Driver posts video of himself going almost double the speed limit on Highway 401

Video of a driver filming his speedometer while going nearly double the speed limit on an Ontario highway has emerged.

But the fact that the driver posted the video to social media himself has given police pause.

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“It’s unfortunate that people think this is a way to get clout on the internet,” Sgt. Murray Campbell of the Toronto Police Service’s traffic services unit told CTV News Toronto in an interview about the trend.

In recent months, a number of similar videos of dangerous driving have been posted to social media by the drivers themselves, some of which have led to arrests by police.

The video in this case, which was publicly viewable and sent to CTV News Toronto by a tipster, shows the driver filming himself -- and then the speedometer -- as he reaches a speed of 190km/h on a stretch of Highway 401 west of Toronto.

Images from a video shared to social media show a driver going nearly double the speed limit on a stretch of Highway 401.

The driver’s face and name -- both fully visible in the video -- have been blurred by CTV News Toronto.

It's unclear if police are instigating the social media post.

In September, a 22-year-old driver from Aurora, Ont., was charged with dangerous driving and stunt driving after he allegedly posted videos of himself street racing across York Region and taunting police. In July, a driver was charged with dangerous operation of a vehicle, racing a motor vehicle, and a number of other offences after video showed him going 226 km/h in an 80 km/h zone in Brampton.

• READ MORE: TikTok shared by GTA police parodies 'outrageous' stunt driving, reveals recent arrest

According to Campbell, the charge in this case, if laid, would most likely be stunt driving, and include an immediate 14-day vehicle impoundment and 30-day licence suspension. If a dangerous driving charge were to be laid, the driver could be charged criminally.

“People who do this, and post it on social media, are doing it for attention,” Campbell said. “That evidence, because it is evidence and it’s posted for the public to see, can be used by police in the process of prosecution.”

CAN YOU BE CONVICTED?

It should come as no surprise that a court can convict someone who publicly posts video of themselves driving dangerously and Campbell said he’s seen it happen before.

“Absolutely. Not only with Toronto police, but I’m aware of other police services that have used that to assist with their conviction,” he said.

According to Campbell, the Toronto Police Service has a team tasked with sifting through social media posts during investigations to find relevant evidence, which can then be offered to investigators directly.

“You’re putting yourself, your passengers and everybody else around you at risk. And Toronto police, and all the other police services in the GTA and North America, take stunt driving seriously and will prosecute you to the full extent of the law,” Campbell said.