Motorcyclist with learner's permit caught going nearly 180 km/h on Sea to Sky Highway

A red sport motorcycle is loaded onto a tow truck on Highway 99 as a B.C. highway patrol motorcycle is parked in the foreground. Credit: Handout/RCMP Photo by Handout/RCMP

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A motorcyclist with only a learner’s permit has been caught doing almost 180km/h on the Sea to Sky Highway, just a week after another motorcyclist died on the same stretch while speeding.

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B.C. Highway Patrol spokesperson Cpl. Michael McLaughlin said that on July 11 at 7:45 a.m. a 22-year-old Vancouver woman was clocked travelling at 177 km/h in an 80 km/h zone near Furry Creek.

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Making matters worse, McLaughlin said, was that the woman had a Class 7 and Class 8 licence, meaning she only had a learner’s permit for both vehicle classes.

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He said the woman was pulled over exactly seven days after a female motorcyclist died while speeding on the same highway.

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“Sometimes we feel like a broken record when we say that speed kills,” McLaughlin said. “Being 97 km/h over the limit could easily have repeated a tragedy.”

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On July 5 at 5:30 p.m. a B.C. Highway Patrol member attempted a traffic stop on two motorcycles travelling south along the Sea to Sky Highway near Porteau Cove. The motorcycles didn’t stop and soon after one motorcycle collided with an RV, killing the female rider.

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The highway was closed in both directions between Horseshoe Bay and Squamish for eight hours.

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A fatal crash shut down the Sea to Sky Highway near Lions Bay for eight hours. Many motorists were stranded overnight. Photo by Brittany Michalchuk /Handout

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McLaughlin said in the most recent case that the woman’s motorcycle was impounded for a week and she was handed a $483 fine.

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“Considering the egregious speed and the lack of experience of the rider, B.C. Highway Patrol is also recommending that the B.C. Superintendent of Motor Vehicles conduct a high-risk driving review for the driver,” he said. “High-risk driving reviews can lead to additional sanctions such as a prohibition from driving.”

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