CHP’s Buellton office urges drivers to slow down after traffic stop on State Route 154
The California Highway Patrol pulls over a driver of a Lamborghini, after the motorist was caught driving 152 mph on State Route 154, west of the roundabout with State Route 246.
Motorists are being reminded that State Route 154 is not a race track after the California Highway Patrol pulled over a motorist driving a Lamborghini at 152 mph.
That’s almost three times the Santa Ynez Valley highway’s speed limit of 55 mph.
Officer Joel Asmussen pulled over the driver of the blue Italian sports car during daylight hours on Sunday. The traffic stop happened on a sunny day west of the roundabout with State Route 246.
Afterward, the Buellton CHP office posted this note on Facebook: “SLOW DOWN!!! 154 is the State Route, NOT the speed limit.”
“We know how tempting it can be to ‘open it up’ when your car is fast and the weather is beautiful, but save it for the track!” the CHP posted.
Officer Michael Griffith of the CHP’s Buellton office told the News-Press Wednesday that charges related to reckless driving were filed with the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office.
He said the punishment for a misdemeanor conviction of reckless driving can be as high as 90 days in the Santa Barbara County Jail and/or a $1,000 fine.
Officer Griffith added that the Department of Motor Vehicles can impose its own punishments, which could include a 30-day suspension of the driver’s license and two points on the driver’s record. Those points can contribute to an increase in insurance premiums.
Officer Griffith said he had no additional details concerning Sunday’s incident.
Meanwhile, officers from the CHP’s Buellton office are continuing to conduct Zero Tolerance enforcement on highways such as State Route 154. In the Santa Ynez Valley, where the driver was pulled over, the highway consists of a single lane of traffic in either direction. Elsewhere on State Route 154, there are some additional lanes for passing.
The highway has seen its share of fatal crashes in recent years.
“Please help by doing your part,” the CHP said in its Facebook post. “Slow down, remove distractions, don’t drink and drive, and wear your seatbelts!”
According to the National Safety Council, speeding was a factor in 29% of all traffic fatalities in 2020, killing 11,258 people (nationally) or an average of more than 30 people per day. “The total number of fatal motor-vehicle crashes attributable to speeding (in 2020) was 10,136.”
email: dmason@newspress.com
