No airbag, no seatbelt: Northern Ontario driver charged

A promotional police image showing a stuffed Easter bunny buckled up in a vehicle. (File photo/Supplied/Ontario Provincial Police)

An Easter long weekend RIDE checkpoint has led to multiple charges against a northern Ontario driver after police discovered a vehicle with its airbag removed and a driver not wearing a seatbelt.

Ontario Provincial Police conducted the reduced impaired driving everywhere checkpoint at the Highway 17 on-ramp south of North Bay on the morning of April 3 as part of the OPP’s Easter weekend seatbelt enforcement campaign.

“A vehicle entered the checkpoint (at about 8:45 a.m.) and was found to have its airbag removed, rendering the vehicle unsafe for operation,” the OPP said in a news release.

“During the interaction, the officer also observed that the driver was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the stop.”

Charges laid

As a result, a 42-year-old driver from Redbridge has been charged with operating an unsafe vehicle, failing to properly wear a seatbelt, driving a motor vehicle without a current valid permit and operating a motor vehicle without insurance.

“The vehicle was towed and removed from the roadway,” police said.

The accused is scheduled to appear in court in North Bay in June 2026.

Police reminder on safety equipment

The OPP used the incident to remind drivers that altering or removing factory-installed safety equipment can make a vehicle unsafe and illegal to operate in Ontario.

“Drivers are responsible for ensuring their vehicles are properly maintained, roadworthy, and compliant with safety standards,” said police.

Easter enforcement numbers

Throughout the long weekend initiative, OPP said that North Bay officers were highly visible on area roadways, focusing on seatbelt compliance and overall road safety.

In total, officers laid 175 charges, including 17 seatbelt-related charges and 80 speeding charges.

“Drive safe (and) buckle up,” added OPP Const. Kyler Brouwer in a related social media post.