Motorists caught stunt driving, street racing, and speeding excessively on Sask. roadways come May will be facing heightened punishment.
This morning the Saskatchewan Government Insurance announced the trio of offences as of May 1 will now carry a seven-day licence suspension, a 30-day vehicle impoundment, a $580 ticket, and a loss of four demerit points.
Tyler McMurchy, the manager of media relations with SGI, is hoping that the increased discipline will motivate drivers to avoid reckless behaviour.
"These are pretty serious activities that don't have any place on public roads," he said. "Penalties and consequences reflect the seriousness of these offences."
The imposed fine is only part of the financial penalty. Motorists handed excessive speeding tickets will also have to pay a speeding ticket.
"When you look at all the different consequences that can result from this, it should be really discouraging to anyone that's tempted to go really heavy on their gas pedal," he said. "Depending on the distance that somebody needs to have their vehicle towed to an imposed lot, you're looking at close to $900 on average for a 30-day impoundment."
Offenders will have to cover the tow truck cost and 30-day impoundment fees. Once their suspension term is over, they'll also have to pay for a new driver's licence to be reprinted.
Last year police busted 560 excessive speeders, 201 drivers with stunt driving, and 34 street racers.