A morning blitz on a notorious stretch of Greater Victoria highway resulted in an eye-popping 72 tickets handed out to high-octane drivers.
Armed with radar guns, Vancouver Island’s Integrated Road Safety Unit perched themselves near the top of the Malahat’s southbound lanes to nab speeding commuters.
Of the speeding tickets handed out, 23 were for excessive speeding – meaning drivers were travelling 45 kilometres or more above the posted speed limit.
The limit is 80 km/h on the Malahat.
“Speeds early in the morning have got to the point of basically stupidity,” said Const. Andy Dunstan. “It is high-risk driving month and some of these speeds are extremely high.”
More than 12 vehicles were impounded for excessive speeding within the first hour of the blitz, Dunstan said.
“We know that the road has been improved, there are extra safety measures put in place,” he said. “People don’t see that as a safety measure, they see that as an opportunity to increase their speed.”
One motorcyclist was clocked at 152 km/h and will have his bike impounded for seven days.
“I should know better,” Drake Bond, a 17-year-old ‘N’ driver, told CTV News. “I was running late as it was this morning and it turns out it definitely doesn’t help to speed.”
He said he’s learned his lesson and encouraged other drivers to keep within the speed limits.
IRSU had been researching the most dangerous times for speeding on the mountain pass.
The joint police unit found drivers who frequent the road on their way to work in Victoria are among the worst for breaking the limits.
Dunstan said 10 other tickets were handed out during the campaign: One drug-related ticket involving a marijuana offence, and nine “other” tickets for infractions like having no insurance.
