Police have charged an Alliston, Ont. man for allegedly exceeding the speed limit by 100 kilometres per hour.

The chase began Monday night -- one day before the province marked the first anniversary of its tough anti-street-racing law designed to crack down on extreme speeders.

The 20-year-old suspect allegedly went through a stop sign in Adjala/Tosorontio Township, narrowly missing another vehicle in the process.

A police officer witnessed the incident and began pursuit. At one point, the suspect hit a speed of 180 km/h in an 80 km/h zone.

Thirteen kilometers later, police finally caught up with the suspect -- who then claimed he hadn't noticed the cruiser's flashing lights or heard the siren.

His licence has been automatically suspended and his vehicle impounded for seven days.

In the past year, police forces across the province have laid about 8,500 charges, with the OPP accounting for 6,440 of those. That works out to one charge per hour.

OPP Sgt. Bill Harrington has tagged 215 extreme speeders in the past year -- a record.

"They say they are late for an appointment, the dentist ... they didn't think they were going that fast," he told CTV Toronto.

"We are feeling good in one way, the fact we have been able to apprehend some 8,500, but we are disappointed some people -- too many -- aren't getting the message," OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino said Tuesday. "But we are determined to and committed to dealing with one responsible driver at a time. "

In mid-March, the OPP started using a fixed-wing aircraft to try and track aggressive drivers from the sky.

Those caught and convicted of the offence face fines of $2,000 to $10,000.

The legislation is making a difference on one level. There were 354 deaths recorded on OPP highways last year. The total for this year is 233 -- a reduction of 34 per cent.

The legislation came partly in reaction to the June 2007 death of David Virgoe, a trucker who died after encountering street racers on the 400 Highway north of Toronto, and other tragic incidents.

With files from The Canadian Press