A 58-year-old from Saskatoon was behind the wheel of a 2010 white Chevrolet Camaro SS caught speeding at 235 km/h in a 100 km/h zone eastbound Highway 9 just east of Highway 21. An officer travelling in the opposite direction saw the speeding car and flicked his lights at the man who quickly pulled over.
“By him pulling over, he probably saved himself from some extra trouble,” said Sgt. Jason Graw of the Airdrie RCMP.
“He probably saw the officers’ lights, looked down and saw how fast he was going.”
The man was the sole occupant in the vehicle and he was arrested at the scene and charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle. He was released on the roadside after paying the officer a $500 cash bail bond.
Graw said he’s never seen such “atrocious” speeds on a single-lane rural highway and said motorists dramatically increase their chance of serious injury or death when travelling above the posted limit.
“The faster you travel, the harder you’re going to hit,” he said. “The limits are there for a reasons, the roads are engineered for that speed.’
The suspect’s name has not been released.
Nearly 4,000 tickets were handed out to motorists between Sept. 2 and 5, including 55 alcohol-related violations and 32 24-hour licence suspensions.
Police across the province collectively passed out 2,834 speeding tickets, 29 distracted driving fines and 55 stunting charges were handed down.
There were also 160 seatbelt or child seat infractions.
Police said dangerous driving could result in a five-year prison sentence, adding speed is a factor in 30 per cent of all collisions in rural Alberta.
“We had significant traffic volume,” said Graw.
“It’s busier for us than a regular weekend.”
