The BC Highway Patrol has tweeted out a photo that speaks for itself but left the police speechless.
The photo posted Wednesday morning shows a truck with a flatbed, no back window, no passenger door, no seat belts and the seats themselves appear to be exposed to the elements.
The vehicle was pulled over on Highway 3A on April 14, just north of Castlegar, B.C.
"I've been on the highway patrol over 20 years, and this is one of the worst ones I've seen. They're rare, but I wouldn't even want to operate this thing off road on private property, not a chance," Cpl. Mike Halskov of BC Highway Patrol told Castanet.
Halskov says the driver was pulled over on the way to pick up a grandchild at a school bus stop. "That's scary. Obviously extremely unsafe. I shudder to think if this had happened on prior occasions, and so lucky that nothing happened up to that point."
The driver was handed multiple tickets and the vehicle was taken off the road, likely for good, unless it can pass an inspection.
"He (the driver) got what's called a notice and order, which is an inspection notice, and that was given the highest level, which is a level one inspection in order to immediately take it to a facility for the purpose of the vehicle inspection to make sure that it complies with the motor vehicle act and regulations," Halskov said.
"I mean, currently, you need doors, seats, and you need seat belts that work and, you know, you need proper lighting and brakes that work and, you know, all the things that a vehicle comes with when it's presented for sale at a dealership. That's the minimum requirement."
Halskov said they are always on the lookout for unsafe vehicles, "that's part of our objective, highway patrol is not just enforcement, but also safety for drivers as well as the vehicles that they're driving to make sure that they're safe to get from A to B. "
