Drunk drivers hits 245km/h!
Lead-foot drunk driver jailed
Very intoxicated and driving at 245 km-h
A Saskatchewan man is going to jail after being caught drunk and travelling at speeds topping 240 km-h on a highway near Regina.
On Monday, Provincial Court Judge Ken Bellerose gave Michael Lee Benz, 22, a 14-day jail sentence after he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and exceeding a blood-alcohol level of .08.
Benz, who works on a farm near Aylesbury, was charged Sept. 7 after his vehicle reached some of the highest speeds heard of in Regina court in recent memory -- peaking at 245 km-h (about 153 mph).
"That's one heck of a high speed," Bellerose said.
It was also well over twice the legal highway limit. On June 1, the speed limit on all twinned highways in Saskatchewan increased from 100 to 110 km-h.
According to Crown prosecutor Kim Jones, at around 11:30 p.m., Benz was spotted heading east on Highway 11 near Lumsden.
A high-speed pursuit ensued, with RCMP clocking Benz travelling between 210 and 215 km-h before backing off from the chase.
"They were still being left clearly behind," said Jones, who didn't say what kind of vehicle Benz was driving.
Two kilometres east of Lumsden, the vehicle ended up briefly in the ditch, before getting back on the highway. Later, Benz's vehicle ended up in a farmer's field and police arrested him. His blood alcohol levels were over the legal limit.
Jones recommended a jail sentence close to the maximum -- six months.
He said anybody going 240 km-h would need about 429 metres to brake to a stop.
"If somebody had ventured out onto the highway, there'd be virtually no time to stop," Jones said.
Bellerose opted for a jail sentence of two weeks, but also banned Benz from driving for 18 months.
"It's a message to you and everybody else," Bellerose said.
"If they're going to be engaging the police in these horrendous chases, there are going to be consequences."
Benz's lawyer Jeff Deagle said his client knows he did something wrong and is taking responsibility for his actions.
"He simply panicked," Deagle said.
Bellerose said it's a lucky thing nobody was killed.
"People like you who think they can outrun the police are a real danger," Bellerose said. "Quite often, it's innocent people who are victims of people like you."
Source: http://www.canada.com/regina/story.a...A-DEDA343F3E5A
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