Man charged with stunt driving after vehicle clocked doing 117 km/h in 60 km/h zone, Hamilton police say

A 31-year-old man is facing charges after Hamilton police say he was clocked driving 117 km/h in a 60 km/h zone on Regional Road 20 on the Hamilton Mountain.

In an email to CBC Hamilton, police said they were conducting LiDAR enforcement on Regional Road 20 at Third Road East on the morning of Aug. 7. Then at about 1:06 a.m., police say they observed a vehicle speeding westbound just east of Third Road East.

Police said the driver had a suspended licence, the plates on the vehicle were unauthorized, and the vehicle was uninsured. Police also said he had a suspended licence due to an unpaid fine.

The driver faces four charges including:

• Speeding 
• Drive Motor Vehicle - Perform Stunt
• Use plate not authorized for vehicle
• Owner operate a motor vehicle on a highway no insurance 

Police said the vehicle was impounded for 14 days.

Stunt driving charges are laid when someone is driving 50 km/h over on roads where the speed limit is over 80 km/h or when someone is driving 40 km/h on roads where the speed limit is less than 80 km/h.

In May, Supt. Dave Hennick, who leads the police service's community safety division, said 2024 may be a record year for stunt drivers. From January to March, police say they laid 104 stunt driving charges, an increase compared to the previous year when only 35 stunt driving charges were laid during that same time.