Three out-of-towners charged with stunt driving on Highway 401 in L&A County

In less than four hours, one officer from the Lennox and Addington (L&A) County Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) charged three separate drivers with stunt driving in Loyalist Township.

The first incident occurred at approximately 9 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2023, when the officer observed a vehicle travelling 155 km/hr on Highway 401 eastbound in Loyalist Township.

As a result, a 19-year-old male, from Nepean, Ontario, was charged with:

• Stunt driving (driving at excessive speed)
• Failure to surrender an insurance card

A short time later, at approximately 10:30 p.m., the same officer observed another vehicle travelling 153 km/hr on Highway 401 westbound in Loyalist Township.

As a result, a 37-year-old male, from Markham, Ontario, was charged with:

• Stunt driving (driving at excessive speed)
• Failure to surrender a permit for a motor vehicle
• Failure to surrender a permit for a trailer

The officer stopped a third vehicle approximately two hours later around 12:30 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2023. That vehicle was travelling 53 km/hr on Highway 401 eastbound in Loyalist Township.

As a result, a 47-year-old male, from Nepean, Ontario, was charged with:

• Stunt driving (driving at excessive speed)

All three accused are scheduled to appear at the Provincial Offences Court in Greater Napanee at a later date. They all had their licenses suspended for 30 days, and their vehicles impounded for 14 days, and will be responsible for all related fees and fines.

In the media release, OPP included the following as a reminder for stunt driving penalties:

Stunt driving or street racing

Drivers who are involved in stunt driving or street racing are subject to:

• an immediate 30-day driver’s licence suspension
• an immediate 14-day vehicle impoundment at roadside (whether it is your vehicle or not)
• a minimum fine of $2,000 and a maximum fine of $10,000
• a jail term of up to six months
• a post-conviction licence suspension of:a minimum of one year and a maximum of three years for the first conviction
• a minimum of three years and a maximum of 10 years for a second conviction
• a lifetime suspension, reducible after 10 years under certain criteria, for a third conviction
• a lifetime suspension, non-reducible, for a fourth and subsequent convictions
• six demerit points
• a mandatory driver improvement course, upon conviction

Other penalties

Drivers convicted of aggressive, careless or stunt driving will experience a substantial increase in their insurance rates or could become uninsurable.