Ladysmith RCMP are trying to curb highway speeders through the community, after a pair of drivers were pulled off the road for excessive speeding. (File photo/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By NanaimoNewsNOW Staff

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LADYSMITH — A pair of speeders received a swift and expensive lesson after being stopped recently along the Trans Canada Hwy.

Mounties in Ladysmith report a driver on Canada Day was stopped after being recorded going 141 kilometres per hour in the 90 kilometre per hour zone.

Detachment Staff Sgt. Trevor Busch told NanaimoNewsNOW police quickly got them off the road.

“Obviously, that driver was stopped, received a number of fines, and as part of the excessive speeding legislation in British Columbia, they also lose their vehicle, it gets impounded for a period of time.”

One week later, a similar incident occurred involving a driver still under their ‘new driver’ restrictions, going 137 kilometres per hour along the highway.

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Busch said again the young driver was pulled over, ticketed, had their vehicle impounded and received additional citations as a result of not yet having their full license.

The stops are part of a renewed push from police in the area to curb bad highway habits through the community.

“We see a lot of vehicles driving through our community every day, and in the summer, traffic volumes increase. It’s an area that we’re paying attention to, and part of that is through our speed reader program. When we monitor the traffic using the speed readers, we do find that the majority of the driving public is traveling on the speed limit, or below the speed limit.”

A summer student with Ladysmith RCMP will be out in community over the next few weeks, deploying one of two speed reader boards on loan from ICBC. (submitted photo/Ladysmith RCMP)

Two speed reader boards are currently on loan to the detachment from ICBC.

One is regularly deployed via a summer student working with Ladysmith RCMP, selected through the Indigenous Policing Services Program.

“He’ll be out in various locations on Trans Canada Highway and locations in town, to use the speed reader board to bring attention to the public and the driving motorist about how fast they’re traveling.”

The boards are purely for educational purposes, Busch added, and readings from them cannot be used to issue tickets.

He added serious collisions in Ladysmith, or along the highway through the community, are rare and they’re looking to be proactive in their policing of major contributing factors including speed, distracted driving and impairment.

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