BURST
He didn’t have permission to drive, nor a licence to do so, and it’s going to cost one Okanagan teenager over $1,000 in fines and impound fees.
On June 4 at 4:30 a.m., a B.C. highway patrol police officer saw a minivan speed up from behind themon Highway 97 south of Pelmewash Parkway, in Lake Country, with the rear-facing radar clocking the vehicle at 160 km/h in a 100 km/h zone.
The driver didn’t have a licence, and when the driver’s parents were called, they said their son didn’t have permission to drive the van. The parents of another passenger thought their son was at home sleeping.
“Many people do not realize that police radar works just as well from behind a police cruiser as it does from the front,” says Cpl. Michael McLaughlin of the B.C. highway patrol.
“In this case, the 16-year-old driver had no driver’s licence, and two of his teenage passengers were lying on the back floor of the minivan next to yard tools and a lawn mower. This had all the ingredients of an imminent tragedy.
“Parents, make sure you talk to your kids. Teach them well to help them have a safe summer on B.C. highways.”
The driver was served with $955 in violation tickets, including for e xcessive speeding, driving without a licence, and o perating vehicle with too many passengers (no rear seats).
The vehicle was impounded for seven days.