Seems one London area driver is a little slow catching on to Ontario’s tough new law against excessive speeding.
Fresh from getting back his seized vehicle after being charged with racing last week, the Putnam man was charged again yesterday after a rental vehicle was clocked going 153 kilometres an hour on Highway 401, near Highway 73, in a 100 km/h zone.
He told police, ” ‘I was only going three kilometres over the limit,’ ” one officer said.
Added Western Region OPP Sgt. Dave Rektor: “He obviously didn’t learn anything from his first experience.”
He’s not alone.
Since Ontario put its new law in place last September, going after drivers speeding 50 km/h or more above posted limits, more than 4,500 charges have been dished out.
Even a Peterborough area OPP officer was charged — with two counts of racing on duty in a cruiser, Rektor said.
“It shows no one is above the law, including us,” Rektor said.
So why aren’t drivers getting the message about the new law, which packs fines of $2,000 and allows police to impound vehicles and issue seven-day licence suspensions?
Some drivers simply don’t take safety to heart until it hits close to home, said Rektor. “Then they become safety advocates because their eyes have been opened.”
At 100 km/h, people are often hurt in a crash and sometimes killed, said Rektor. “At 150 kilometres an hour, you’ll probably be killed.”
Besides immediate roadside penalties under the anti-speeding law, offending drivers risk being dropped by their insurance companies and forced into costlier, high-risk insurance.
“Premiums will double — or more,” warned James Geuzebroek, a spokesperson for the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
Other vehicles snared under the new law recently included a sports car going 260 km/h on the 401 near London and a garbage truck near Goderich.
Yesterday, London area OPP stopped 22 speeding drivers on the 401, laying racing charges against three, Rektor said.
Essex OPP, meanwhile, charged a minivan driver with speeding on the 401 at midnight while glancing at a movie on a DVD player on his dashboard.
Police warn they’ll be vigilant this holiday weekend. Nine people died in crashes on Ontario highways last Victoria Day weekend.
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