Emergency crews were busy in Prince George on Friday.
And while a full-scale structure fire and a crash involving an ambulance were the most serious incidents, RCMP officers were also kept busy with one of the stranger calls of the year.
They came across a man who was reportedly driving a toy Barbie Jeep down 15th Avenue near Nicholson Street.
“This was during the morning commute, around 9 am, and the streets were very busy at the time,” explained Cpl. Jennifer Cooper through a media release. “Our police officer conducted a traffic stop with the vehicle to assess what was happening.”
An RCMP release recognized that some may view this traffic stop as “an inefficient use of police time,” but claimed that the driver was creating risk for other motorists on the road.
That, coupled with the risk the man posed to himself as drivers aren’t used to looking for toy cars on a main street, was enough to warrant police attention, the release noted.
According to the RCMP, any vehicle on the roadway powered by anything other than muscular power fits into the definition of a motor vehicle, which means a driver’s licence and insurance are required.
Not only did the man have a suspended licence, the officer also formed grounds to believe the driver was impaired.
He provided two breath samples and both were over the legal limit, which resulted in a 90-day driving prohibition.
The RCMP said the man was also served with a notice to appear in court in December and the incident remains under investigation.
