Saanich police have ticketed nearly 100 excessive speeders so far this year.
Compared to data from the last five years, the Saanich Police Department has noticed a significant spike in excessive speeding – driving more than 40 km/h over the posted speed limit – in 2020 and officers have been on a speed-enforcement spree.
Between January and May, Saanich police stopped and ticketed 90 drivers for excessive speeding – far surpassing the annual total of 76 in 2019.
Saanich police also issued 66 excessive speeding tickets in 2018, 57 in 2017, 62 in 2016 and 43 in 2015.
We have seen a serious spike in Excessive Speeding offences by motorists during the #COVID-19 pandemic:
2015 43
2016 62
2017 57
2018 66
2019 76
Jan – May 2020 90 already! 😲Be kind, be calm, and #slowdown! #noexcuses 🚔 pic.twitter.com/vxuWzQNkVE
— Saanich Police Patrol Division (@SaanichPDPatrol) May 29, 2020
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Const. Markus Anastasiades, public information officer for the Saanich Police Department, has speculated that the recent spike in speeding could be attributed to the “allure of the open road” as there have been fewer drivers out due to the restrictions put in place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Police are reminding Saanich drivers to slow down or face the consequences. Those caught speeding excessively are issued hefty violation tickets ranging from $368 to $483, three penalty points on their license, a week-long vehicle impound and various extra fees for towing and storage.
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