By David Klassen
A customized 2002 Toyota Celica Turbo is showcased during a charity car show in support of Winnipeg Harvest at Keystone Ford on Sunday, July 25, 2010. (TED GRANT / CHRISD.CA)
Sunday night cruisers have been targeted unfairly this season by the long arm of the law, they say.
Vehicles were pulled over in July after leaving a charity car show event and ticketed for everything from dark tint, noisy mufflers and illegal headlights, to not having a front licence plate.
Since then there’s been a backlash of complaints from Winnipeg’s auto community against the way Winnipeg police handled the ‘random’ vehicle inspection.
To address these issues, the Winnipeg Police Service and Manitoba Public Insurance are holding a free one-day vehicle inspection today from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The inspections will take place at the MPI Claim Centre located at 420 Pembina Highway and no tickets will be given. Vehicle Standards Officers from MPI and the WPS will be on hand to provide the inspection service.
The inspection is being held to ensure vehicles are compliant with all equipment requirements, and safe on the roads.
A courtesy vehicle safety inspection report will be completed documenting the make, model, and year of vehicle to provide the owner with a list of items to repair if they wish to bring their vehicle into compliance. As part of this special initiative, no driver information, vehicle plate number, or re-inspection requirement will be included in the report.
— Winnipeg Police Service
If a vehicle is found to have a serious/dangerous equipment issue it will be considered ‘Out of Service’ and the owner will have to make arrangements for it to be safely towed to their residence.
