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Rental truck impounded after speeding driver turns out to be impaired

After the truck was clocked at 106 km/h in a 60 km/h construction zone, near Comox Valley Parkway, police found the driver was impaired by alcohol.
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A rental truck pulled over in a construction zone on Highway 19 near the Comox Valley Parkway on June 26. B.C. HIGHWAY PATROL

The bills are piling up for the driver of a rental truck caught speeding and driving while impaired last month near Courtenay.

The RCMP’s B.C. Highway Patrol Campbell River division had set up a speed trap on the morning of June 26 in a construction zone on Highway 19 near Comox Valley Parkway, where crews were repaving the northbound lanes.

After the rental truck was clocked at 106 kilometres per hour in the 60 km/h construction zone, police pulled the truck over and found the driver was impaired by alcohol.

The driver was given a $368 ticket for excessive speed and is prohibited from driving for 90 days for impaired driving.

The rental truck was also impounded for 30 days, likely leaving the driver on the hook for extra rental costs and impound charges.

Penalties for impaired driving range from driving suspensions between 24 hours and 90 days to vehicle impoundment, fines from $600 to $4,060, jail time, mandatory rehabilitation and installation of an ignition interlock device.

Our patrol officers saved lives by being in the right place at the right time,” said the B.C. Highway Patrol. “The construction workers on the roadway were put in danger because of the impaired driver.

Police said anyone planning to consume alcohol or drugs this summer should arrange for a safe ride. The highway patrol also reminded drivers to keep roadside workers safe by slowing down in construction zones.

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