A 17 year old Airdrie resident has been charged under the Alberta Traffic Safety Act with Speeding after the car he was driving was pulled over by a member of the Airdrie Integrated Traffic Unit (ITU) patrolling Range Road 11 near Highway 566 on Jan. 28, according to Corporal Darrin Turnbull.
“Shortly before noon, he was recorded doing an alleged speed of 182 kilometres per hour in a 80 kilometre per hour zone,” Turnbull said.
“He was given a mandatory court date. We’re not providing the date because we want him to remain protected because he’s a young offender. He doesn’t face any criminal charges.”
The car, a newer model Hyundai Genesis, was pulled over two kilometres north of Highway 566. The driver’s girlfriend was in the vehicle at the time, according to Turnbull.
“He truly is lucky that he ran into an officer and not someone else,” Turnbull said.
“It’s a narrow, rural range road that’s posted at 80 kilometres per hour – for good reason.”
“A 17 year old feels invincible, that it’s not going to happen to them.”
“That road is so narrow and there are so many intersections/points of conflict,” he said.
“There are township road intersections, there’s the Highway 566 intersection, it’s got some rolling hills to it so there’s limited visibility even in good driving conditions. It’s a very busy road. Everybody uses that road. It’s an extension of Eighth Street and a shortcut into Calgary.”
According to Turnbull, the driver was not automatically stripped of his license on the spot.
The officer did, however, call his mother. The driver was not impaired by drugs or alcohol at the time.
Turnbull said he’s hopeful the driver will learn from this experience.
“There are days when being a traffic cop, you wonder if you’re making a difference, but then there are days like this when you stop a kid like this in his tracks and you know you’ve made a difference to him,” he said.
If you have any information on any crime, call the Airdrie RCMP detachment at (403) 945-7200 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)
