By Tim Schewe
If it has a motor, gasoline or electric, and you operate it on a highway, chances are you need a driver’s licence and the vehicle will need to be licenced and under insurance. There are very few exceptions to this rule.
While it may be convenient to take your quad to the community mailboxes instead of walking, or driving your lawn tractor around the block because you cannot easily drive between the upper and lower parts of your yard, it could be an expensive trip in the wrong circumstances.
The same applies to your favourite off road vehicle. It may be convenient to ride to the nearest off road area rather than loading it onto a trailer or into the back of a pickup truck for the trip, but again, no licence and insurance probably means trouble eventually.
Turning a blind eye while your child does this will not help you escape liability either.
What happens if you do the right thing and pull over after being caught in these circumstances? There are a variety of offences that an officer may choose to write a ticket for. No vehicle licence, no driver’s licence and no insurance are the most likely to be chosen.
Tim Schewe is a retired constable with many years of traffic law enforcement. To comment or learn more, please visit DriveSmartBC.ca