HALIFAX -- A Dartmouth man has been charged with stunting after police say he was caught driving 60 kilometres over the speed limit on a highway in Dartmouth, N.S.

A member of Halifax Regional Police’s traffic unit spotted a car travelling at a high rate of speed northbound on Highway 111 around 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Police say the officer clocked the vehicle at 140 km/h in an 80 km/h zone.

The driver, a 23-year-old Dartmouth man, was charged with stunting -- a charge automatically laid when a vehicle is travelling more than 50 km/h over the speed limit.

His vehicle was seized and towed and he has been suspended from driving for one week.

The fine in Nova Scotia for stunting is $2,422.50 and six points are assigned to the driver’s record.

Recently, Halifax Regional Police have been speaking out about an increase in speeding on that section of Highway 111.

"We have noted those speeds, we have caught individuals and we are paying attention," said Halifax Regional Police spokesman Const. John MacLeod.

In the last month, there have been at least eight instances of stunting tickets issued on that highway.

  • On September 22, a 23-year-old Dartmouth man was ticketed after police clocked his vehicle at 140 km/h in an 80 km/h zone.
  • On September 14, a 19-year-old Bedford woman was ticketed after police clocked her vehicle at 122 km/h in a 50 km/h zone.
  • On September 10, a 21-year-old Halifax man was ticketed after police clocked his vehicle at 131 km/h in an 80 km/h zone.
  • On September 1, a 30-year-old Halifax man was ticketed after police clocked his vehicle at 132 km/h in a 80 km/h zone.
  • On August 31, a 33-year-old Lower Sackville woman was ticketed after police clocked her vehicle at 103 km/h in a 50 km/h zone.
  • On August 28, a 19-year-old Middle Sackville man was ticketed after police clocked his vehicle at 148 km/h in an 80 km/h zone.
  • On August 27, a 20-year-old Lower Sackville man was ticketed after police clocked his vehicle at 138 km/h in an 80 km/h zone.
  • On August 27, a 46-year-old Hammonds Plains man was ticketed after police clocked his vehicle at 148 km/h in an 80 km/h zone.

"The public has made us aware of concerns they have about speed in that area," MacLeod said."That's been the case we've seen on Highway 111."

"This is quite a recurring trend in the last 10 or 15 years in Halifax when we look at the data," said Ahsan Habib, a transporation professor at Dalhousie University

When it comes Highway 111, Habib says the design of road may be one factor because it does allow drivers the opportunity to speed up in some sections.

"The second factor happens when there are multiple types of transitions of speed limit from 50 to 70 to 80 and then again 100," Habib said."This is one common problem in Nova Scotia cities.We have lots of transitions of different kinds of road because of our historical nature of evolution of the road systems."