A Richmond woman’s creative excuse for excessive speeding on the Sea to Sky Highway unravelled spectacularly during a province-wide impaired driving enforcement blitz that saw police remove 190 drivers from BC roads.
Just after 6 p.m. on Dec. 6, BC Highway Patrol clocked the 23-year-old doing 110 km/h through Lions Bay’s 60 km/h zone. Her explanation: she needed to rush home because her two-year-old son was alone and might need medical help. Richmond RCMP forced entry into her apartment to check on the child. No child was found. The woman later admitted her “son” was actually her dog.
The incident cost her a $483 excessive speeding ticket, a vehicle impound, and a taxi ride home. Police say she later sent an apology email to the RCMP.
The Sea to Sky incident was one of hundreds of enforcement actions across B.C. during the annual Light Up The Province campaign. Officers checked more than 52,000 vehicles at 74 roadside stops spanning five regions, an increase of nearly 8,400 vehicles over last year.
The number of impaired drivers caught actually dropped from 222 in 2023 to 190 this year. Police issued 662 tickets and 190 roadside driving prohibitions province-wide.
The South Coast region recorded the highest enforcement numbers, with officers checking 33,187 vehicles at 27 stops. Police issued 111 prohibitions and 374 tickets in that region alone. Vancouver Island officers checked 13,500 vehicles, issuing 18 prohibitions and 112 tickets. Central B.C. recorded 23 prohibitions, while Northern B.C. recorded 21.
At a launch event on Highway 17 in Surrey, inspectors examined commercial vehicles and found 93 defects across 28 trucks. Nine were taken out of service, and one driver was charged with Criminal Code impaired driving.
BC Highway Patrol credited Mandatory Alcohol Screening with identifying impaired drivers who weren’t showing obvious symptoms at roadside stops. The enforcement program continues through December as part of the Winter Impaired Driving Campaign.
