Traffic Officers in the Okanagan are asking what it will take to change the behaviour of a high-risk driver dubbed “Okanagan Bob” who continues to have a flagrant disregard for the law and safety of motorists despite prior convictions, vehicle impoundments and driving prohibitions.
Okanagan Bob came to the public’s attention in Sept. 2016 after several videos were posted online. At that time, police expressed their displeasure with the dangerous driving seen in the videos. Since that story aired, police in the Okanagan received numerous complaints from the public about the dangerous and aggressive driving of this individual including excessive speeding, tailgating, cutting people off and passing when unsafe. Enforcement action has been taken where possible, however, police have legitimate concerns that this behaviour will eventually result in a catastrophic fatal collision involving innocent people.
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The identity of Okanagan Bob is known to police and his reckless driving behaviour seems to have escalated, as police have initiated four investigations since March 2018. That all changed on Dec. 6 when an officer from the Central Okanagan Traffic Services Integrated Road Safety Unit put the brakes on a Dodge pickup travelling at excessive speeds heading south on Highway 97 from Vernon.
The officer paced the pickup, gathered evidence and noted the number of offences committed before pulling the vehicle over in the Lake Country area. The driver was issued a ticket for excessive speed and his vehicle was impounded for seven days. The driver was also served with a Level 1 vehicle inspection notice which effectively removes a vehicle from the road until such time as all defects are corrected and it passes a safety inspection. The officer also submitted a report to request that the driver’s licence status be reviewed in consideration of a lengthy driving prohibition.
“This kind of aggressive driving behaviour not only endangers innocent motorists, but it is completely unacceptable,” said Cpl. Mike Halskov, BC RCMP Traffic Services. “The actions of this driver could easily result in a catastrophic fatal collision. Police in no way condone this type of driving and encourage people to obey the rules of the road — for everyone’s safety. The officer is unwavering in his resolve to utilize all legal means possible to remove this driver from the road.”
Updates to come.
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