News release

BCHP urging drivers to “slow down dude” and drive sober amid summer highway traffic surge

July 17, 2025 - Golden, British Columbia
From: BC Highway Patrol

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BC Highway Patrol in Golden is asking people to slow down and drive sober during a summer spike in excessive speeding and dangerous driving. It’s all happening amidst a huge increase in traffic volume on Highway #1.

“Summer is always a busy season on the Trans Canada, but we all need to obey the speed limit and drive with more caution,” says Corporal Michael McLaughlin with BC Highway Patrol. “Our officers feel like we are pulling people over moments before catastrophe, especially when drivers are speeding through national parks and construction zones.”

It’s also a good time to remember that the Summer Impaired Driving Campaign is underway. For instance, on July 4, 2025, BC Highway Patrol stopped a pickup going 168 km/h in a 90 zone on Highway #1 in Yoho National Park. The driver, a 24-year-old Williams Lake man, was a Class 7 Novice with four passengers in his vehicle. When the officer used an Approved Screening Device for alcohol, the driver blew two readings of “fail.”

The driver received:

• Excessive speeding (over 60 km/h), section 148(1) of the BC Motor Vehicle Act (MVA), with a fine of $483;
• Driving contrary to restrictions (no alcohol in bloodstream for Novice Drivers), section 25(15) of the BC MVA ($109);
• Driving contrary to restrictions (too many passengers and no qualified supervisor) section 25(15) of the BC MVA ($109);
• Fail to Display “N” sign, section 30.10(4) of the BC Motor Vehicle Act Regulations (MVAR), with a fine of $109;
• A vehicle impound (and tow at his expense);
• A 90-day Immediate Roadside Prohibition;
• A five-month driving prohibition.

“BC Highway Patrol is fully committed to keeping our highways safe, but we can’t be everywhere at once, and we need help from the public,” says Corporal McLaughlin. “If you see dangerous driving, please report it to police. If you are the one who is driving dangerously; slow down, dude.” 

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