Teen driver clocked at nearly 70 km/h above speed limit, police raising concerns

Local police forces are raising concerns about dangerous driving. CTV London's Bryan Bicknell has more on their warnings.

Police forces around the region are raising concerns about the potential for reckless driving, as the warmer weather comes on.

It follows a suspected street racing crash in Woodstock over the weekend, and a recent case in Aylmer where a teenager was nabbed for stunt driving.

The stunt driving incident happened on Talbot Line (Hwy 3) on the far east end of town.

Aylmer Police Service says on March 11, a driver was clocked traveling 148 km/h in an 80 km/h zone. An 18-year-old male from St. Thomas was charged with stunt driving and having a blood alcohol concentration above zero.

“As you know, high speeds create potential for catastrophic accidents. Reaction time for other drivers is limited based on high rates of speed,” said Aylmer Deputy Police Chief Chris Johnson.

Johnson said at the time, police had been conducting traffic and speed enforcement.

That stretch of roadway has a big bend, which is followed by a change of speed from 70 to 80 km/h heading west.

Janice Deering has lived at this bend in the road for the past 18 years. She tells CTV News she has seen more than her share of crashes and drivers going far too fast.

“When they come down around, they pass each other, then you can see them how they play that game where they pass and then they sneak in between the two cars. You know what I mean, and they go back out again? They do it all along there. But the cops are never there when they do these things,” she lamented.

Meanwhile, Woodstock Police Service continues to investigate a violent crash over the weekend, in which street-racing is suspected. Police said two drivers crashed their cars into the corner yard of a family home at Springbank Drive and Cree Avenue early Sunday morning. They took out a fence, struck a parked vehicle, and a boat on a trailer.

Woodstock Traffic Const. Jesse Van Parys said police have no tolerance for this type of behaviour.

“We will catch you, and the penalties are huge,” he exclaimed. “I mean, in this case these gentlemen are facing up to 14 years in jail for their actions. And even in these instances where we’re seeing people that are traveling way above the speed limit, you know there’s roadside suspension, there’s roadside impoundment of your vehicle, fines that are in the thousands of dollars. It’s a very serious offence,” said Van Parys.

Both drivers face a number of charges. One driver remains in hospital with serious injuries.