While dealing with many people charged with Stunt Driving in Court on Wednesday, February 5, 2020 there was one question that may have got under the skin of Provincial Prosecutor Andrew Fordham.
Fordham met with each person facing charges or dealt with their attorneys before court and during breaks to seek possible resolutions.
People commonly ask for deals, which are sometimes struck depending on the type of charge, history of the person’s driving and many other factors.
But when one person who faced a charged of Stunt Driving travelling at 157 kph on Highway 401 just a few weeks ago asked Fordham why he found Stunt Driving so “offensive,” that was the straw that broke the camels back.
Fordham had already dropped the Stunt Driving charge and was giving the man a break with just charging him with speeding.
The difference went from a minimum $2,000 fine to the equivilent of what the speeding fine would be which was $555.75. Saving the man $1,444.25.
But like many others facing charges of Stunt Driving the man wasn’t so concerned about the fine as he was the six demerit points that went with the speed. Others asked the same question while speaking with Fordham. Could they get a break on the speed to reduce the demerit points. The answer everytime was a stern “no.”
So when the gentleman asked why it was so “offensive,” Fordham made his comments clear to the man, then were court resumed, reiterated those concerns on the record.
“One of the factors the court always considers is not simply the individuals driving record, but the community as a whole. When things go wrong at the rates of speed of Stunt Driving, people are seriously injured – people die. And quite often, the families effected are not those of the driver that was travelling at that speed. It’s the others that were around him in what I will describe as the wake that he or she often causes travelling down the highway at this rate of speed. It’s not something police should have to deal, that knock on the door at 2 a.m. to notify a family about the loss of a family member. It’s not something this court easily hears when these incidents occur. It’s not something that the prosecution easily deals with. So when he asks why I find it so offensive at the rate of speed the court is going to hear today. Stunt Driving is not new. Certainly as we’re seeing today it’s getting worse instead of better.”
A person had their Stunt Driving charge travelling at 155 kph amended to speeding with a fine of $536.25.
Another plead guilty travelling at 163 kph was fined $2,000.
A mother of two with no record of speeding violations plead guilty to travelling 164 kph and the fine was marked down to $600.
The woman was honest with the court stating she didn’t deserve leniency.
Another person travelling at 155 kph had their charge amended to speeding with a fine of $536.25.
A Hamilton Township man has three speeding convictions and is a novice G2 driver plead guilty for travelling 160 kph and received a fine of $2,000.
While Fordham was busy in court, two Ontario Provincial Police Officers were out on the highway at Wesleyville trying their best to keep the highway safe.
Since the beginning of 2020, Northumberland OPP Constable Kevin McAllister and Highway Safety Division Constable Chad Laperle have charged 43 drivers with Stunt Driving (travelling over 50 kph above the speed limit) on Highway 401 in the Municipality of Port Hope.
Today’s Northumberland spoke to both officers while they were monitoring traffic on the Wesleyville overpass.
“I don’t concentrate on Stunt Driving,” stated Laperle.
“It’s just there is that many of them out there.”
“It’s unfortunate the people drive so fast. There is an expectation by most people when you stop them that they are going to get some type of reduction or a warning. It leads you to believe that people don’t take it seriously.”
McAllister said speed is a factor in many crashes which cause injury or death.
“It is frustrating.”
“It’s a blatant disregard for the law. However it’s not even like they are even close or trying to obey it.”
“It’s a blatant disregard for the speed limit for the safety of themselves and others.”
“The laws of physics don’t change. The faster you go, the longer it is to stop and the more severe the injuries are. Up to and including death.”
McAllister has had several conversations with drivers who are charged with Stunt Driving and about their speeds.
“They didn’t think they were going that fast, then I explain to them about the other drivers on the road don’t expect them to be coming up behind them that fast. One woman thanked me because she never thought of it like that.”
To those who think they aren’t going that fast, McAllister reiterates, “when you flew to the Carribean this winter, did the jet feel like it was going 700 kph?”
‘It doesn’t feel like it – until you have to stop.”
But both officers say most of the drivers they have stopped are good people.
“No one says any different – they are good people, it’s just they are going to kill themselves or somebody else,” said McAllister.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
