Dangerous pass on B.C. highway caught on video ends with Alberta driver’s vehicle impounded

An Alberta driver is facing more than $2,500 in fines and increased insurance costs after a dangerous passing maneuver on a B.C. highway last month was caught on dash-cam video. (B.C. Highway Patrol)

An Alberta driver is facing more than $2,500 in fines and increased insurance costs after a dangerous passing maneuver on a B.C. highway last month was caught on dash-cam video.

The B.C. Highway Patrol shared the video in a news release Wednesday, which shows the driver making an illegal pass over a double-solid yellow line on Highway 1.

Police said they were notified about a red Mazda hatchback driving dangerously near Chase just before 6 p.m. on April 28.

Authorities said the vehicle was travelling westbound in Pritchard when it sped past an unmarked police cruiser. The officer recorded the driver going 163 km/h in a 100 zone.

Shortly after the vehicle was pulled over, a commercial truck driver stopped and told the officer that he had dash-cam video of the same car making a dangerous pass.

Police said the truck driver—a 58-year-old Kamloops man—handed the video over to authorities, provided a witness statement and offered to appear in traffic court.

The driver of the Mazda hatchback—a 59-year-old man from Red Deer, Alta.—was issued several fines, police said. They include the following:

• A $483 ticket for excessive speeding (over 60 km/h);
• The cost of a tow truck and a seven-day impound;
• A $109 ticket for making an illegal pass on a laned roadway;
• A $109 ticket for crossing over a double solid line.

Police said the man will also face a minimum of three years of high-risk driver premiums and escalating insurance rates that will bring the total costs to more than $2,500.

“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,” Cpl. Michael McLaughlin said in the release. “We’re grateful to the professional truck driver who did all the right things to prevent this comedy turning into a tragedy.”