SUDBURY -- Drivers and police react to a recent case of alleged stunt driving in Sudbury over the weekend.

On Feb.22,  a teen driver was caught driving over double the speed limit and was charged with stunt driving, by Greater Sudbury Police, an offence that carries some heavy penalties.

Polices say the teen driver was clocked at 181 km/h in an 80 km/h zone on Municipal Road 35, a highway notorious for animal crossings.

“The young driver subsequently was charged with stunt driving and speeding 181 on an 80, he had his license instantly suspended, and his vehicle impounded, actually his parent’s vehicle, and he will be appearing in a Sudbury court in the near future,” said Sergeant Tim Burtt of the Greater Sudbury Police Service.

The maximum penalty is a fine of $10,000 and could include jail time.

Greater Sudbury police say they have expanded the traffic unit and wrote double the amount of tickets this past Jan. compared to last.

During the first two months of 2020, 13 drivers were charged with stunt driving.

“People overdrive their ability and when you start adding speeds like that, the concern is you have to start looking at factors that you don’t have control of, the weather being one, if the roads are wet as they were that night, you start losing traction,” said Burtt.

Based on  statistics from Transport Canada, 40% of speeding drivers involved in fatal crashes were 16-24 years old.