York police impound 9 vehicles for stunt driving, call 16-year-old driver's mom during arrest

Police in York Region impounded nine vehicles overnight after a rash of stunt driving incidents that officers say is linked to COVID-19 restrictions.

The nine drivers were travelling more than 50 km/h above the posted speed limit, police say, which highlights the "problem of high-speed driving during the COVID-19 pandemic."

"High speeds on relatively empty York Region roads continue to be a problem," police said in a news release.

From March 1 to May 11, York police laid 306 stunt driving charges related to drivers going more than 50 km/h above the speed limit.

Police laid 149 such charges over the same period in 2019.

In one recent incident, police impounded a vehicle being driven by a 16-year-old on Highway 7 near Keele Street in Vaughan. The driver, who has a G1 licence, was allegedly driving 120 km/h in a 60 km/h zone.

A police officer pulled over the car and had the young man call his mother, who was apparently unaware that her son had left the house with her car.

York police posted a video of the arrest and call, which you can watch below.

Drivers charged with stunt driving face an automatic seven-day licence suspension and have their vehicles impounded for seven days.

Police forces across Ontario are reporting a spike of dangerous and high-speed driving, largely attributed to less traffic on roads as a result of closures and restrictions related to the novel coronavirus.