Seatbelt shortfall: Iqaluit traffic stop finds few drivers buckled up

Bylaw officers find no impaired drivers during Canada Day check stop program

Iqaluit residents can dispose of household items for free under the city’s annual large-item pickup program that runs from June 24 to 29. Pickup dates are based on the regular trash collection schedule. (File photo)

By Nunatsiaq News

Iqaluit bylaw officers didn’t find any impaired drivers but they did see many who weren’t wearing seatbelts during a spot check on Canada Day.

Officers stopped about 150 vehicles for random sobriety and road safety checks on July 1 and none of the drivers were suspected of being impaired by alcohol or drugs, according to a City of Iqaluit news release issued Thursday.

However, 38 vehicles were travelling without the required ownership and insurance documents, 10 had illegal tint or sunscreen covering their windows and seven drivers weren’t carrying their driver’s licences with them.

In most vehicles, “the check stop officers observed both driver and passengers were not wearing their seatbelts, which is required under territorial and municipal law and subject to a $125 fine,” according to the release.

The city thanked drivers for their compliance in the program and reminded the public to report suspected impaired drivers to the RCMP.

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(14) Comments:

  1. Posted by Alan Klie on

    I lived in Iqaluit almost 6 years and I swear I did not know we had to wear seatbelts. They’ve always either been unbuckled or (in taxis) buckled and you sit on top of them. I always assumed seatbelts were not required.

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    • Posted by Maq-Pat on

      They have only be required since 2017, takes a while to catch on.

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    • Posted by Inuk from Nunavik on

      Whats , a seatbelt ?

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  2. Posted by ? on

    We all know the truth to this story ??????

  3. Posted by Atatsiak on

    I get stopped middle of the night for random sobriety check, officer paid no attention to my un-buckled seat belt. Cops in the north will give you a ticket if they’re having a crappy day, they really don’t do their job to a national standard.

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    • Posted by I Appreciate on

      I’m happy that they generally don’t ride us hard for broken taillights or windows replaced with clear plastic for months on end or the like. I like how they usually appreciate how incredibly hard it is to get parts and how long it takes to get repairs done.

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    • Posted by National What? on

      Let’s be honest, outside of a few professions, does anything in Nunavut usually meet ‘national standard’? Not complaining, just observing.

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  4. Posted by I live in the Arctic on

    No drunk or drug impaired drivers, good going iqlauit, i wonder how other capitals did for that day.

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  5. Posted by Andy on

    Considering the speed limit max is 40 in town its very unlikely you would get hurt even in a head on. More likely the airbag deployment would do more injury . RCMP do not deal with traffic only bylaw does that. Most RCMP only come north to get a fast promotion . RCMP have been brutal on inuit in the past and treat RCMP equipment like its their right to use it when not on the job. Once the cop breaks the equipment they simply get the taxpayer to fix it or replace it. The officer is never forced to pay out of pocket .

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    • Posted by alex on

      “Of all road crash casualities who were not restrained, 70% were travelling less than 50 km/h. Two-thirds of crashes happen less than 15 km away from home”
      https://yndrc.tirf.ca/issues/beltuse.php

      You are spreading misinformation. watch the following video, this is going at 30km/h. Notice the driver is buckled and the passenger isn’t. You tell me if you survive or have a good life after your head smashes through the windshield.

      https://youtu.be/3FrdIMsyRNE

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    • Posted by Northern Guy on

      First, there are many in town who don’t observe the speed limitations. Second, try getting hit in the head with something coming at you at 30-40 KM/hr. I am not saying it will be hard to enough kill you but it can still mess you up pretty good. Newton’s third law is an immutable fact of nature which you will definitely experience should you ever be unfortunate enough to get into a wreck without your seatbelts on.

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    • Posted by enosamm on

      Almost everything in this comment is factually incorrect. Two cars traveling 40km involved in a head on collision will result in severe injury or death, this is not debatable, there are many scientific articles published on this topic. You would have to be willfully misleading people to state otherwise. RCMP absolutely have jurisdiction to deal with traffic issues across Nunavut, they can ticket you on municipal or territorial offensives, will they is a different story. Respond to a spousal assault or fight in progress or pull someone over for a seat belt infraction, is not really a choice. The majority of RCMP officers leave with the same rank they arrive with, there are just not that many promotions to accommodate the amount of members coming through Nunavut. They use a transfer to Nunavut as a tool to get to a preferred location in Canada more than anything else. The relationship between Inuit and RCMP is long and well documented, things are getting better but there is still work to be done. Depending on where the RCMP member is located (everywhere outside of Iqaluit) they are always on the job, seeing them drive around on a RCMP snowmobile or ATV is more about them being part of the community than anything else. Providing ATV/Snowmobile saves the federal government money, that way they do not have to ship them in/out every time a member transfers. As for damages, there is no way you can know if they are not held accountable for damages by abuse or neglect, wear and tear is the cost of doing business.

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  6. Posted by Hunter on

    This is should a no brainer for the City of Iqaluit.

    Do seat belt/sobriety blitz every other day.

    City can make 10’s of thousands monthly by issuing tickets of no seat belt, registration, insurance, drier’s license etc.

    Laws are the laws and ignorance is not a defiance unless you are a police officer.

    • Posted by Hunter on

      If you do not want a fine,

      Insure your vehicle, Register it, have your driver’s license at all times, wear seat belts, and don’t operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

      Just follow the laws of the road you wont get a fine.

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