Okanagan drivers’ need for speed results in hundreds of impounds, tickets

Okanagan drivers aren’t scared to put the pedal to the metal on highways, a risk that comes with a hefty consequence.

The statement comes as the Kelowna B.C. Highway Patrol releases that they have impounded hundreds of cars already this year in response to excessive speeding and aggressive driving.

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

McLaughlin says that last year there were 225 vehicles towed and impounded due to excessive speeding. However, this year the number of impounds has more than doubled.

“We are up to 548 impounds as a result of excessive driving.”

1:20 Speeding on Kelowna roads

The striking statistic is not a direct result of more policing, says McLaughlin, but a combination of factors.

“We at B.C. Highway Patrol has been focusing more on aggressive driving behaviours, particularly excessive speeding, so there is that. But, there is no way these kinds of numbers don’t come from people driving too fast and they are doing it more than they used to,” said McLaughlin.

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

3:48 Traffic Tips: Speed matters in road safety

Calum MacMillan of Young Drivers of Canada in Kelowna, B.C., says that speeding is not usually a new driver’s habit. It develops over their driving career as they get more comfortable behind the wheel. However, he echoes that speeding is dangerous.

“If you are going 30 km/h or lower, if you hit a pedestrian, their chance of survival is 90 per cent,” said MacMillan.

“If you go up to even 45 km/h they are even less than 50 per cent likely to survive.”

If drivers are willing to go faster than the speed limit, they should be prepared to pay up.

“An excessive speeding ticket is significant, you are looking at a $368 fine, three penalty points on your driving record and a minimum seven-day impoundment,” said Kyla Lee, lawyer.

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

Lee says that drivers can dispute the ticket but it will still come at a cost.

“If you are successful in your dispute of an excessive speeding ticket, you do not get your impound fees reimbursed to you,” said Lee.