‘Alarming’ number of ‘reckless’ stunt drivers on Ottawa roads: OPP

After two separate incidents on Sept. 17 of vehicles travelling at high speeds on Ottawa highways, police are urging people to stop “engaging” in dangerous driving.

In a post on X, Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) wrote about how they were seeing an “alarming” number of motorists stunt driving at “extremely high speeds.”

“These reckless actions are not only putting the drivers themselves at risk but also endangering the safety of everyone on the road,” it reads.

This comes after police posted about two separate incidents of stunt driving in the same day.

The first one happened just after midnight on Sept. 17, when a driver was clocked going 176 km/h on Highway 417. Police said this was the second time this year the driver had been charged with stunt driving.

“The driver could face escalating sanctions if convicted for both charges,” police note. “Upon conviction of a second stunt driving offence, the driver would face a minimum three-year driving suspension and higher fines. The previous charge is still before the courts.”

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Later that day, police caught another vehicle driving 156 km/h on Highway 417 just west of Kanata Avenue.

It happened just after 9:30 a.m. and the driver now faces a minimum $2,000 fine, six demerit points and a one-year driving prohibition upon conviction.

Stories like these are becoming increasingly common from police.

In June officials told CityNews that they had laid almost the same number of stunt driving charges in Ottawa as they did in all of 2023.

“The OPP urges all drivers to slow down and prioritize safety. Driving within the speed limits isn’t just about obeying the law, it’s about protecting lives, including your own,” police said.

Provincial officers monitor the highways in and around the nation’s capital and the issue is also a concern for Ottawa police who patrol residential streets.

In a previous interview, Craig Roberts, district traffic manager for Ottawa police, said he believes penalties should be stiffer in some cases.

“Some drivers, it’s their second time, or sometimes it’s not 50 over by mistake, it is 100 over or 75 over or it’s in a residential area, completely inappropriate driving,” he said. “If you’re X amount over, it should go straight to an absolute forfeiture of the vehicle,”