30 p.m., officers from the North Okanagan RCMP were conducting speed enforcement when a vehicle travelling northbound ripped by them at a high rate of speed.

“Using a calibrated laser, officers confirmed the speed of the passenger car to be 211 km/hr, over double the posted speed limit of 100 km/hr,” said Constable Chris Terleski, media relations officer.

Police stopped the vehicle near Eagle Rock Road and issued the driver, a 30-year-old Salmon Arm man, a $483 violation ticket for excessive speeding and impounded his vehicle for seven days.

Later that night, a vehicle moving at 170 km/hr was stopped by Mounties on the same highway near Greenhow Road. That driver, an 18-year-old West Kelowna man, was issued a $483 violation ticket and his vehicle was impounded for seven days.

Terleski said the local RCMP is committed to ensuring the safety of roadways.

“Speeding is a leading cause of deaths on B.C. roads and exceeding the speed limit puts yourself and others at risk. Driving at this speed is incredibly dangerous and there is absolutely no tolerance for it,” Terleski remarked.