Watson Lake RCMP handed out 46 speeding tickets during Canada Road Safety Week in May, including one to a driver caught going more than double the limit on the Alaska Highway. On May 17, 2026, at around 1:22 p.m., officers stopped a westbound vehicle travelling 114 km/h in a 50 km/h zone. That kind of speed in a residential area puts everyone at risk, police said, especially kids who walk and play near the highway.
The week-long campaign across the Yukon ran from May 12 to 19, with officers logging more than 360 hours of enforcement, checking 578 vehicles and setting up 18 checkpoints. Territory-wide, RCMP laid six Criminal Code charges for impaired driving, issued three roadside suspensions, and handed out 69 summary offence tickets or warnings. Of those, 61 were for aggressive driving and eight for seatbelt violations.
In Watson Lake, a community of about 1,200 people at Historic Milepost 635 on the Alaska Highway, the stretch of road where the driver was stopped has a posted 50 km/h limit. According to RCMP, exceeding the speed limit by more than 50 km/h carries a fine of $575 in the Yukon, along with six demerit points. “Speeding places our community members at risk, especially children who frequently walk alongside highways or play near them,” said Sgt. Jordan Cropper, Detachment Commander of Watson Lake RCMP.
Cropper stressed that enforcement does not stop when campaigns end. “Every decision behind the wheel matters,” he said. “Our officers see firsthand how quickly a moment of poor judgment can change lives. We will continue to be on Yukon roads every day, working to keep our communities safe.” The message comes as Watson Lake continues to see heavy traffic from both commercial trucks and tourists passing through the Gateway to the Yukon.
Canada Road Safety Week is an annual national campaign led by the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police. This year’s theme was “Every Road, Every Day, Everyone.” While the 2026 campaign brought increased attention to road safety, the Watson Lake detachment says aggressive driving in residential zones along the Alaska Highway remains a persistent concern that officers will watch for year-round.
