Police in West Vancouver are highlighting an unusual traffic stop they made over the long weekend. Describing it on social media as “one of the more surprising traffic stops of the weekend,” the West Vancouver Police Department shared a photo of the black sedan with two large black cylinders balanced on its roof. The WVPD said the “dangerously unsecured load” was “a recipe for disaster.” Police described the drums as “industrial-sized containers of vegetable oil,” and said they were improperly secured and “overweight.” The vehicle was ordered off the road and its occupants—who police said were bound for the provincial Interior—were issued a “notice and order for non-compliance.” “Drivers have a legal obligation under the Motor Vehicle Act to ensure that their vehicles do not exceed gross vehicle weight maximums, that the roof can safely support the load, and that their cargo is safely secured,” said Sgt. Stephen France, in a news release about the incident. “Failure to do so can have serious safety implications for all road users.” The traffic stop came as part of a long-weekend crackdown on high-risk driving that the WVPD undertook in partnership with the B.C. Highway Patrol. The two forces combined to issue 205 total violation tickets on the highway between Whistler and West Vancouver. Sixty-three of those tickets were for excessive speeding, defined as exceeding the speed limit by 40 km/h or more. Drivers caught speeding excessively can have their vehicles impounded for seven days on a first offence, and longer if they’ve been caught doing so on any previous occasion within the last two years. The crackdown also resulted in two immediate roadside prohibitions for drug or alcohol impairment and one arrest of a prohibited driver, police said.
