A school zone operation in northern BC has its own special flavour; in this example, a tractor-trailer made a special trip to the impound lot after being intercepted for a combination of speed and mechanical defects.

On September 9, BC Highway Patrol was working the Old Cariboo Highway near Pine View Elementary School alongside Prince George RCMP Speed Watch volunteers. Just after 12:15 p.m., a tractor-trailer unit was recorded on a laser reader doing a speed of 81 km/h in a 30 km/h school zone. 

“When the tractor-trailer was pulled over, the police officer noticed some defects,” says Sergeant Michael McLaughlin with BC Highway Patrol. “We called in Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement (CVSE) and both the trailer and the tractor were taken off the road.”

The trailer had ineffective brakes, and the tractor needed a further inspection and repairs (at the owner’s expense). The 34-year-old driver from Edmonton, Alberta, was also issued a seven-day impound for excessive speeding, a ticket for excessive speeding, section 148(1) of the BC Motor Vehicle Act (MVA) with a fine of $368, a ticket for fail to produce out-of-province registration, section 21(7) of the BC MVA ($109), a ticket for fail to produce insurance, section 33(1) of the BC MVA ($81), a ticket for fail to properly mount an Electronic Driver’s Log, section 37.39(1)(b) of the BC Motor Vehicle Act Regulations (MVAR) for a fine of $598.

The total costs for the tow, impound, tickets, inspections, and repairs will exceed $3,000.

The September 9 school-zone operation also netted the two excessive speed impounds (including the afore-mentioned tractor-trailer), 15 tickets for speeding in a school zone, 4 tickets for tinted windows, 4 tickets for having a defective motor vehicle, 10 tickets for various offences including failure to produce a driver’s licence, illegible licence plates, and using an electronic device while driving.

“We’re working in every corner of the province,” says Sergeant McLaughlin. “We’d rather you obey the law and drive safely, but if you choose otherwise, we’ll pass along financial consequences.”