There will be new penalties for those who are caught stunting, racing or committing high-speed offences on the roads and highways of Saskatchewan starting on May 1st. SGI announced the new penalties Tuesday. 

“The tough new penalties are intended to further discourage drivers from stunting, street racing and driving at excessively high speeds,” said Minister Responsible for SGI Dustin Duncan. “Those dangerous activities put all road users at risk, and they have no place in our communities or on our highways.” 

The new penalties will see those who are caught stunting, street racing, exceeding the speed limit by more than 50 km/h, or double the posted speed limit, receive a seven-day license suspension. The vehicle will also be impounded for 30 days.  

“SGI has had the vehicle impounds for excessive speed of 50 in place for several years now, and there was also the option for a person travelling 35 over the speed limit twice in a calendar year to also impound the vehicle,” explained Constable Kalin Wiebe with the Weyburn Police Service. “It’s ultimately ensuring the safety of the road uses by taking people’s licenses away so they’re not recommitting such offences.” 

The existing penalties for stunting are an impoundment of three days for a second and each subsequent offence. For street racing, it is a 30-day impoundment with no suspension. The penalty for exceeding the speed limit by 50 km/h is a seven-day impoundment and exceeding the speed limit by double is a seven-day suspension for a second and each subsequent offence.  

As of May 1st, the penalty for each of those offences will be a 30-day impoundment of the vehicle and a seven-day license suspension. Also, a ticket for a race, contest or stunt on a bet or wager will include a 30-day impoundment and seven-day license suspension.  

“Most people in our community rely on their vehicles and their license to get to work, to take the children to school, so on and so forth,” added Cst. Wiebe. “So those types of offences are serious in nature, and the consequences of vehicle impound and driver’s license suspension are in place for those offences in hope that vehicle drives will think twice before performing those driving actions.” 

In addition to the fines, demerits and inconvenience of the impoundment and license suspension, the owner of an impounded vehicle will be responsible for the towing and storage fees. The driver will also have to go to a motor license issuer at the end of the suspension to have their driver’s licence reprinted for a fee.