A North Shore traffic stop took an unusual turn when an officer discovered a driver had swapped out a broken seatbelt for a ratchet strap — the kind typically used to secure cargo on trucks.
In a social media post, North Shore RCMP shared the incident, noting that while the improvised solution showed a certain ingenuity, it fell well short of meeting basic road safety standards. The driver was ticketed for operating a vehicle with an inoperative seatbelt, while the passenger was separately ticketed for failing to wear a seatbelt.
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According to the social media post, the officer acknowledged the creativity of the workaround — giving the occupants, in their words, “an A for creativity, but an F for following basic safety rules.”
However, a ratchet strap is not an acceptable substitute for a functioning restraint system, no matter how resourceful it may seem, North Vancouver RCMP noted.
Both violations are reminders that vehicle safety equipment must be in proper working order before hitting the road, the post noted. As the officers put it, it’s “not quite the kind of restraint system” they are looking for.
