Three vehicles were removed from road after “major deficiencies” were discovered when they were stopped at a roadside inspection on Royal Avenue on Tuesday.
The Nov. 14 inspection of commercial vehicles was a combination of both education and enforcement for drivers of commercial vehicles. In addition to members from the New Westminster Police Department, representatives from Burnaby RCMP, BC Highway Patrol, Transit Police, Provincial CVSE (Commercial Vehicle Safety and Enforcement) and bylaws also attended, said Hailey Finnigan, communications officer for the New Westminster Police Department.
“Our team saw numerous infractions such as insecure load, flat tires, no insurance, prohibited drivers, and distracted driving,” she said. “This is important work because families share the road with these commercial vehicles. For everyone’s safety it’s important these vehicles comply with safety regulations.”
According to Finnigan, the New Westminster Police Department is one of a growing number of police departments that maintain a dedicated team of vehicle Inspectors.
“These are special constables who are responsible for inspections and the enforcement of provincial and municipal legislation related to commercial vehicle traffic in New Westminster,” she said. “The NWPD Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Unit is an alternate response to a community need in that the team is made up of special constables, as opposed to fully armed police officers.”
The New Westminster Police Department reports that 57 vehicles were inspected at Tuesday’s inspection event, held on the stretch of Royal Avenue in front of New Westminster City Hall. Three were immediately removed from the road because they were found to have “major deficiencies.”
In response to inquiries from the Record, the NWPD provided some other results from Tuesday’s vehicle enforcement effort:
- Seven vehicles were found to have “moderate deficiencies” requiring repair/inspection within 30 days
- 10 vehicles were found to have “minor deficiencies” that are to be repaired and reported to police
- Two overweight/oversized vehicles were inspected
- Eight vehicles had an unsecured load
- Six vehicles were towed (with deficiencies that couldn’t be fixed at the roadside or circumstances that couldn’t be resolved at the time, such as a driver with an expired licence)
- 28 were deemed to be out-of-service (vehicles not permitted to continue to operate on the road for one reason or other, but may have been able to be fixed at the time it was pulled over, such as securing the load, and then continue on its journey.)
