Unsafe vehicles spotted during North Okanagan RCMP traffic safety blitz

VERNON – From bald tires to a driver pulling a trailer that had a wheel falling off, RCMP were kept busy during a traffic safety enforcement blitz in Vernon last week.

Members of North Okanagan Traffic Services and Commercial Vehicle Safety Enforcement teamed up on Friday, Feb. 17 to look for infractions on Highway 6 near Kalamalka Lake Road, according to an RCMP media release.

"That day was exceptionally icy due to recent snow melt and hundreds of vehicles were checked for vehicle fitness with fines ranging from poor winter tires to vehicles being removed from the roadway," Const. Jocelyn Noseworthy says in the release.

Officers stopped a driver pulling a trailer on Highway 6 that had a wheel falling off.

And in another instance, a Vernon man was stopped with extremely bald tires. He told officers he had trouble getting out of his own driveway earlier in the day.

Nosworthy says he was on his way to work — at a local tire shop.

"RCMP are reminding drivers the daytime melting snow mixed with the nighttime freezing temperatures means local roads are far from ideal, and commutes in the morning and after 5 p.m. are often mixed with icy road conditions," she says. "It is the responsibility of every driver to ensure their vehicle is equipped properly, and they are driving safely."

– This story was updated at 2:50 p.m. on Feb. 25, 2017 to correct a typo. 

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