Airdire, Alberta – Officers from the Integrated Traffic Units in Alberta are reminding Albertans that when it comes to ensuring children are safely secured in car safety seats, the adults are in charge. This comes after an RCMP officer discovered a pre-school child hiding in a cardboard box on the back seat of a vehicle that he had pulled over for speeding in the city of Airdrie on Tuesday, June 23. The adult driving the vehicle told the officer that the child had refused to sit in a child safety seat and wanted to play in the box instead.
“As I talked to the driver, I noticed the cardboard box was moving. I asked what was in the box and I was shocked when I saw a child’s hand pop out and wave,” said RCMP Sergeant Darrin Turnbull, a member of the Integrated Traffic Unit in Alberta. “The driver told me the child had refused to stay in the child seat and wanted to play in the box. It was obvious who was in charge of things in that vehicle – but the adult got the ticket.”
The driver was charged with speeding and with failing to properly secure a child in a motor vehicle. The name of the adult charged cannot be released to protect the privacy of the child involved.
“I know it is sometimes easier to just give in, but when it comes to safety of a child, the adults and not the kids must be in charge,” said Turnbull.
Integrated Traffic Units consist of RCMP Traffic Services members and Sheriff Highway Patrol officers working together in a collaborative effort to deliver effective and efficient traffic safety services to Albertans, with a focus on identified enforcement priorities.