Alberta driver tells Merritt RCMP he was speeding to ‘save on gas’

A driver from Edmonton behind the wheel of an eight-seat van with nine occupants was pulled over last weekend on the Okanagan Connector near Merritt doing 136 km/h in a 100 zone.

Officers with the BC Highway Patrol based out of Merritt stopped the grey minivan just after 7 p.m. Saturday, August. 16, near Hamilton Hill Road on Highway 97C, according to an RCMP media release.

The drive told police he was speeding because he was almost out of gas.

“We explained to the driver that speeding dramatically worsens your fuel economy,” media relations officer Cpl. Michael McLaughlin said in the release.

“Sure enough, the van ran out of gas at roadside. Meanwhile, the driver could not explain why only two out of nine people were wearing seatbelts, or why a 3-year-old’s car seat had no functioning buckles.”

The 36-year-old Edmonton has was handed tickets totalling $472. Here’s how the violations break down:

• Speeding (21 to 40 km/h), section 146(3) of the BC Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) with a fine of $196;
• Permit passenger without seatbelt, section 220(6) of the BC MVA ($167);
• Child improperly restrained, section 36.03(2) of the BC Motor Vehicle Act Regulations (MVAR) with a fine of $109;
• Three passengers were issued tickets for ‘fail to wear seatbelt’, section 220(4) of the BC MVA, for additional fines totalling $501.

RCMP said the driver also had to pay for a taxi to bring him a jerry can of fuel and to give the extra passenger a ride.

“There are many reasons to slow down. You will very likely avoid police attention, and you will be much safer,” Cpl. McLaughlin said. 

“If you get into a collision at high speed, every person who is not wearing a seatbelt will die. You do not want that on your conscience.”