Drivers clocked at 192 km/h on Pitts Memorial and other wild driving stories - Action News
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Drivers clocked at 192 km/h on Pitts Memorial and other wild driving stories

Two drivers were caught going nearly 200 km/h on Pitts Memorial Drive in St. John's Friday.
Const. Geoff Higdon says a man stopped for texting and driving last week told officers he was warning his friends about the police on the highway. (Eddy Kennedy/CBC)

Do you ever feel like vehicles on the highway are passing you as if you're not moving at all?

Drivers on Pitts Memorial Drive in St. John's must have felt that way when two vehicles, driving in tandem, were recorded going 192 km/h.

Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Const. Geoff Higdonsaid police officers were able to stop both vehicles on Friday.

Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officers stopped two drivers going 192 km/h last Friday on Pitts Memorial Drive, near Mount Pearl. (Adam Walsh/CBC)

"[They] were able to clock them on the radar at 192 [km/h] but we suspect they were actually going alittle bit faster than that. They would have obviously began slowing down when they realized the gig was up there."

It's likely both drivers were speed racing, Higdon said, but it's difficult to prove.

"When you get two vehicles that are driving atthat speed in tandem obviously it would seem like speed racing but there's a lot of different metrics as to what would classify as speed racing."

Tipping off friends

Higdon said the drivers were going so fast that just handing out a speeding ticket doesn't cut it. Police officers would look at laying a charge of imprudent driving, which comes with a fine of upwards of $750 and the loss of four demerit points.

In addition to those dangerous drivers, other police officers with the RNC have encountered a different type of dangerous driving lately.

This is hilarious because I was justtextingmy buddies to warn them that you guys were hererunningradar.- Const. Geoff Higdonquoting texting driver

Higdon said officers pulled over a man on the highway, who they caught texting, only to have the driver confess he was using his phone to warn his friends that cops were around.

"The guy immediately said, 'You're notgonnabelieve this. This is hilarious because I was justtextingmy buddies to warn them that you guys were hererunningradar,'" Higdon told the St. John's Morning Show Monday.

"It's funny but not funny," Higdon said, adding the driver even showed the police officer the text message he had sent to his friends.

A new fee introduced in this year's budget could see some distracted drivers face fines of up to $750.

With files from the St. John's Morning Show