'Toy car, real charges': Canadian man arrested for driving pink Barbie jeep on busy road
Police said that even though the toy car was small, the driver posed risks to both himself and other motorists.
In a bizarre traffic incident, police in Canada arrested a man caught driving a pink children’s Barbie Jeep down a busy road during the morning rush hour. According to a Facebook post by the Prince George RCMP, the unusual sight unfolded on Friday when passers-by spotted Kasper Lincoln, wearing aviator sunglasses, cruising in the toy vehicle designed for kids. An unmarked Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) car pulled him over after witnesses reported the bizarre sight.
Lincoln later told news outlet CBC that he had borrowed the toy car from his roommate’s child because he was “too lazy” to walk to buy a Slurpee. “I was using the hand signals and everything. I never drove it before,” he said, claiming he didn’t realise he had broken the law.
On Facebook, the Prince George RCMP posted a tongue-in-cheek update along with pictures of the arrest. “BREAKING: Toy car. Real charges. Prince George RCMP pulled over a man driving a motorized toy car during morning traffic. The vibes? Battery-powered. Booze-fueled. Breathalyzed. Busted. Impaired, suspended, and now prohibited from driving — no matter the size of the wheels. Because if it has a motor, you’d better be sober,” the police department wrote.
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Driver issued a 90-day driving ban
The cops said that when they pulled the driver over, they conducted a breath test and found that Lincoln, who already had a suspended license, was over the legal alcohol limit.
Witness Summer Caron, who filmed the arrest, said Lincoln was moving at about “three miles an hour”. The driver was eventually arrested for prohibited driving and impaired driving. He was issued a 90-day driving ban and also ordered to appear in court in December.
According to a report by The Independent, the RCMP later issued a statement clarifying why the arrest was necessary. “Any vehicle on a roadway that is powered by anything other than muscular power fits into the definition of a motor vehicle and requires a licensed driver and insurance,” Corporal Jennifer Cooper said. She added that even though the toy car was small, Lincoln posed risks to both himself and other motorists.
Lincoln, who admitted he had been arrested before, called this “the most hilarious one”. He said his main takeaway from the experience was: “Don’t drink and drive”.
