Eight children not properly secured in SUV during Fergus traffic stop, OPP say

A seatbelt buckle. (Source: Mark Stebnicki/Pexels)

A driver from Fergus, Ont. is facing a long list of charges after they were pulled over with eight children in their vehicle who were either not wearing seatbelts or improperly secured.

Ontario Provincial Police said the incident happened Wednesday on St. David Street North.

An officer on proactive patrol received an alert from the cruiser’s Automatic License Plate Recognition (ALPR) system, indicating the driver may not have insurance.

Once the Nissan Pathfinder was stopped, the officer saw that there were 11 people inside the SUV, including eight children.

OPP said they were not properly secured or wearing a seatbelt.

The driver, a 31-year-old from Fergus, was charged with:

• Careless driving
• Driving while a child passenger was not properly secured
• Five counts of driving while a passenger under the age of 16 failed to properly wear a seat belt
• Two counts of driving while a passenger under the age of 16 failed to occupy a position with a seat belt
• Owner operating a motor vehicle without insurance
• Knowingly giving a false insurance card
• Driver failure to surrender insurance
• Failure to notify a change of address
• Failure to surrender a motor vehicle permit
• Driving a motor vehicle with no currently validated permit

“The OPP reminds all motorists and passengers that wearing a seatbelt is one of the simplest and most effective ways to prevent serious injuries and save lives,” they wrote in a media release. “Before every trip, remember to buckle-up and make road safety a priority.”