Edmonton's police chief hopes to convince Alberta's new government to give officers the power to seize vehicles from people caught driving at extreme speeds.

Rod Knecht said Alberta should follow the example of Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia, where police can impound vehicles if drivers go far above the speed limit.

"These people are putting themselves in danger and the travelling public in danger," Knecht said Thursday.

"It's not a mistake where, 'Aah, I wasn't paying attention … and I accidently went 50 kilometres or 60 kilometres over the speed limit.' "

It's not the first time Edmonton police have pushed for the idea: there have been calls for such a law over the past decade, and Knecht himself lobbied the former PC government for the legislation.

The idea was considered in 2012, but ultimately rejected. Knecht thinks it's time to have the debate again; the vast majority of police departments in the province now support the idea, he said.

Knecht pointed to a recent University of Alberta study, which found provinces seizing speeders' vehicles saw a significant drop in fatal collisions — although the authors said the decrease was anecdotal and there was no statistical evidence to suggest it due to the new laws.

The study, submitted to the city in March, found it was unclear what affect vehicle seizures had on injuries and damage due to collisions.

Following the report, the Edmonton Police Commission recommended Alberta change its laws to allow police to impound vehicles for a week if the driver is caught going more than 50 km/h over the speed limit. It also seeks to have the power to suspend a driver's licence for the same period.

Knecht said he has sent a letter to Kathleen Ganley, Alberta's justice minister, urging her to consider the change. He's hopeful that she'll prove more receptive to the idea than previous ministers.

"I think we're in the best place we can possibly be to get this legislation forward," he said.

An Alberta man faces charges after being clocked at 222 km/h on a single-lane highway west of Calgary on Wednesday night.