A Mission man has lost his pickup truck and faces thousands of dollars in penalties after BC Highway Patrol says he was caught driving 208 km/h in a 120 km/h zone on the Coquihalla Highway with his young son in the vehicle.The stop happened April 10, just before 7 p.m., south of Kamloops on Hwy. 5, when an officer noticed a lifted Dodge pickup travelling far faster than surrounding traffic.“This pickup was hard to miss, with its lifted suspension and a laser radar reading of 208 km/h in a 120 zone,” said BC Highway Patrol Cpl. Michael McLaughlin. “No vehicles are safe at those speeds on public roads, but a heavy truck that is high off the ground is even more unstable than other traffic.”Police say the 43-year-old driver told officers he was “testing his engine,” an explanation frequently heard in high-speed stops but not accepted under provincial law.The vehicle was immediately impounded for seven days, and the driver was issued a $483 ticket for excessive speeding under section 148(1) of the BC Motor Vehicle Act. He will also face increased insurance premiums for at least three years, bringing the total cost of the incident to roughly $2,500 once all penalties are accounted for.A man and his son were later seen removing belongings from the impounded truck.Police emphasized that excessive speed significantly increases the risk of serious injury or death, particularly on high-speed highways like the Coquihalla.“There was no margin for error here, and this is why excessive speeding tickets and impounds exist,” McLaughlin said. “We don’t want you or your kids to get hurt or killed and we would much prefer that you just slow down.”
