Foreign driver learns big difference between kilometres and miles per hour
What did one RCMP officer do when he located a vehicle traveling over 200 km/hr on Highway #1 near Wolseley?
On Tuesday November 23, around noon, a Broadview Combined Traffic Services Saskatchewan RCMP officer was conducting regular patrols on Highway #1 near Wolseley, Sask.
The officer observed a vehicle traveling westbound at a high rate of speed – the radar showing 202 kilometers per hour. The officer double checked the radar to ensure it was functioning properly – and again it showed the vehicle traveling at 202 kilometres per hour.
The officer activated their emergency equipment and the vehicle immediately slowed and stopped. They learned the driver had recently entered Canada and was confused by the speed captured by the radar – their cruise control had been set closer to what they thought was 110 km/hr. A quick investigation on the officer’s part determined the driver had set their cruise control for MILES per hour.
The RCMP officer demonstrated a friendly (some may stay stereotypically Canadian) attitude and focused primarily on education versus fining the driver the full $2055 speeding ticket.
“Its not always about enforcement,” shared the officer involved, “Sometimes education is the appropriate response. In this instance, the driver and I had a discussion about the differences between miles and kilometres per hour when driving in Canada and what the equivalent miles per hour speeds would be for highway and city driving.”
The driver commented to the officer he had needed to fill up with fuel twice since crossing the Canada/USA border – showing, beyond the safety risks associated to speeding, fuel consumption is not economical at 200 km/hr!
