An Alberta man driving to Vancouver had his trip cut short near Chase after other drivers witnessed him making a series of bad decisions.
At 5:43 p.m. on April 28, police got a call about a red Mazda hatchback driving dangerously on Highway 1 near Chase.
Shortly after, at 5:55 p.m., a car matching that description overtook an unmarked BC Highway Patrol (BCHP) cruiser heading west on the highway at Pritchard, with the officer recording a speed of 163 km/h in a 100 zone.
After the officer stopped the car, a semi truck driver also stopped, saying he had dash-cam footage of dangerous passing on a double solid line by the same car. The truck driver, a 58-year-old man from Kamloops, gave a witness statement, his video footage, and offered to appear in traffic court.
“One of the dangerous issues with driving too fast is that your brain can’t process what your eyes should see – such as the police cruiser you’re passing at excessive speed,” BCHP Cpl. Michael McLaughlin said in a media release. “We’re grateful to the professional truck driver who did all the right things to prevent this comedy turning into a tragedy.”
As a result of the “totality of the circumstances,” the 59-year-old Red Deer, Alta. man driving the Mazda was issued: a ticket for excessive speed (over 6o km/h) for $483; the cost of towing and a seven-day impound; an illegal pass on a laned road ticket for $109; and at least three years of high-risk driver premiums and escalating insurance that will bring the total cost to over $2,500.
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