IF you’re caught speeding, it’s best to just pull over and accept the consequences, advises the BC Highway Patrol.

On July 21 at 1 p.m., an Abbotsford boy made his situation immeasurably worse when he did not accept the consequences.

The trouble started when a BC Highway Patrol officer used laser radar to record a grey BMW sedan going 180 km/h in a 100 zone on Highway 1 at Popkum, BC.

“To the officer, the speeding grey BMW made other highway traffic look like it was standing still,” said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin with the BC Highway Patrol. “The BMW was not pursued, but a few minutes later, a driver called police and said a grey BMW had gone through a stop sign and collided with his parked dump truck.”

Police arrived moments later at the Highway 9 offramp and saw what appeared to be the same grey BMW that sped away from police. The driver of the BMW was a 16-year-old with a Class 7 Learner’s Licence and two teenage boys as passengers.

“The passengers were not impressed. Hopefully the driver will learn that peer pressure works both ways,” said McLaughlin. “He will also have to explain why his stepmother’s car is sitting in an impound lot with thousands of dollars in damage.”

The driver received:

• Excessive speed (over 60 km/h over the limit), with a fine of $483;
• Drive without due care and attention, with a fine of $368;
• Pass on right of roadway, with a fine of $109;
• Fail to obey stop sign, with a fine of $167;
• Drive contrary to restrictions (no supervisor), with a fine of $109;
• Drive contrary to restrictions (too many passengers), with a fine of $109;
• Drive contrary to restrictions (no “L” sign), with a fine of ($109);
• Cracked windshield, with a fine of $109;
• Improper display of front licence plate, with a fine of $230;
• A 12-month driving prohibition as the result of a High Risk Driving Report submitted to the BC Superintendent of Motor Vehicles;
• An automatic tow with a seven-day impound (at the owner’s expense).

“We tell you these stories because we want you to stay safe and avoid the financial pain of enforcement and the emotional and physical pain of collisions,” said McLaughlin. “Make a conscious decision to slow down and obey the law every time you start your car.”