Police Catch Up with Motorcycle Doing 185 mph in YouTube Video
Fri, 20 Apr 2012
Authorities in British Columbia, Canada, have impounded a 2006 Yamaha R1 believed to have starred in a YouTube video reaching speeds of 299 kph (185 mph) on a freeway.
The onboard video, embedded after the jump, captures the Yamaha weaving through traffic, and often lane-splitting between other vehicles, covering a 4.67 mile stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway in about a minute and 56 seconds. That translates to an average speed of 144.6 mph.
Vancouver Island police fielded numerous reports from witnesses, determining the video was filmed April 6 at around 4 p.m. Investigators identified the IP address used to upload the video, helping them track down the person they believe to be the rider in the video.
Police believe the rider is a 25-year-old male without a valid license or insurance and only a motorcycle learner’s permit. Police say the rider has had his license suspended five times (including his learner’s permit) from 27 prior convictions including speeding and driving without a valid license.
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
The R1 in the video is registered to the suspect’s mother. Forensics investigators say the blue R1 bears five identical paint chips to the motorcycle in the video.
Though police would like to lay charges of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle on the rider, they face the problem of being unable to positively identify the person riding the motorcycle in the video. Unable to meet the burden of proof, police have done the only thing they could: seize the R1 and ticket the sportbike’s owner.
Under B.C. law, police are able to issue tickets to a vehicle’s owner, even if he or she was not operating it during a violation. The province’s Motor Vehicle Act places the responsibility for the conduct of a vehicle and anyone who operates it on the vehicle’s owner. Police issued three tickets carrying fines totaling CN$1,449 (US$1,462): $368 for driving without due care and attention, $438 for speeding and $598 for not insuring the R1.
[Source: The Vancouver Sun, CTV, YouTube]
By Dennis Chung
See also: Tickets Still Available for American Hero Dinner at the Kenny Roberts Ranch, 2012 Piaggio X10 Maxi-Scooter with ABS, Traction Control and Electronic Suspension, AMA Supercross: 2012 New Orleans Results.