A 17-year-old Kelowna boy has lost his motorbike for at least seven days and faces a hefty fine under the Motor Vehicle Act after he was stopped for excessive speeding Thursday afternoon.
A Kelowna RCMP officer observed a motorcycle travelling at a high rate of speed eastbound on Highway 33 West May 22 at 3:30 p.m.
“The motorbike stopped for a red light at Rutland Road before accelerating quickly headed toward Black Mountain,” said Const. Kris Clark.
“The bike was clocked at 160 km/h in the 50 km/h zone and was still accelerating when he noticed the police lights and pulled off the highway. The driver, a 17-year-old Kelowna teen, was found to possess a Class 7 and 8 learner’s permit.”
Clark explained that stopping distance increases dramatically as your speed increases. Under ideal conditions, at 50 km/h it takes more than 46 ft (14 m) to come to a stop but that increases to more than 472 ft (143 m) at 160 km/h. That’s an increase of 10 times the stopping distance for only three times the speed and does not take into account the time required to perceive and respond to a given situation.
“It’s not difficult to imagine the results of a crash at that speed,” he said. “The motorbike was impounded for a minimum of seven days but forfeiture may be sought.”
The teen faces a possible charge of Excessive Speeding under the Motor Vehicle Act. He was issued an Appearance Notice for Court on July 28, 2014.
