“‘A matter of luck whether or not you make it out alive’: Excessive speeders taunt police by posting crimes online

September 17, 2024 Canuck

Whether you’ve been shaken awake by revving engines in the dead of night, or passed on the Anthony Henday like you’re standing still, most Edmontonians have some experience with sports cars or motorcycles driving dangerously on city streets.

Far from being covert, some drivers are recording their crimes and posting them to social media sites like Instagram for their followers, and law enforcement to see.

The videos show what it’s like to weave through traffic from the drivers’ perspectives, captions on some videos claim speeds of up to 300 km/h. Most of the dangerous driving is recorded on Anthony Henday Drive, but some videos also showcase crimes on Whitemud Drive, Fox Drive, and highways in the Edmonton region.

One video appears to show a motorcycle driving upwards of 70 km/h on the sidewalk of the High Level Bridge at night.

“You better believe we’ll be investigating and getting that video,” said Cpl. Troy Savinkoff with the Alberta RCMP.

Savinkoff caught speeders on Alberta highways for seven years as a member of the traffic safety unit, and recalls the carnage of countless fatal crashes from that time.

“When you’re driving that fast, it doesn’t matter how good a driver you think you are, it doesn’t take too much skill to hit a gas pedal,” Savinkoff told CTV News Edmonton. “It’s a matter of luck whether or not you make it out alive, whether you kill somebody.”

Edmontonians who CTV News Edmonton showed the videos to were shocked by the dangerous behaviour on display, and the brazen decision to post it to social media.

Marianne Dreger’s backyard faces the Henday, she hears revving engines at all hours of the day.

“The speeding is crazy, the noise on our backyard and our house is… You know that there’s going to be a big accident some time for sure,” Dreger said.

“That’s so idiotic to me,” a young mother named Jessica said while watching video of a car squeezing between two vehicles on the ring road. “I mean you’re bound to get into an accident at some point for sure, and I have kids and then being on the Henday and seeing that, I would be … I’m shaking right now thinking about it.”

A screenshot of social media footage of street racing in Edmonton. People do get killed in high-speed crashes, frequently.

In June, a 26-year-old man was killed when the Pontiac Grand Prix he was driving slammed into a concrete barrier on 144 Avenue with enough force to tear the car in half.

That same month, a motorcyclist died after rear-ending a Honda Civic on Anthony Henday Drive at high speed near the 184 Street exit, one of four deadly motorcycle crashes on Edmonton streets in less than a week. Police said speed was a factor in most of them.

The frequency of crashes and videos documenting the dangerous behaviour have Dreger wondering why police aren’t doing more.

“You know what, I’ve experienced that…” she said, “… and then posting it?? Go get them! Go get them.”

Sgt. Kerry Bates with the EPS Traffic Safety Unit says police regularly receive video of dangerous driving offences from the public,

“There are a lot of ingredients that go into which ones are … investigatable,” Bates told CTV News Edmonton in an interview. He says properly connecting the cars and bikes in videos to the drivers committing the crimes takes careful police work, and officers on traffic patrol do try to catch extreme speeders in the act.

“They know the spots, generally speaking, but just to be there at the specific time that event happens,” he said, “You know, it’s a matter of seconds.”

A screenshot of social media footage of street racing in Edmonton. At least one driver alleged to be creating the videos is facing dangerous driving charges. Edmonton police arrested a 23-year-old earlier this month (hyperlink?) after launching an investigation into the social media accounts where the videos are curated.

The Suzuki motorcycle police seized looks very similar to the one on an account called ‘S1wMo.’ That account even has video of a driver being arrested, but EPS would not confirm to CTV News Edmonton whether the account belongs to the accused.

“Edmonton_Whitelines” amalgamates and uploads various videos showing dangerous speeding, and there are similar accounts tied to other Canadian cities like Montreal.

“This isn’t an Edmonton issue. This isn’t an Alberta issue. It’s an everywhere issue,” Savinkoff said. He says videos documenting drivers’ own crimes can only help police lay more charges. Having an archive of evidence on social media also helps prosecutors show the behaviour was planned, deliberate and repeated, which could lead to stiffer penalties in the case of a conviction.

But Savinkoff isn’t sure Alberta streets will ever be free from excessive speeders.

“There will always be these type of people out there, we need to educate, we need to enforce, we need to prevent,” Savinkoff said.

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Canada News

“‘A matter of luck whether or not you make it out alive’: Excessive speeders taunt police by posting crimes online

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