Abbotsford – (BCHP/RCMP) – Everybody makes mistakes sometimes, and if you’re caught speeding, it’s best to just pull over and accept the consequences. On July 21, 2025, at 1:00 p.m., an Abbotsford boy made his situation immeasurably worse when he did not accept the consequences.
The trouble started when a BC Highway Patrol officer used laser radar to record a grey BMW sedan going 180 km/h in a 100 zone on Highway #1 at Popkum, BC.
To the officer, the speeding grey BMW made other highway traffic look like it was standing still,
said Corporal Michael McLaughlin with BC Highway Patrol. The BMW was not pursued, but a few minutes later, a driver called police and said a grey BMW had gone through a stop sign and collided with his parked dump truck.
Police arrived moments later at the Highway #9 offramp and saw what appeared to be the same grey BMW that sped away from police. The driver of the BMW was a 16-year-old with a Class 7 Learner’s Licence and two teenage boys as passengers.
The passengers were not impressed. Hopefully the driver will learn that peer pressure works both ways,
says Corporal McLaughlin. He will also have to explain why his stepmother’s car is sitting in an impound lot with thousands of dollars in damage.
The driver received:
- Excessive speed (over 60 km/h over the limit), section 148(1) of the BC Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) with a fine of $483;
- Drive without due care and attention, section 144(1)(a) of the BC MVA ($368);
- Pass on right of roadway, section 158(2)(b) of the BC MVA ($109);
- Fail to obey stop sign, section 186 of the BC MVA ($167);
- Drive contrary to restrictions (no supervisor), section 25(15) of the BC Motor Vehicle Act Regulations (MVAR) with a fine of $109;
- Drive contrary to restrictions (too many passengers), section 25(15) of the BC MVAR ($109);
- Drive contrary to restrictions (no
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sign), section 30.10(2) of the BC MVAR ($109); - Cracked windshield, section 239(1) of the BC MVA ($109);
- Improper display of front licence plate, section 3.02 of the BC MVAR ($230);
- A 12-month driving prohibition as the result of a High Risk Driving Report submitted to the BC Superintendent of Motor Vehicles;
- An automatic tow with a seven-day impound (at the owner’s expense).
“We tell you these stories because we want you to stay safe and avoid the financial pain of enforcement and the emotional and physical pain of collisions, says Corporal McLaughlin. Make a conscious decision to slow down and obey the law every time you start your car.
