International Law

Toronto Traffic Court: "Flintstone Car" Not a Motor Vehicle

A Toronto traffic court's decison may have shaken the bedrock of Ontario Highway Traffic Act jurisprudence.

CityNews gets our "headline of the year" vote for this story:

'Flintstone Car' Driver Off The Hook For Ticket

It was a work of art that wound up getting a traffic ticket.

To understand that statement, you have to go back to October 2007, when an odd looking Buick Regal made its maiden voyage around the streets of Toronto. Cops eventually flagged it down because the decrepit and rusted out hunk of junk was only going 15 kilometres an hour down a city street, impeding traffic.

But when P.C. Derek Walsh stopped the car and looked inside, he couldn't believe his eyes. The vehicle had no floor, no engine, and used candles for headlights. "Not even close to being legal," the officer noted in a moment caught on video, as he wrote out the ticket.

...Not long after, the jubilant defendant came out a winner. The judge dropped the charge, not because he liked the concept but because the vehicle wasn't actually a car at all. Therefore the specific charge of operating an unsafe vehicle didn't legally apply.

Here's the YouTube video of the adventure and traffic-stop:

- Garry J. Wise, Toronto

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Full post as published by Wise Law Blog on April 04, 2008 (boomark / email).