P.E.I. government looking to give police 'more teeth' to combat excessive speeding

The P.E.I. government is planningto implement tough new measures to combat excessive speeding on the Island.

The plans come after weeks of RCMP reports involving a number of P.E.I. drivers travelling atexcessive speeds. The recent trend hasbeen called frightening by anRCMP collision expert.

Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy Minister Steven Myers says he's troubled by the speeding trend and saysgovernment will be taking action.

"I was quite astonished that anybody would even drive those speeds on the road, let alone that we would have to share the roads with somebody that was driving those speeds," Myers said.

He said he's asked the department to examine the Highway Safety Act "totoughen it up to help, to the RCMP give it more teeth, to get people off the road who want to drive at those speeds."

Myers said he will be bringing forward legislation sometime in July.

"We're looking at bringing forward changes that if you're driving at an excessive speed once you reach a certain limit over the speed limit,it's $25 per kilometre over and we're going to give them the teeth to confiscate the car."

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