Teen caught driving 191 mph in his father's car — more than triple the speed limit

A teenager was caught driving 191 mph in his father's car on a highway in Ontario — more than triple the speed limit, police said. He was among the 150 drivers that have been charged with street racing or stunt racing since the start of May, according to Ontario Provincial Police (OPP).   

The 18-year-old was behind the wheel of a Mercedes with a 19-year-old passenger on Sunday when he was caught going about a "football field per second,"  OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said in a 14-minute Periscope post. The OPP Highway Safety Division's Twitter account posted a photo of the radar gun catching him speeding and the vehicle being towed away.

"This is the fastest speed that I've ever heard of," Schmidt said, adding that the limit was 100 kilometers per hour (or 62 mph). "The driver was obviously taken off the road immediately."

The teenager, who was identified as Noah Lauricella, was charged with dangerous driving and street/stunt driving driving. Lauricella also gets his license suspended and the car taken away for a week. Stunt driving carries fines up to $10,000 and can end with six months in jail and a loss of license for up to two years, according to Schmidt. 

"If you're going at those kind of speeds, you have to understand the risks that you're putting yourself, the passenger who you have with you, along with all the other drivers and occupants and road users on the highways that you're blowing the doors off of," Schmidt said. 

While no one was hurt, Schmidt warned the outcome could have been very different.

"This could have turned into the most devastating fatal crash ever," Schimidt said. "This vehicle would have been completely destroyed." 

With fewer drivers on the road amid coronavirus-related restrictions, speedsters have taken advantage. According to Ontario's Highway Safety Division, 150 people have charged and 150 cars have been impounded since May 1.

In the United States, similar trends were observed. In April, states across the country reported spikes in speeding and police say crashes are more often severe.

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