Learner driver caught driving 66 km/h over speed limit

Ottawa police nabbed a G2 driver for driving 146 km/h in an 80 km/h zone on Sunday afternoon.

The 20-year-old driver was caught travelling 66 km/h over the speed limit on Limebank Road.

It is unclear where this occurred, but Limebank Road stretches from the southwest side of Ottawa International Airport to Manotick.

Police described the nature of the interaction with the driver as “yet another responsible driving conversation.”

The learner driver was charged with stunt driving, had their licence suspended and has a court date. Police also impounded the vehicle.

‘Culture’ of stunt driving in Ottawa: Chief

At a media availability on Jan. 27, CityNews asked Ottawa Police Service Chief Eric Stubbs if he believes stricter penalties are needed to properly deter stunt drivers.

“The penalties in the province of Ontario that we can apply, to be quite frank, are quite strict,” he said.

However, Stubbs said that he would be in support of “stiffer fines” as a graduated approach for penalizing first-time offenders versus second or third-time offenders.

“I’ve had anecdotal comments given to me about some of these younger drivers too where potentially money isn’t much of an issue,” Stubbs said. “You have to, I think, be able to combat those people that don’t care about the money side of it.”

Potentially, he said, tougher penalties could look like a prohibition of their licence for a longer period of time or insurance companies refusing to insure them.

“It’s a culture here if you will in Ottawa where people have done this for a number of years and we have to change behaviour to make our streets safer,” the chief said.

Young drivers continue to drive dangerously in Ottawa

Just last week, two young people in Ottawa were charged with stunt driving meaning their vehicles were impounded and they face fines and demerit points upon conviction.

Officials say one driver was travelling almost double the speed limit on Riverside Drive and the other was caught in south Ottawa driving 54 km/h over the posted limit.

Incidents like this are forcing Ottawa police to keep a presence in hotspot communities such as Barrhaven, Kanata, Riverside South and Orléans. 

With files from Natasha O’Neill.