3 novice drivers among 5 caught for stunt driving in Ottawa on Friday

Ottawa Police charged five drivers with stunt driving on Friday. (Ottawa Police/X)

Five drivers, including one G1 and two G2 licenced drivers, were hit with stunt charges on Friday for going up to 60 km/h over the speed limit on Ottawa roads Friday.

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Ottawa Police's Traffic Escort and Enforcement Unit said two drivers were caught going 138 km/h while two others were clocked at 134 and 140 km/h. The drivers were going eastbound in a construction zone on Highway 174 near Tenth Line Road, where the speed limit is 80 km/h.

Two of the motorists were G2 level drivers and all four were caught by one officer.

"Disregarding worker safety in construction zones comes at a price," the traffic unit said on X, formerly Twitter.

Police also stopped an unaccompanied G1 driver hitting speeds of 104 km/h in a posted 60 km/h along Bank Street. The novice driver was driving his "buddy's" car.

"Not the best way to head into Superbowl weekend," the traffic unit said in another post.

Stunt driving has become a perennial problem for the Ottawa Police in the last month, who frequently post stunt driving charges on social media. Police do not name the drivers.

Police have posted to social media about 13 other stunt driving incidents since Feb. 1.

Stunt driving charges are laid when a driver is caught going more than 40 km/h above the posted speed limit on any road with a speed limit below 80 km/h, and at 50 km/h or more on other roads, including highways.

The charges come with an automatic 14 day vehicle impound and a 30 day licence suspension. Each driver must also appear in court to face the charge.