Cst. Al Buck of the Dufferin OPP demonstrates a radar gun on AIrport Rd. last week. Over 10 arrests have been made in the past month due to excessive speeding on the road, with some drivers speeding in excess of 160 km/hr. Photo/PAUL HUTCHINGS SPORTS In the last month, 11 drivers have been charged with excessive speeding under the new provincial racing legislation, prompting the Dufferin OPP to plead with the public to slow down.

Police say Airport Road (Dufferin 18) is an especially dangerous area, where the bulk of the speeders were arrested driving at speeds as high as 165 km/h. Const. Al Buck said speeding on Airport Rd. has always been a factor but this year they decided to go public with their concerns.

And it's not just Airport Road. An 83-year-old man was charged on Jan. 17 for driving 140 km/h on Highway 10, and a 61-year-old man was charged with driving 165 km/h in Mono.

But Cst. Buck said Airport Road is unique because of its topography. The road has many hills and curves, and in a stretch of about 45 km there are only five or six places where drivers can see far enough down the road to pass safely.

"So that causes a unique situation where you have large lines of traffic and if there's an opportunity to pass, then an aggressive driver may pass multiple vehicles at the same time, which creates the opportunity for high speed," he said. "People are getting impatient, if they have a chance to get ahead of the traffic and they can see a kilometre or so down the road with no one coming towards them then they get out there and they pass a lot of vehicles, sometimes doubling the speed limit in the process when they finish passing."

The maximum fine is $2,000 and a license suspension for up to two years for a first offence. The constable added that when drivers are passing multiple vehicles they don't know what the lead vehicle will do. There have been incidents where that lead vehicle is trying to turn into a private driveway.

"If you're 12 cars back you can't see the turn signal on that lead vehicle, and that's lead to some significant collisions," he said.

Collisions have also occurred when the speeding vehicle enters an intersection with a concession road causing damage, injuries and fatalities.

"We're just asking people to slow down," said Cst. Buck. "They want to get ahead of little group of traffic but they're unaware of the potential dangers."

Airport Rd. is one of the more popular northbound routes for people in the city heading north to cottage country.

The OPP warns that if you're in a line of vehicles and seemingly going too slow, just relax and enjoy the scenery.