A 17-year-old driver was allegedly caught going 136 km/h in a 50 km/h construction zone on Edmonton's Yellowhead Trail. Police say the teen then failed to stop for officers, and nearly caused a serious crash.
The teen was the fastest of 49 drivers stopped during four hours of enforcement on westbound Yellowhead Trail at 97 Street on Sunday, Oct. 4.
Fifteen of those drivers were going at least 90 km/h.
The teen, going 86 km/h over the limit, was ticketed for careless driving, and given a mandatory court summons for speeding. The charges haven't been proven in court.
49 drivers in four hours
Officers with EPS's Traffic Enforcement Section checked speeds in the construction zone for four hours, and stopped 49 vehicles.
Eleven drivers were going between 90 and 99 km/h. Four were going over 100.
That's nearly one in three of the drivers stopped going at least 40 km/h over the limit. Those are only the drivers police pulled over, not everyone who drove through.
"Construction zones are there to protect workers, drivers, and everyone sharing the road," police said. "At speeds like these, there's little time to react when something goes wrong."
Not the first time on Yellowhead
It's the second extreme speeding case in a Yellowhead Trail construction zone in less than a month.
On Sept. 10, Edmonton police reported the results of a 24-hour traffic enforcement campaign: 555 violations, 181 of them for speeding. One driver was caught going 101 km/h in a 50 km/h construction zone on Yellowhead Trail at 142 Street, and was also given a mandatory court summons.
What 136 means in a 50
At 50 km/h, a car covers about 14 metres every second. At 136 km/h, it covers nearly 38.
In the second and a half it takes a typical driver to react, before even touching the brakes, that's about 21 metres at 50 km/h, and about 57 metres at 136. The faster car travels more than 36 extra metres before slowing down at all.
Braking distance grows even faster. It roughly quadruples every time speed doubles, so at 136 km/h, a car can need more than seven times the braking distance it would at 50.
In a construction zone, with narrowed lanes, equipment and shifting traffic, that's the gap between a close call and a crash.
What a 17-year-old faces
Most 17-year-olds in Alberta drive on a graduated licence, which has a lower demerit limit than a full licence. A graduated licence is suspended at 8 points. A full licence is suspended at 15.
Careless driving carries six demerit points. Speeding 51 km/h or more over the limit carries another six, and a mandatory court date, where a judge sets the fine.
If the teen is convicted of both, that's 12 points, enough to suspend a graduated licence. A first demerit suspension on a graduated licence lasts one month.
Points only count after a conviction, and police haven't said what kind of licence the teen holds.
Fines double near workers
Alberta doubles speeding fines in construction zones when workers are present. The lower speed limit applies whenever it's posted, whether or not workers are there.
At 51 or more over, though, there's no set fine to double. A judge decides. Police didn't say whether workers were on site Sunday.
Part of a crackdown
The Yellowhead stop comes as Edmonton police focus more on dangerous driving.
In September, EPS launched an Aggressive Driving Unit pilot, targeting tailgating, road rage and other aggressive driving on major commuter routes. Edmonton recorded 32 fatal collisions in 2025, up from 26 in 2024 and 24 in 2023. Read that story here.
Sunday's operation was run by the Traffic Enforcement Section, not the new unit.
Edmonton's 212 km/h driver
In August, a Strathcona County peace officer clocked a Ford Mustang at 212 km/h in a 100 zone on Anthony Henday Drive, near the Sherwood Park Freeway. The driver got a court summons, and was allowed to drive away. Read that story here.
That's because Alberta has no automatic roadside licence suspension or impound for extreme speeding alone. Ontario does. There, a driver caught going 40 km/h or more over in a zone under 80 km/h, or 50 or more over elsewhere, loses their licence for 30 days on the spot, and their vehicle is impounded for 14 days.
Calgary, too
Last month, Calgary police caught a driver going 118 km/h in a 50 km/h construction zone. Read that story here.
Report dangerous driving
If you see someone driving dangerously, don't try to intervene. Note the vehicle, plate, location and direction, and call 911 if there's an immediate danger. Pull over first, or have a passenger call.
For something that's already over, call Edmonton police at 780-423-4567, or #377 from a mobile phone. Dashcam video can help.
Sources
Edmonton Police Service, post on X, October 2026
Edmonton Police Service, traffic enforcement results, September 10, 2026
Demerit driving suspension, Government of Alberta
Fines for speeding, Government of Alberta
Roadside worker safety, Government of Alberta
Stunt driving and street racing, Government of Ontario
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