RCMP plead with drivers to slow down after fatal B.C. crashes
Police have issued around 132 violation tickets, or over 7 tickets a day, for excessive speeding since July 1
A white Corvette reportedly accelerated to 213 km/h on Highway 1 near Langley on July 9.
On July 11, a motorcyclist allegedly sped up to 142 km/h in a 70 km/h zone near Castlegar.
Then, three days after that, a blue sedan and red motorcycle were seen driving through "the heart of Squamish" at over 140 km/h in a 70 km/h area.
These are just three examples of excessive speeding, which is driving at or more than 40 km/h over the speed limit, that the B.C. Highway Patrol (BCHP) have documented this month.
The speeding also happened alongside a recent string of fatal crashes in the province, which has prompted authorities to issue several safety warnings.
"[BCHP] are pleading with drivers around the province to slow down," police said in a Wednesday statement.
Officers say they have issued at least 132 violation tickets, or over seven tickets a day, for excessive speeding since the beginning of July.
They stopped 40 drivers in the Okanagan area between July 8 and July 15 alone.
All of these drivers were issued tickets between $368 and $483, the release says. The vehicles were also impounded for seven days.
"Every driver needs to realize that the consequences for excessive speeding go far beyond getting an expensive ticket and your vehicle impounded," said Insp. Chad Badry, officer in charge of the Kootenay Highway Patrol, in the statement.
"You have far less time to react to anything when going that fast, which is why excessive speed is so deadly."
For instance, 19 accidental motor-vehicle-related deaths were reported to the B.C. coroner from July 5 to July 10. They included a family of three and four family members in two separate incidents.
The B.C. Coroners Service has also encouraged drivers to reduce the risk of a collision by refraining from drugs and alcohol, obeying posted speed limits and driving to road conditions.
Looking ahead, Badry reiterated the call for caution as the summer festival season ramps up. In particular, he told CBC News that the expected influx of drivers headed to the Shambhala Festival in the Kootenay area next week is a concern.
"There [are] 20,000 people that are going to end up coming that way," he said. "B.C. Highway Patrol and other police in the area are going to be out to make sure that those people get there safely and that other young road users aren't affected by this migration of people to this festival."
With files from Meera Bains