Racing 'L' driver clocked at 199 km/h in North Vancouver, said 'other driver was going faster'
A 19-year-old driver with a learner's licence was clocked going 199 km/h while racing through North Vancouver, B.C., over the weekend, according to Mounties.
Officers interrupted the race Friday night on the Upper Levels Highway, pulling over a car with an "L" driver behind the wheel.
According to the detachment, the young man's response to being stopped was: "The other driver was going faster."
In addition to speeding, authorities said the 19-year-old lacked a supervisor and had too many passengers in his car.
Under ICBC's graduated licensing program, learning drivers must be accompanied in the front passenger seat by someone who is at least 25 years old and holds a full licence. They are allowed just one additional passenger in the vehicle.
Officers issued nearly $1,500 in tickets to the "L" driver for excessive speed, driving without due care and attention, and driving contrary to restrictions, then impounded his vehicle for seven days .
"Speed remains as the number one cause of death on our roadways," Const. Mansoor Sahak of the North Vancouver RCMP said in a news release. "When it comes to speeding and dangerous driving, every death is a preventable death. We are committed more than ever to stopping irresponsible drivers through enforcement and education."
Officers said they were unable to nab the second driver involved in the race.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

This Canadian couple used surrogacy to have a child. Here's what they want you to know
Families that need help conceiving a child are met with financial burdens that should be covered through government health care and insurance, advocates say.
Renowned Canadian musician and former April Wine singer Myles Goodwyn dead at 75
Myles Goodwyn, the award-winning Canadian singer and songwriter who shot to stardom as the former lead singer of April Wine, has died at age 75.
Canada issues updated travel advisory for Guyana amid border dispute referendum in Venezuela
Amid a referendum that will see Venezuelans asked about the future of a chunk of neighbouring Guyana that Venezuela currently claims ownership over, Canada has adjusted its travel advisory to warn against travelling in Guyana near the border.
Conspiracy theories are popular in Canada, especially among conservatives: poll
The Earth is flat. We have been secretly contacted by intelligent beings from other planets. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin did not land on the moon in 1969. They may sound like bizarre statements, but a new poll suggests a sizable number of Canadians believe in these and other conspiracy theories.
Renowned Quebec entrepreneur, partner reported dead in Caribbean
Quebec entrepreneur Daniel Langlois and his spouse Dominique Marchand have died in their adopted home of Dominica, in the Caribbean, a source has confirmed.
Another inmate dead at notoriously harsh Newfoundland jail, officials confirm
An inmate has died at Her Majesty's Penitentiary in Newfoundland, one of the oldest operating provincial jails in the country, officials with the provincial Justice Department confirmed.
Commercial ships hit by missiles in Houthi attack in Red Sea, U.S. warship downs 3 drones
Three commercial ships in the Red Sea were struck by ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled Yemen on Sunday and a U.S. warship shot down three drones in self-defence during the hourslong assault, the U.S. military said.
Fatal stabbing of German tourist by suspected radical puts sharp focus on Paris Olympics
A bloodstain by a bridge over the Seine river was the only remaining sign on Sunday of a fatal knife attack 12 hours earlier on a German tourist, allegedly carried out by a young man under watch for suspected Islamic radicalization.
Venezuelans vote in referendum over large swath of territory under dispute with Guyana
Venezuelans are voting in a referendum Sunday called by the government of President Nicolas Maduro to claim sovereignty over a large swath of neighbouring Guyana, arguing the oil- and mineral-rich territory was stolen when the border was drawn more than a century ago.