B.C. Winter driving spot check on mid-Island nets more than bad tires
It can be an intimidating moment when you come up to a police roadblock and are waved off the highway for an inspection, but a multi-agency spot check on the Inland Island Highway near Horne Lake Wednesday left a few people out.
“Making sure that they have their headlights and their tail lights are all working appropriately, that even their licence plate light that a lot of people overlook is working and their tires are adequate for the season, that they are mud and snow rated at the very minimum,” said Const. Tamara Aquilini of RCMP Central Island Traffic Services.
Tire tread of overall vehicle safety was being inspected.
“They need to do it, there’s lots of people driving vehicles that shouldn’t be on the road this time of year.” said one driver who was pulled over.
“I think it’s great,” said another driver. “It’s always good to be safe and you can never do it too early because you can never know when the snow is going to come.”
Police found other problems as well like the rusted out frame of a fully-loaded pickup truck.
They also found illegal drugs and a gun.
“The driver had no drivers licence,” said Aquilini. “That led to a little bit more further investigation which as you saw lead to marijuana, fireworks, a rifle.”
Commercial vehicle inspectors were also present checking trucks for deficiencies as well as officers from the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development.
“We’re mainly focused on the transportation of timber products so we can do it jointly,” said Natural Resources Officer Elliot Molsberry. “They can look at safety of the vehicle while we can look at how the timber is marked and if they’re adhering to the regulations.”
The multi-agency spot check lasted six hours.
