RCMP officers with BC Highway Patrol found themselves in the right place at the right time to intercept a dangerous driver on June 6 at approximately 6 p.m.
Officers were conducting speed enforcement on near Wellswood Road on the Malahat when they were asked by dispatch to be on the lookout for a grey Honda Civic being driven dangerously.
Multiple callers reported that the driver was possibly impaired and that he was observed passing other vehicles on the highway shoulder, disobeying red lights and speeding excessively.
The officers soon observed the Honda Civic speeding toward them and established that the vehicle was traveling at 152 km/h in the posted 80 km/h zone.
BCHP officers managed to safely bring the vehicle to a stop, while nearby motorists stopped of their own accord to provide evidence as to what they had just witnessed.
The driver was identified as a 19-year-old man from Nanaimo with no valid driver’s licence.
Investigation at the roadside determined that the man was impaired by alcohol.
The man was immediately prohibited from driving for a period of 90 days under the BC Motor Vehicle Act and his vehicle was impounded for 30 days.
He was also issued multiple violation tickets and a High-Risk Driving Report is being submitted to RoadSafetyBC for consideration of additional penalties.
RCMP Staff Sergeant Adam Tallboy, with BCHP Vancouver Island, said that with the July summer impaired driving campaign just around the corner, police officers are ready and willing to get an early start in removing dangerous drivers from the roadways.
“We greatly appreciate those individuals who called 911 to report this driver, those who stopped to provide evidence, and our 911 dispatchers,” he said.
“As such we were able to work in unison to bring this incident to a quick conclusion. It’s an example of how we’re making our highways safer together.”