The explanation offered by a motorist caught driving nearly twice the speed limit in Metro Vancouver—that he need to dry his car—did not persuade traffic enforcement officers to forgo issuing a ticket.
The driver of a sedan was radar-recorded travelling 111 kilometres per hour in a 60 kilometre per hour zone in Port Coquitlam, prompting officers to pull the car over, Coquitlam RCMP said in a social media post.
“The driver explained they had just washed their car and were attempting to blow the water droplets off,” the detachment said on Facebook. “There’s no excuse to travel at nearly twice the posted speed limit, putting everyone in danger.”
Excessive speeding typically results in a violation ticket and a seven-day vehicle impound, police said.
British Columbia’s Motor Vehicle Act defines excessive speeding as driving at a speed greater than 40 kilometres per hour over the posted speed limit.
The faster a motorist drives, the higher the fine, the province says. Motorists exceeding the limit by more than 40 kilometres per hour are fined $368 and those who drive at more than 60 kilometres per hour over get a $483 ticket. Three penalty points are also added to the driver’s record at either speed.
Vehicles can be impounded for seven days for a first offence. For a second offence occurring within a two-year span, the impoundment can last 30 days.
Speeding is the leading contributing factor to fatal crashes in the province, according to auto insurance provider ICBC.
Speed is a contributing factor in more than 2,400 collisions and results in an average of 91 deaths, ICBC said. And nearly half of the drivers in speed-related accidents between 2019 and 2023 fell within the 19 to 35 age range.
“The faster you go, the longer it takes to stop – and the more dangerous a crash can be,” the company said in a blog post.
It noted that drivers with one or more excessive speeding tickets will be forced by their insurance company to pay a driver risk premium over and above the cost of insurance and any other fines.
