AN 18-year-old Surrey man has ended his motorcycle season early, and will face thousands of dollars in fines and insurance penalties, after demonstrating how not to ride a motorcycle while in full view of the police.
On October 6 at 8:40 p.m., a blue Yamaha caught the attention of BC Highway Patrol by passing a marked police cruiser on Highway 1 near Port Mann Bridge in Surrey. As the police officer followed, the motorcycle was clocked at 187 km/h in a 100 zone while crossing several lanes of traffic over solid white lines and without signalling.
“The rider told police ‘I thought I lost you.’ Apparently he didn’t know about police cameras, radar and radios,” said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin with BC Highway Patrol. “You will face consequences for speeding no matter what, but you will make things much worse if you double-down on dangerous driving in full view of police.”
The motorcycle rider, clad only in baggy jeans, a T-shirt and a helmet, received the following:
* Excessive speed (over 60 km/h), with a fine of $483;
* Change lanes over a solid line ($109);
* Change lanes without signal ($109);
* Fail to display “L” sign ($109);
* Drive contrary to restrictions (before sunrise or after sunset) ($109);
* A 7-day impound for the motorcycle (plus the cost of the tow and the impound).
As a Class 7 “Learner,” a driver is not allowed to accumulate any penalty points, so a driving prohibition from the BC Superintendent of Motor Vehicles is likely inevitable.
“We are happy this young rider survived his behaviour. His lack of meaningful safety gear left zero margin for error,” says McLaughlin. “Now he has a chance to learn some valuable lessons by feeling the sting of the fines.”
