Okanagan motorists warned as spring driving season begins

KELOWNA – With spring driving season upon us, RCMP are stepping up enforcement to ensure safety on the roads.

“As the weather gets better, we often see speeds increase which dramatically affects the safety of all road users,” says Kelowna RCMP Corporal Joe Duncan. “Please slow down, obey all road signs, and help us all get to our destinations safely.”

On Sunday March 8, the Kelowna Integrated Road Safety Unit conducted enforcement for a few hours on Highway 97 between Oyama and Winfield in Lake Country.  It reports some pretty dramatic speeds with a number of drivers travelling in excess of 50km/ per hour over the posted speed limit of 100km/per hour.

Nine tickets were issued for excessive speeding which includes a vehicle impound.  Three of those were “N” drivers and one was an “L” driver with the mother as a supervisor. Nine regular speeding tickets were also issued and six warnings for defective vehicles.

A week prior, the Central Okanagan Traffic Services conducted  enforcement for a similar period of time on Dobbin Road at Hebert Road in West Kelowna.  That resulted in 38 speeding tickets, one excessive speeding ticket with a vehicle  impound  and one 90-day immediate roadside prohibition.  Nine warnings were also issued for defective vehicles.

Excessive speeding fines range from $368 to $483 as well as a mandatory minimum 7-day vehicle impound.