As far as creative excuses for speeding, this one was about as good as my dog ate it for failing to finish homework.
An Alberta driver certainly “failed to impress” a British Columbia Highway Patrol officer with his reasons for blowing the speed limit recently: He said he was trying to avoid elk.
According to the RCMP, the Mercedes driver was clocked doing 160 kilometres per hour in a 100 zone near Moyie at Highway 3/95 on Dec. 30.
“The maximum speed of a North American elk is about 70 km/h, so they are just as athletic as they are majestic, but if you feel the need to get away, you still have plenty of room to spare in a 100 km/h zone,” Corporal Michael McLaughlin with BC Highway Patrol said in a statement in January. “Instead of coming up with questionable excuses, consider leaving slightly earlier, slowing to the speed limit, and saving yourself the cost and hassle of losing your vehicle to an impound.”
The driver wounded up with a $483 ticket, towing fees and his Benz was impounded for seven days.
“Luckily, no elk were harmed during this incident,” McLaughlin added. “If you ever hit such a large creature while driving 160, it will end badly for you and very badly for the elk.”
