Police charge 85-year-old with street racing

[pgagy]

AWESOME!!!!
http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/290796

January 03, 2008
THE CANADIAN PRESS
An 85-year-old motorist lost his licence and his Oldsmobile for a week and likely faces a hefty fine after becoming the oldest person snagged to date by Ontario’s stringent crackdown on street racers and highway speed demons.

The man, whose name was not released, was making his way yesterday along Highway 407 when he was allegedly clocked doing 161 kilometres an hour — 61 km/h over the posted speed limit.

“He said he was going to the bank and shopping,” said Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Cam Woolley, who noted snow and ice made road conditions treacherous at the time.

Under new provincial legislation, billed last year by OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino as a “shock and awe” campaign, drivers who exceed the speed limit by 50 km/h or more stand to lose both vehicle and licence for one week, along with a fine of at least $2,000.

While no other drivers were involved in yesterday’s incident, Woolley said the legislation — ostensibly aimed at ridding city streets and highways of street racers — is intended as a crackdown on all aggressive drivers.

“It got silly — we were getting crashes at high speeds and the defence was, `Well, if they weren’t racing someone, then they weren’t racing,’ even though the consequences are the same,” he said.

Police statistics show more than 2,300 drivers across the province have been charged under the legislation since it became law on Sept. 30, 2007.

While men in their mid-20s to mid-30s are most commonly labelled as aggressive drivers, statistics show that drivers of all ages are guilty of excessive speed.

In the past three months, 20 drivers aged 65 and older have been charged under the new Ontario law. Three of them were women.

Woolley also said police have already charged two 75-year-old drivers in separate incidents. The youngest person caught to date was a 16-year-old female.

Some of these numbers are underscored by a recent study by Transport Canada which found that most Canadians freely admit to speeding, but underestimate the severity of it.

The report found that the majority of Canadians agreed that driving faster than the posted limit was dangerous, but often felt their own speeding habits didn’t pose any serious harm to themselves or others.

While there are signs the message is sinking in in Ontario, Woolley said, an average of 30 drivers are stopped under the new law each day.

Within five weeks of the provincial legislation passing into law, more than 1,300 drivers had their cars impounded and their licences suspended.

During the initial blitz, police caught a 23-year-old motorcyclist from Ajax speeding at 210 km/h and a driver near Cornwall who was going 230 km/h.

[vkhamphi]

I don't like Bill 203 but I'm also wary of a 85 year old driving at 161Km/h

[FearNoSpeed]

I don't like Bill 203 but I'm also wary of a 85 year old driving at 161Km/h

Hey !

He was goin that fast without crashin in bad conditions......
Obviously has skillz....
Leave the old bugger alone.....

Go after bad drivers...not fast ones.

[RetroGrouch]

Right on, let the old geezers take the rap for a change. I don't agree with the harsh penalties but then again, how difficult is it to keep your vehicle under +50?

[klr_guy]

"who noted snow and ice made road conditions treacherous at the time" - was this 407 in North Bay? A busy, plowed, 400 series highway 24 hours post-snowstorm (i.e. the 2nd or 3rd of Jan.) is about as treacherous as my grannies driveway.

I say (courtesy of Seinfeld) let the old folks drive their age. You make it to 85 - go ahead, do 85 mph - have some fun.

[bruzer_boy]

AWESOME!!!!
“He said he was going to the bank and shopping,” said Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Cam Woolley, who noted snow and ice made road conditions treacherous at the time.

How does Cam know the road conditions? Was he there personally? Did he write the ticket? NO. I'm getting sick of the guy. Sometimes I wish he would pull me over just so I have an excuse to yell at him.

[HyRyze]

I say (courtesy of Seinfeld) let the old folks drive their age. You make it to 85 - go ahead, do 85 mph - have some fun.

ahhhh.. you beat me to it!

Well, I'm glad this street racer is off the streets.... err... I don't... I don't have any more energy to talk about this BS Bill 203... I'm done

[Pete E]

"who noted snow and ice made road conditions treacherous at the time" - was this 407 in North Bay? A busy, plowed, 400 series highway 24 hours post-snowstorm (i.e. the 2nd or 3rd of Jan.) is about as treacherous as my grannies driveway.

I say (courtesy of Seinfeld) let the old folks drive their age. You make it to 85 - go ahead, do 85 mph - have some fun.

Another one that doesn't get it! What's wrong with you...this stupid old bastard was doing a buck 60 in the middle of winter!! Don't you see a problem with that?! Take has car and his licence away permanently!

[82Seca750]

Another one that doesn't get it! What's wrong with you...this stupid old bastard was doing a buck 60 in the middle of winter!! Don't you see a problem with that?! Take has car and his licence away permanently!

here....chomp on this article

http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/291077

and ask yourself a few questions

1) why didn't the un-marked officer pull this guy over at 140kph....or when he was apparently egging him on by blocking him?

2) who was egging on who?

