newDriver stopped had armchair for passenger seat
Motorist didn't bother to bolt recliner to vehicle
CBC News
Posted: Apr 13, 2011 7:52 PM ET
Last Updated: Apr 13, 2011 7:52 PM ET
Ontario Provincial Police conducting seatbelt checks on Wednesday stopped a driver who had substituted his passenger seat with a living room-style rocker-recliner. (Ontario Provincial Police)
A roadside seatbelt check on Wednesday took a back seat to a bizarre and potentially dangerous car modification spotted by Ontario Provincial Police: a recliner chair sitting in as a front passenger seat.
But the officers in Ottawa were not amused by the idea of comfort trumping vehicular safety, noting that the rocking chair wasn't even bolted to the floor.
Officers inspecting vehicles as part of the Spring Seatbelt Campaign stopped the green Chevrolet van in the afternoon. A male passenger was sitting in the rocker-recliner at the time.
Officers found that the 33-year-old driver, who was from Wendover, Ont., was also a suspended motorist. He was charged for driving while suspended, as well as for operating an unsafe vehicle on a highway, contrary to the Highway Traffic Act.
The province-wide seatbelt campaign will run until April 23, during which time the OPP is stepping up enforcement to ensure motorists and passengers are buckled up.
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