Saanich police impounded two Ford Mustangs late Saturday night after they were caught street racing westbound down McKenzie Avenue.
A traffic safety unit officer witnessed the two vehicles travelling at 110 km/h in a 50 km/h zone around midnight on April 20.
It took the officer nearly four kilometres – from Shelbourne Street to Douglas Street – to catch up to the vehicles and stop them both.
“(Pulling over two vehicles at once) requires the officer to pass the first offender, pull over the leading vehicle and then flag the other offender over,” said Sgt. Steve Eassie. “It’s very difficult, especially on a motorcycle.”
The drivers, a 20-year-old Saanich resident and a 31-year-old View Royal resident, were both issued tickets for excessive speeding, as well as tickets for driving without due care, which comes with a $368 fine. The pair also lost their driver’s licences for 15 days.
Police impounded both Mustangs for seven days.
Meanwhile on that same night, an on-duty taxi driver was caught travelling nearly twice the speed limit along Shelbourne Street.
Saanich police say a traffic safety unit officer observed the cab travelling 90 km/h in a 50 zone, and pulled it over as it approached McKenzie Avenue.
The officer also observed the taxi “operating erratically, changing lanes without signalling and overtaking other vehicles,” Eassie said.
The 26-year-old driver was issued a $368 ticket for excessive speeding, and his work vehicle – a 2006 Toyoya Prius – was impounded for seven days.
“Certainly (taxi drivers) are on the road a lot more than everyday drivers, but they should be operating in a professional manner – at least one would hope they’d be doing that,” Eassie said. “People operating their vehicles in this fashion put others at risk.”
kslavin@saanichnews.com
