121 km/h on hood of car: Winnipeg police tackle dangerous driving

A person laying on the hood of a vehicle travelling 121 km/h.

Three vehicles taunting security personnel by circling them and performing slow-speed donuts.

A motorcyclist speeding by civilians waiting for the bus at 189 km/h in a 30 zone.

Those are some of the acts of dangerous driving caught by police helicopter or on surveillance video by the Winnipeg Police Service.

Police say it’s part of a string of dangerous driving offences and disruptive behavior involving a large group of car enthusiasts in Winnipeg and nearby municipalities. The investigation, which began in spring, is labelled “Project Stunt Driving.”

“These are tight-knit groups, they communicate amongst themselves, and it’s show and tell – that is exactly what it is,” said WPS Insp. Max Waddell at Wednesday’s press conference.

Between May 15 and Sept. 6, police say they received 37 calls about vehicles racing, squealing tires or acts of dangerous driving on large surface parking. The incidents usually occurred between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m.

Evan Duncan, city councillor for Charleswood-Tuxedo-Westwood, says his phone rings off the hook daily with residents voicing their concerns over the increased number of vehicles brought on by the summer weekend tradition of ‘cruise night.’

“Let’s make one thing clear: it’s not all cruise night goers. It’s the idiots that sit in the parking lots along Portage Avenue that are revving their engines, that are ripping down Portage Avenue, that don’t care about anything but their cars or themselves.

“These people are making life miserable for residents in Winnipeg.”

The WPS says it “worked closely with business owners of the parking lots, with some investing in security cameras, and other infrastructure improvements.” That led to police capturing those above-mentioned instances of dangerous driving on camera, though authorities specify none of the individuals depicted are facing charges.

A traffic safety checkpoint on Sept. 7 – conducted after 88 vehicles were gathered in the RM of Rosser allegedly committing highway traffic infractions – led to 65 provincial offence notices being issued, according to WPS.

Offences included squealing tires, making unnecessary smoke, driving carelessly, driving while disqualified, or riding on a vehicle on a highway without being seated on a part of the vehicle that is designed and equipped for passenger seating

Police say five drivers were issued serious offence notices and will undergo driver fitness hearings.

“We hope this enforcement initiative will remind those who engage in reckless driving behaviour that they will be held accountable,” Waddell said.

Aside from holding reckless drivers accountable, Waddell says the biggest goal of the crackdown is to preserve the safety of Winnipeg streets – streets that have seen 22 fatal motor vehicle collisions this year.

“I hope that, through these videos, we’ve educated people that if you’re participating in riding on a car hood or driving 189 kilometres on a motorcycle, it’s probably not a good idea, someone is going to get hurt,” he said.

–With files from Kurt Black