A Windsor driver accused of travelling nearly three times the speed limit on Highway 3 has prompted warnings about the safety risks of excessive speed and the potentially lasting effect of a speeding conviction on insurance premiums.
Essex County OPP said an officer was conducting mobile speed enforcement in Kingsville shortly after 8 a.m. when a vehicle was clocked travelling approximately 239 km/h in an 80 km/h zone.
“It’s outrageous, and obviously, no regard for the other drivers around them or themselves at that speed,” said Const. Chris Ciliska of the OPP.
“There’s really nothing you could do to react if something were to happen.”
Police arrested and charged a 29-year-old Windsor driver with dangerous operation and stunt driving through excessive speed.
The driver’s licence was suspended for 30 days, and the vehicle was impounded for 14 days.
Ciliska said officers hear a range of explanations from drivers who are stopped for speeding, including that they were running late or needed to use a washroom.
But no explanation, he said, can justify travelling at the speed alleged in this case.
“You’re putting at risk not only yourself, but everybody around you,” Ciliska said.
“I can’t think of an excuse that would justify those actions.”
While most drivers will never come close to travelling 239 km/h, an independent Windsor insurance broker said the financial consequences of speeding can begin with a far more routine ticket.
Jesmond Tabone, president and principal broker at Tabone Insurance, said insurers generally focus on the conviction itself rather than the number of demerit points attached to it.
“Anything under 40 kilometres can increase your insurance anywhere between 25 and 50 per cent,” Tabone said.
“Anything over that, 50 to 100 per cent.”
Tabone said the impact varies depending on the insurer, the driver’s record, the number of convictions, and the coverage included in the policy.
Some drivers may have minor-conviction protection, which can prevent a premium increase following a first lower-level speeding conviction.
Without that protection, Tabone said even a ticket for travelling 10 or 20 km/h over the limit could lead to an increase when the policy is renewed.
“It’s still a speeding ticket,” he said.
Tabone said speeding convictions remain on a driving record for three years from the date of conviction, rather than the date the ticket was issued.
That means the financial consequences can continue long after the fine itself has been paid.
“A simple $100 ticket can cost you thousands of dollars over the next three years,” Tabone said.
He said insurers have become less tolerant of speeding convictions over the past five to 10 years, with some treating them similarly to an at-fault collision when assessing a driver’s level of risk.
The consequences can become more severe when a driver receives multiple tickets.
Tabone said repeated convictions can cause a standard insurer to decline to renew a policy, forcing the driver into the non-standard or high-risk insurance market.
Under Ontario’s all-comers rule, eligible drivers must still be offered insurance, even if their driving record makes them difficult to cover through a standard company.
Drivers with multiple convictions may instead be placed with a non-standard insurer or the Facility Association, which serves as an insurer of last resort.
Tabone said coverage remains available, but premiums can be substantially higher.
“If they have multiple tickets or multiple convictions and a regular insurance company can’t cover them, they will go into what’s called Facility Association,” he said.
He added that a licence suspension can also contribute to higher insurance costs.
Ciliska urged drivers to plan ahead rather than trying to make up time on the road.
“If you need to get somewhere, leave earlier,” he said.
“Make sure you can get there in time.”
The accused is scheduled to appear in the Ontario Court of Justice in Windsor on Sept. 11.
The charges have not been proven in court.
