A man has been fined $800 and given a 45-day driving suspension for drying his car — at 180 km/h.

When a Mountie pulled the man over on Highway 22 south of Black Diamond, the speeder told him he had just washed his car and was simply drying it off.

He was 80 km/h over the limit.

“I would think if I was placed in that situation, to keep one’s composure would be a bit of an effort,” said Const. Tom Christie with the Turner Valley RCMP.

“That’s in the top one or two (excuses), for sure.”

The incident took place last February just before noon on a day when the roads were bare and dry. On Monday, the man, who lives in the Municipal District of Foothills, was handed the hefty fine and suspension.

“Most officers aren’t unsympathetic to reasonable, urgent or dangerous situations or something like that, but an excuse like this just would not fly with anybody that I could see,” Christie said.

“It’s a horrendously dangerous speed and there’s no excuse for it at all. The speed speaks for itself.”

dcfraser@calgaryherald.com