$52 ticket for leaving car unlocked

“Instead of catching people breaking into cars they are punishing people who are not committing a crime”An Ottawa man who forgot to lock his car has been in for a rude shock.  Police in Gatineau, Que. handed David Carriere a $52 dollar ticket last week citing a bylaw requiring drivers to lock up after they park. The province’s Highway Safety Code states, “No person may leave unattended a road vehicle that is in his custody without previously removing the ignition key and locking the doors.” Carriere said the officer who issued the fine was peering through vehicle windows in the parking lot when he left his car and walked to a nearby restaurant. Carriere said he was inside the steakhouse by the time he realized his vehicle was unlocked. He said he was greeted by the officer when he returned to the parking lot to lock up. Carriere took to Facebook to vent his frustration. In a post, he said he tried to explain to the officer that he was only in the restaurant for two minutes before returning to lock the car. “The officer said ‘too late’ and he was just doing his job,” Carriere wrote. “Instead of catching people breaking into cars they are punishing people who are not committing a crime. And in my case, someone who was in the process of complying with a bylaw I did not know existed.”

Sgt. Jean-Paul Le May said that the law is designed to reduce crimes of opportunity such as vehicle break-ins.  “We call out to all citizens to help us prevent crime,” he said. “An easy way to prevent crime is starting by locking your doors, whether it’s from your car or your house.”

Saskatoon issues record number of tickets for distracted driving

Police across Saskatoon has  set a new record for distracted driving tickets issued in November. Hundreds of people were caught with suspended licenses or driving without valid insurance throughout the month as well. Police reported 302 tickets for driving while suspended or disqualified, 519 tickets for driving without valid registration and 345 tickets for driving without a valid licence. Police also ticketed 636 people for distracted driving. According to SGI, 554 of those tickets were for cellphone use. SGI said it was the highest number of distracted tickets ever issued in a single month for distracted driving in the province.