Bylaw officers in the City of Grande Prairie will be focusing on the proper use of child safety seats as part of their Selected Traffic Enforcement Program throughout the month of November.
Officials say the risk of a child suffering a significant injury in a collision increases by nearly three-and-a-half times when a car seat or booster seat is not used. A child seat, whether rear-facing or forward-facing, is required and once a child reaches the maximum weight or height limit of their forward-facing car seat they can transition into a booster seat.
The fine for not using a seatbelt or child safety seat is $155.00.
The Bylaw Enforcement Education Program will be spotlighting the need to clear public streets of potentially abandoned vehicles. The city says the annual initiative is taken up to try to remove vehicles that may have been left by their owners and may get in the way of snow removal work as winter continues to progress.
Alberta law indicates that an abandoned vehicle is any vehicle that has been left parked on public property or a city street for more than three consecutive days. Officials say they look for things like flat tires, expired licence plates, missing licence plates, and vehicles covered in undisturbed snow as signs of an abandoned vehicle.
The city says if a vehicle is abandoned, the registered owner will be contacted or a move notice will be placed on the car. If the vehicle is not moved within 72 hours the owner may receive a fine and the vehicle may be removed.