Stunt drivers’ cars impounded

Driving is a privilege, not a right. A/Supt. Gord Jones issued this reminder at a press conference at police headquarters on April 23, after Traffic Services officers issued 11 stunt driving charges in a 48-hour period last weekend. On Sat. April 19, at 1.54 a.m., police clocked a Porsche travelling at 169 km/h in a 100 km/h zone on the Gardiner Expressway. Forty-six minutes later, a 26-year-old motorist was pulled over for driving his 2009 Porsche Cayenne on the same expressway at 181 km/h. On Mon. April 21, at 3.48 a.m., a 32-year-old Hamilton man was nabbed speeding on the Gardiner at 185 km/h. in his 1997 BMW 540i. All the drivers had their licences suspended and vehicles impounded for seven days. They face a fine of up to $10,000. One man also faces a charge of driving with a blood alcohol of over .08, allegedly while travelling at 185km/h. “A very concerning issue in these three incidents was that the drivers had also consumed alcohol in addition to the high speeds,” said Jones. “To put these speeds into perspective, a vehicle travelling 185 km/h is travelling at 50 metres per second. An NHL rink is about 60 metres in length and it would take a vehicle about 1.2 secs. to travel that distance. That same vehicle, providing the driver could react instantaneously, would take in excess of 192 metres to stop.” The arrested drivers were all men ranging in age from 18 to 44. “Every one of them knew the difference between right and wrong,” said Jones. “Unfortunately, they made the wrong choice… Almost on a daily basis, members of this Service see, first-hand, the impact of collisions that occur on city streets and the impact on victims, their families and first-responders. The amount of damage that would occur if any of these vehicles travelling at these excessive speeds were involved in a collision, would be catastrophic and almost certainly lead to a fatality.” A total of 45 stunt driving charges, including the 11, were laid last weekend in the province. Last year, during the same period, five charges were laid in Ontario, including three in the city. Last year, Toronto police laid 381 stunt driving charges, the majority on the Don Valley and Gardiner Expressway. So far this year, 93 stunt driving charges have been laid. Jones warned irresponsible drivers they will pay for their reckless actions that could endanger safety. “For those drivers using Toronto roads, take note,” he said. “If you make a choice to drive aggressively, to drive impaired, to drive as distracted or without a seatbelt on Toronto roads and choose to risk the safety of all road-users, we will be there and we will get you. “Traffic policing is a Service priority for the Toronto Police Service. I want to re-affirm our mission to keep our roads safe from drivers who are making bad, and sometimes fatal, choices while driving on Toronto roads…Each time one of these drivers exceed the speed limit, other road-users are put at risk.” In 2012, there were 44 fatalities and 66 life-threatening collisions in Toronto. Alcohol was a contributing factor in six of the road deaths.