(BRIGHTON, ON) – On Tuesday December 9, 2014 Northumberland Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) were conducting speed enforcement on Highway 401 in the Municipality of Brighton when a motorist was stopped for excessive speed and the driver was found to be under suspension from driving.
At about 11:43 pm the OPP officer conducting the speed enforcement observed an eastbound 2009 Nissan Versa travelling on Highway 401 east of County Road 26 at a speed of 158 km/hr in the posted 100 km/hr zone. The officer stopped the vehicle and found three male occupants. He entered into an investigation into the driver’s license status and found that he was suspended by the Ministry of Transportation. A male passenger was found to have open alcohol in his possession as well.
Ratnam VASANTHAN, 29 from Toronto, Ontario has been served a Provincial Offences Summons for racing a motor vehicle and driving while under suspension contrary to the Highway Traffic Act. The accused is schedule to appear in Provincial Offences court in Brighton on Thursday February 12, 2015 at 9:30 am. The Nissan was impounded for seven days.
Balasobramaniam PUNITHUGOPALAN, 32 from Scarborough, Ontario has been charged with having liquor in open container in other than licensed premises, residence or private place contrary to the Liquor License Act. He was served a Provincial Offences Notice with a set fine.
Last year, OPP officers laid almost 292,000 speeding charges across the province. Over the past five years (2009-2013), our speeding charges range from approximately 260,000 to over 300,000. While our speeding related fatalities were down in 2013, it is clear from our data on charges that speeding is a significant issue that continues to threaten the well-being of the people who share the road with aggressive, unsafe drivers. Speeding is the leading causal factor in which people are killed or seriously injured in Ontario.
The OPP Provincial Traffic Safety program tries to change driver behavior through high visibility, education and targeted enforcement to save lives.