Coquitlam RCMP pulled over a driver doing 117 km/hr along Mary Hill Bypass last Sunday as he was rushing home to watch the final episode of the Game of Throne series.
That’s well over the 60 km/hr speed limit along that stretch of road, putting the driver beyond the 40 km/hr threshold for excessive speeding and netting him a $363 ticket — not to mention the tow and impound fees.
Under British Columbia's Motor Vehicle Act drivers can be ticketed up to $483 and docked up to three points for excessive speeding.
Speeding home to watch Game of Thrones cost this driver more than missing who is left standing in Westeros. This vehicle was clocked doing 117km/h in a 60km/h zone eastbound on Mary Hill Bypass at Coast Meridian Road in #PortCoquitlam. #SlowDown #KnowYourPartBC @icbc pic.twitter.com/wM0xhbA0Xh
— CQ RCMP (@cqrcmp) May 22, 2019
Before it comes to handing out a ticket, officers doing a traffic stop have to quickly figure out if the driver is one of the few dangerous individuals out there, or belongs to the vast majority of cases that involve essentially good people with a heavy foot.
Before it comes to handing out a ticket, officers doing a traffic stop have to quickly figure out if the driver is one of the few dangerous individuals out there, or belongs to the vast majority of cases that involve essentially good people with a heavy foot.
“We often ask people, ‘Do you have a lawful reason?’” said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin, noting lawful speeding only applies to the most exceptional circumstances, such as an on-duty undercover police officer or a driver rushing someone with a heart attack to the hospital.
“We just try to be fair as police officers, because we don't know what's going on,” said McLaughlin. “But [cases of lawful speeding are] very few and far between.”
In the process of figuring out what led a person to speed,McLaughlin says drivers often come up with some pretty inventive excuses. In one recent traffic stop, a woman speeding more than 40 km/hr above the speed limit justified it by saying she was a ‘pretty good driver.’ In another instance, a man was pulled over for doing 170 km/hr in a 70 km/hr zone.
“When told he was doing it, he said, ‘Oh well, I thought it was only doing 140,’” said the Coquitlam RCMP spokesperson.
“We enjoy getting the excuses, but the chances are, you're still getting a ticket and the tow,” he added, “So best thing to do is to slow down.”
