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Dear Excessive Speeders - My Story
1/ This is for everyone contemplating or currently driving in excess of 50km / hr above the speed limit in Ontario. This has become a significant risk to everyone on the roads
I share my personal experience so you can avoid what’s to come
1/ This is for everyone contemplating or currently driving in excess of 50km / hr above the speed limit in Ontario. This has become a significant risk to everyone on the roads
I share my personal experience so you can avoid what’s to come
2/ It was a sunny Saturday in 2008 and I had just found a few new friends to follow along with on the 401 in a brand new Lexus. Such a smooth ride. My BB dinged, I took a quick glance then looked up to see @OPP_HSD on the overpass - & 153 on the speedo 
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3/ the next hour was a blur. It included pleading with the chase car officer, told there’s no way to change the outcome, watching my new car being hauled off on a flatbed to who knows where and the worst part, calling my wife and asking her to come get me at a Tims in Woodstock
4/ oh and the humiliation of riding in / exiting a cramped police car while my best friend calls me to tell me “there are signs on the highway with numbers on them and if you make the numbers on your dashboard match those, you don’t ride in police cars!” Ass!!
5/ the ride home sucked. She never said a word but I knew I was in trouble. I didn’t know what was to come tho.
I use my car for work. I drove to clients for a living. And now I had no car, no license and had to make an appearance of coming to work like everything was cool
I use my car for work. I drove to clients for a living. And now I had no car, no license and had to make an appearance of coming to work like everything was cool
6/ my wife had to drive me into Toronto Monday morning and I had to stay at a hotel near the office. Just to be able to come and go to work that week. That was $600 gone. Made up some BS excuse why I was at a hotel after someone saw me walking there after work one night
7/ a week later, I went to the MTO to get my license back. $500 to reinstate. Then we went to find my car. It was buried in the back of an impound lot in the middle of nowhere. And filthy. $1200 later to bust the old girl out & I was driving home. Slowly.
8/ my court date was only a few short weeks away. Never having been to court, I didn’t know what to expect. The DA shared the evidence against me then proceeded to ask the judge for a $10,000 fine and a year suspension after telling me she wouldn’t push for it. I was pissed!
9/ judge was sympathetic given it was a first offence and I was barely over the threshold. $2000 fine and license wasn’t going to be pulled. Dodged a bullet. Or so I thought...
I’m $4000 into this so far... so far
I’m $4000 into this so far... so far
10/ insurance companies check your record every couple years. Well, the day my insurance company dropped me w no warning was a real kick in the teeth. Twenty years of no issues and one stunt racing charge means bye bye. Um, I need to drive for work. How can you do this to me??
11/ after three weeks of PLEADING with them to reinstate, they agreed... for $7200 a year. For three #!** Kilometers over the threshold. Wow was I angry at myself for that. Three years at a $6,000 premium. Now up to $22,000 in the hole. For 3 K!
12/ things started to settle down and return to normal over the next 7 years. I managed to avoid meeting our highway’s finest by following my buddy’s advice. My insurance premiums smoothed and averaged another $16K more over 7 years ($38,000 if you’re keeping count)
13/ I tell my experience to people so they learn from my mistake. We’ve all sped. We all still do. We always think no one is looking. We all think we won’t get caught. Then it happens doing something we instantly regret. Then if you’re me, you lose $38,000
14/ my greatest mentor taught me that we pay tuition every day. Some days are cheap, others expensive. This was a bad bad day. I was headed to my buddy’s mom’s funeral. I missed it & should have been there. And reality, I could have been killed or killed someone going that fast
15/ the pandemic has created an open road and a canvas to paint mayhem. The past weeks have shown us how many bad drivers share our roadways. How much arrogance and ignorance there is. With no traffic, they’re free to paint. With traffic, they’re caged and don’t stand out
16/ Most of us don’t have rich dads hiring expensive lawyers to fight this. We’re family members trying to make a living. You can’t afford to lose your life, license or $38G. Don’t make my mistake. Don’t make the same one others keep making. Slow down. There’s nowhere to go fast
17/ You may not hurt yourself but there’s a great chance of hurting or killing others - by scaring the person beside you into crashing. Showing up in their blind spots unannounced or by simply losing control.
You’re also not faster than the police radio. You will get caught!!!
You’re also not faster than the police radio. You will get caught!!!
18/ I’ve personally witnessed some of the dumbest driving I’ve seen in 35 years on the road
THESE SPEEDS AREN’T WORTH IT
Stay safe and look out for one another
THESE SPEEDS AREN’T WORTH IT
Stay safe and look out for one another
Add: Great comments and feedback. Thank you all for sharing this. I truly hope this helped shed a bit on the other side of the 7 day seizure.
If it saves 1 life, it was worth it.
If it saves 1 life, it was worth it.
I also get the comments on 3 over vs. 53 over & you’re https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="💯" title="Hundert Punkte Symbol" aria-label="Emoji: Hundert Punkte Symbol"> right. It was the wrong perspective to have 12 years ago (this was written as a recap on how I was feeling as it played out). After anger & frustration at myself, I realize how stupid it was to speed. I use my cruise now
I hope no one loses someone close to them due to the choices we make
Again, thank you for giving this some traction. Your results may vary... I got lucky. Very lucky. Stay safe
Again, thank you for giving this some traction. Your results may vary... I got lucky. Very lucky. Stay safe
