The month of April will be focused on speeding and aggressive driving, and it couldn’t get here fast enough.

Aggressive driving refers to a number of offences that include driving too fast for road conditions, running red lights, not stopping at stop signs, stunting, racing, or passing to the right on a highway. All of those behaviours may be perfectly fine zipping along in video games, but they’re illegal on Saskatchewan roads.

"Some people, unfortunately, decide to treat our highways and public roads like race tracks and the message we are trying to send to people is that if you want to drive fast and recklessly stick to video games," said Tyler McMurchy, Manager of media relations with SGI.

Speeding or aggressive driving can hurt your wallet. Driving 20 km/h over the speed limit on a regular road will cost you $190. The cost of the ticket goes up for every kilometre per hour over the limit. Speeding in school zones or construction zones where workers are present carries more severe penalties. For the worst speeders, there are also Criminal Code charges and vehicle impoundments.

Most of all, aggressive driving can affect the lives of many. On average, speed-related collisions are responsible for 21 deaths and more than 600 injuries every year in Saskatchewan.

Here are some examples of egregious speeders caught by police in Saskatchewan over the past year:

  • 101 km/h on a 50 km/h limit road near Costco east of Regina last week. Consequence: $809 fine, vehicle impounded seven days,
  • 212 km/h on Saskatoon’s Circle Drive (90 km/h speed limit) in February. Consequence: $1,602 fine, court summons for failing to stop for police, vehicle impounded seven days.
  • 161 km/h in a snowstorm on Highway 7 (100 km/h speed limit in ideal conditions) near Kindersley in February. Consequence: $921 fine, vehicle impounded seven days.
  • 131 km/h in a 50 km/h zone on Saskatoon’s Confederation Dr. in November. Consequence: $1,145 fine, vehicle impounded seven days.
  • A pair of teens racing at 134 km/h on a 70 km/h limit bridge in Saskatoon in October. Consequence: both received $1,160 fines and had their vehicles impounded for 30 days.
  • 199 km/h in a 110 km/h zone near Radisson in August 2018. Consequence: The 16-year-old driver received a $1,235 fine and a seven-day impoundment.

The Track Safety Spotlight for the month of March was distracted driving.