A Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (RIDE) checkpoint conducted by the North Bay Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) during the Easter long weekend seatbelt enforcement campaign resulted in the removal of an unsafe vehicle from the roadway.
On Friday, April 3, 2026, at approximately 8:45 a.m., the North Bay OPP was conducting a RIDE program at the Highway 17 on-ramp, south of the City of North Bay. A vehicle entered the checkpoint and was found to have its airbag removed, rendering the vehicle unsafe for operation.
During the interaction, the officer also observed that the driver was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the stop.
As a result, the 42-year-old driver from Redbridge has been charged with:
· Operate an unsafe vehicle
· Driver fail to properly wear seatbelt
· Drive motor vehicle without a currently validated permit
· Owner operate a motor vehicle without insurance
The vehicle was towed and removed from the roadway. The accused is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice (Provincial Offences Act) in North Bay in June 2026.
Throughout the long weekend initiative, North Bay OPP 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.
The OPP reminds drivers that altering or removing factory-installed safety equipment can make a vehicle unsafe and illegal to operate on Ontario roadways. Drivers are responsible for ensuring their vehicles are properly maintained, roadworthy, and compliant with safety standards.