3) why the fack is the police force encouraging the media to write stories that apparently read like borderline entrapment

4) and why does Woolley feel the need to dramatize the article saying the kid was acting all tough but now he's crying like a baby

I think you might be the one who's not getting it

[Lightcycle]

I say (courtesy of Seinfeld) let the old folks drive their age. You make it to 85 - go ahead, do 85 mph - have some fun.

Unfortunately, here in Canada, most fogeys up here drive in metric, not imperial...

[tiborgh]

Obviously has skillz....

Doing 160 on a straight requires skills? I thought every driving school grad can do that.

Hey !
Go after bad drivers...not fast ones.

Totally agree with that one. But the fact that he wasn't aware of a police car around him while doing 160 shows that he is not a good driver.

[Pete E]

here....chomp on this article

http://www.thestar.com/News/Ontario/article/291077

and ask yourself a few questions

1) why didn't the un-marked officer pull this guy over at 140kph....or when he was apparently egging him on by blocking him?

2) who was egging on who?

3) why the fack is the police force encouraging the media to write stories that apparently read like borderline entrapment

4) and why does Woolley feel the need to dramatize the article saying the kid was acting all tough but now he's crying like a baby

I think you might be the one who's not getting it

The inescapable fact is this stupid bugger was doing 40-50-60 over and he got caught...period. Why the hell is everyone mad because he got what he deserved. If he'd been driving like a normal person, none of it would have happened. Wake up!!
You see the police as the Gestapo...get some help.

[MG]

The inescapable fact is this stupid bugger was doing 40-50-60 over and he got caught...period. Why the hell is everyone mad because he got what he deserved. If he'd been driving like a normal person, none of it would have happened. Wake up!!
You see the police as the Gestapo...get some help.

Unfortunately for us, the police are borderline Gestapo, and it will only get worse as time goes on... and i think you are the one that needs to "wake up" if you think whats going on is ok...

[Rob MacLennan]

Hyperbole and Nazi references are unnecessary. The kid is being punished prior to a finding of guilt in court. That is my only concern. If he's found guilty then punishment should be levied against him; not before.

[82Seca750]

The inescapable fact is this stupid bugger was doing 40-50-60 over and he got caught...period. Why the hell is everyone mad because he got what he deserved. If he'd been driving like a normal person, none of it would have happened. Wake up!!
You see the police as the Gestapo...get some help.

do you read articles past the headline and first paragraph?

I have absolutely no remourse for the dumb kid.....he deserves a nice big fine for his behavior.....the simple fact that he even chose to have a little highway dual in this day and age is beyond idiotic

however......I question the Officer's behavior....not to mention Woolley's comments like

“The officer didn’t want to go higher,” Woolley said. “He felt the young man would have kept increasing in speed.”

so....what's going on here?......if it's deemed extremely dangerous for a 4000lb car to speed well past the posted limit, then it's just as dangerous whether it's a cop at the wheel....or some dumb kid....so why the hell did the cop not stop this kid well before he hit the "magical" seizure number?

well....I guess the headlines aren't as juicy if the cop had done his job at 130kph after the kid had blocked him and apparently started egging him on...cause that in itself would have been more than enough to carve the kid a new ***

FWIW...last fall.....the OPP quietly unveiled a new unmarked black modified Mustang.....you can do the math on what they're gonna use this for

so I have a question.....if I'm cruising along a totally empty 407 at 105kph minding my own business of a sunny Sunday morning in May....in my heavily modified Mustang heading to a show....and another black modified Mustang comes up on me....starts egging me on for a race and I just wave him off cause it's not worth it....so off he speeds down the highway.......if that other Black Mustang was the unmarked OPP....did the cop just break the law?

[82Seca750]

oh....and I forgot to mention....this kid did not lose HIS car......his parents lost THEIR CAR....with no due process for them....or any common sense reasoning to boot

you gotta wonder how they're feeling while reading an article that blatantly admits that the cop could've stopped their dumb kid well before the "seizure" speed

[inreb]

I wouldn't call an 85yr. old man a kid altho I'm sure he's got good genes if his parents are still alive

[Bandit Bill]

FWIW...last fall.....the OPP quietly unveiled a new unmarked black modified Mustang.....you can do the math on what they're gonna use this for

so I have a question.....if I'm cruising along a totally empty 407 at 105kph minding my own business of a sunny Sunday morning in May....in my heavily modified Mustang heading to a show....and another black modified Mustang comes up on me....starts egging me on for a race and I just wave him off cause it's not worth it....so off he speeds down the highway.......if that other Black Mustang was the unmarked OPP....did the cop just break the law?

I wouldn't worry about it too much.. a few years ago Metro unveiled with great fan-fare a couple of Camaro's for pursuit duties. They didn't last long before they were destroyed in accidents. I suspect the OPP will bin their new toy pretty quickly too.

[Hi RPM]

how difficult is it to keep your vehicle under +50?

in order for me not to speed, i set an option on my gps to start beeping when im going 130+

so i havent really speeded, but its kinda tough staying under 50+

inside a minivan going 100 feels like 50!

[inreb]

if going 100 feels like 50, you might have impaired judgement..i woudnt brag about that around here..