Kelowna teens caught racing at double the speed limit

A pair of 17-year-olds were caught going more than twice the speed limit last week in Kelowna. 

Officers spotted two vehicles on Oct. 23 that appeared to be racing each other going 143 km/h on Swamp Road where the speed limit is 60 km/h, according to an RCMP media release.

Both drivers were 17-year-olds who received tickets for driving without due care and attention and excessive speed. Both cars were impounded for seven days and ICBC is doing a high-risk driving review. 

The officers who saw the teens racing were in the area because there was a fatal collision on Swamp Road earlier this year and there have been complaints about excessive speeding and police have been cracking down on dangerous driving.

In addition to the two racers, there were two more drivers caught going twice the speed limit and police handed out 30 traffic violation tickets and infractions in Rutland last week.

The traffic enforcement crackdown has resulted in charges for impaired driving, possession of drugs and weapons and driving without a license.

Police handed out 18 tickets for speeding, two for speeding in a school zone, one for speeding in a construction zone and five tickets for other violations. 

“Speeding continues to be one of the leading contributors to serious collisions. Our priority is to prevent harm and protect every road user,” RCMP Sgt. Kyle Ushock said in the release.