RCMP ticket speeder doing 166 km/h in fog on Hwy. 97C near Merritt as October drive-to-conditions tickets drop
A 28-year-old Abbotsford driver faces more than $4,000 in penalties and costs after police clocked a dark Ford F-350 at 166 km/h in a 110 zone.
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Police clocked a dark Ford F-350 pickup at 166 km/h in a 110 zone on Highway 97C near Merritt on Oct. 25, 2026, in snowy, foggy conditions. The 28-year-old Abbotsford driver now faces more than $4,000 in penalties, towing, storage and high-risk driver premiums for at least three years, according to RCMP.
The driver received a seven-day impound at the owner's expense, a $368 ticket for speeding more than 41 km/h over the limit, and a $598 ticket for failing to comply with an order under the B.C. Motor Vehicle Act regulations. The truck's insurance is suspended until its mechanical defects are fixed and it is inspected. The truck had not been inspected for mechanical modifications and defects since a police order in August.
South Coast tickets for failing to drive to conditions fell from 2,167 in October 2025 to 1,794 this October, across a region covering Metro Vancouver, Sea to Sky country and the Fraser Valley. Police say the drop may partly reflect reduced staffing levels. Supt. Lori Orstad of BC Highway Patrol said drivers need to slow down for poor weather, darkness or heavy traffic, "exactly the sort of conditions we see more in fall and winter."
Police are urging pedestrians and other vulnerable road users to put phones away, wear brighter clothing with reflective piping, and obey traffic lights and crosswalk rules.
How many Drive Relative to Conditions tickets were issued on the South Coast beyond the Lower Mainland figures released?
Did the driver or owner respond to the penalties, and has the truck passed inspection since?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
