A Kelowna driver driving excessively along a stretch of Highway 97 has lost his vehicle for a month and driver’s licence for three months.
Members of the Vernon-North Okanagan RCMP’s North Okanagan Traffic Services were conducting patrols near Round Lake Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. when they spotted on radar a vehicle coming at them going 157 kilometres/hour in the 90-km zone.
“The 53-year-old driver from Kelowna was stopped. He showed signs of having consumed alcohol. He was given a breath test which he failed,” said Vernon RCMP spokesman Gord Molendyk.
The man was charged with driving with excessive speed, and was issued a 90-day Immediate Roadside Prohibition (IRP) for the failed test, and his vehicle was impounded for 30 days.
And he was not alone.
In the past week, local RCMP issued two 24-hour driving prohibitions, three three-day IRPs and another three 90-day IRPS. They also charged three people with impaired driving and impounded four vehicles.
“People are still not getting the message,” said Molendyk. “We’re averaging close to two-a-day in terms of people driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.”
Police continue to make road safety in the North Okanagan a top priority.