RCMP says there’s no excuse for excessive speeding after they caught a Kelowna man going more than double the posted speed limit on an Alberta highway.
At around 7 p.m. on Sept. 15, an Alberta RCMP officer was conducting traffic enforcement when they spotted a white sports car travelling towards them at an extremely high speed on Highway 1 near Hermitage Road in Rocky View County.
According to a news release, the 2011 Porsche 911 was recorded travelling 270 km/h in a posted 110 km/h zone.
As a result, 36-year-old Michael Peterec, of Kelowna, B.C., was charged with one count of dangerous driving contrary to Section 320.13 (1) of the Criminal Code.
Due to it being a Criminal Code charge rather than a regular traffic ticket, RCMP said it’s up to a judge to determine the fine amount along with other recommendations such as a licence suspension, though that is all determined on a person’s past driving history and other related offences.
“There is no excuse for excessive speeding on our streets and highways,” Alberta RCMP traffic Insp. Chris Romanchych said in a news release.
“Travelling at rates beyond the posted limit puts you, and those you are sharing the road with, at risk.”
Mounties said although there was no collision, an Alberta RCMP traffic forensic collision reconstructionist was consulted and provided a detailed report for use in court as expert evidence to support the Criminal Code dangerous driving charge.
The reconstructionist said when travelling at the speed limit of 110 km/h, once brakes are applied, a vehicle will need 55.96 metres to come to a complete stop, and that traveling at the speed of 270 km/h, once brakes are applied, a vehicle will need 337.29 m to come to a complete stop.
“The vehicle would have required an additional 281.33 m to come to a stop — the equivalent to two Canadian football field lengths.”
RCMP said the specific location where the ticket was handed out has been identified as an area where motorists often speed in excess of the posted limit. Police have now increased patrols in the area to address this issue.
According to Alberta Transportation, more than half of all fatal collisions involving unsafe speeds occur in rural areas.
Peterec will appear in Cochrane Provincial Court on Dec. 13.