MERRITT, B.C. - BC Highway Patrol officers wrote fewer speeding tickets across British Columbia this October than a year earlier, but one stop near Merritt shows why police say the annual Drive Relative to Conditions campaign still matters: a dark Ford F-350 was clocked at 166 km/h in a 110 km/h zone, in wet snow, rain and fog.
BC Highway Patrol (BCHP) is the RCMP’s highway enforcement unit for the province’s major highways. Its officers issued 6,695 speeding tickets in October 2026, down from 7,888 in October 2025. BCHP notes that lower staffing levels this year were one reason for the drop.
166 km/h in fog and wet snow
On October 25, 2026, on Highway 97C near Merritt, an officer stopped the F-350 after recording it at 166 km/h where the limit is 110. The truck was already under an August 2026 Notice and Order requiring repairs and an inspection that had not been done.
The driver, a 28-year-old man from Abbotsford, received a $368 ticket for excessive speed under section 148(1) of the Motor Vehicle Act (driving 41 to 60 km/h over the limit) and a $598 ticket under section 25.30(4) for failing to comply with the Notice and Order. The truck was impounded for seven days, and a new Notice and Order suspends its insurance until the defects are fixed and the vehicle passes inspection. BCHP estimates the total cost to the driver, including three years of high-risk driver premiums, at more than $4,000.
Video: BC Highway Patrol.
“Posted speed limits are created for ideal conditions”
“Posted speed limits are created for ideal, dry, clear, daytime conditions,” said Superintendent Lori Orstad of BC Highway Patrol, reminding drivers that the limit is a maximum for good weather, not a target for a storm. The release also carried safety advice for pedestrians travelling in poor visibility.
Tickets by region, October 2026 vs. October 2025
- Northern Region: 1,333 (was 1,486)
- Central Region: 1,376 (was 1,443)
- Kootenay Region: 838 (was 1,171)
- Vancouver Island Region: 1,315 (was 1,598)
- South Coast Region: 1,794 (was 2,167)
- Special Traffic Operations: 39 (was 23)
What it means for Surrey drivers
Highway 97C, the Okanagan Connector, is one of the main routes Surrey and Lower Mainland drivers take to Kelowna and the Interior, and its high-elevation stretches are among the first in B.C. to see snow each fall. The South Coast region, which covers the Lower Mainland’s highways, still produced 1,794 tickets in October. With winter driving season here, BCHP’s message is that speed limits assume clear, dry pavement – and driving to the conditions is the law, not a suggestion.
(Source: BC Highway Patrol, November 10, 2026)
By Apna News
