Trail police gave a Nelson woman and a Castlegar man some hefty fines after the pair were allegedly caught speeding on Trail’s main drag.
Thursday night (Feb. 29), a Trail RCMP officer was on routine patrol in a marked vehicle when he observed the driver of a Subaru Outback, and the driver of a newer model Audi, allegedly travelling over 90 km/hr.
Police allege the Subaru driver, a 24-year-old Nelson woman, and the Audi driver, a 29-year-old Castlegar man, were street racing eastbound along Victoria Street, which is a posted 50 km/hr speed zone.
The RCMP detained both drivers and vehicles roadside.
Police say the woman — a new driver — allegedly admitted to the officer that she was racing the other car, and the man allegedly admitted to speeding.
The Castlegar driver received a $138 fine for speeding.
The woman received $845 in fines for speeding, failing to display her “N,” and driving without insurance.
Both vehicles are in impound for a week.
“A police officer can impound a vehicle if they have reasonable grounds to believe that a person has driven or operated a motor vehicle on a highway in a race and the peace officer intends to charge the person with certain BC Motor Vehicle Act offences, as in this case,” advises Sgt. Mike Wicentowich, detachment commander.
The drivers are responsible for the cost of the tow and impound fee, and any other associated costs, he adds.
“Street racing is a very dangerous, and can be a very expensive endeavour:
Under the Motor Vehicle Act, racing is defined as:
Circumstances in which, taking into account the condition of the highway, traffic, visibility and weather, the driver or operator of a motor vehicle is driving or operating the motor vehicle without reasonable consideration for other persons using the highway or in a manner that may cause harm to an individual by doing any of the following:
Outdistancing or attempting to outdistance one or more other motor vehicles;
Preventing or attempting to prevent one or more other motor vehicles from passing;
Driving at excessive speed in order to arrive at or attempt to arrive at a given destination ahead of one or more other motor vehicles.”
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