News release

Creativity: 10, legality: 0. Kelowna man loses a car fixed with a garden gate latch

January 20, 2026 - Christina Lake, British Columbia
From: BC Highway Patrol

Content

It’s not the first time police have stopped a vehicle held together with duct tape and wishful thinking, but using a gate latch to close your door is a level of creativity rarely seen.

A BC Highway Patrol officer has ordered an Acura removed from the road after discovering an improvised door latch alongside a series of safety issues during a traffic stop.

On January 9, 2026, at 4:00 p.m., the police officer was doing speed enforcement on Highway #3 near Christina Lake when he stopped a grey Acura clocked at 130 km/h in an 80 zone. 

“It’s amazing that this particular car could go that fast without disintegrating,” says Corporal Michael McLaughlin with BC Highway Patrol. “The owner had put in some effort to hammer out the dents and spray paint the repairs, but his car was not roadworthy. It looked like it had been chewed up by Robosaurus.”

Among a long list of required repairs, the rear window was missing and had been replaced with rebar and duct tape, and the driver’s door could not stay closed and was held together by a welded latch from a garden gate. 

The driver, a 22-year-old Kelowna man, was issued: 

• A ticket for excessive speed (between 41 and 60 km/h), section 148(1) of the BC Motor Vehicle Act ($368);
• The cost of a tow truck and a seven-day vehicle impound at his expense;
• High-risk driver premiums and escalating insurance costs for a minimum of three years;
• A Notice and Order requiring the vehicle’s removal from the road until all defects are fixed and the vehicle passes an inspection (all at the owner’s expense).

“Any time you modify an essential component of your vehicle including door locks, windows, steering, brakes, or suspension, you need to get that vehicle inspected,” says Corporal McLaughlin. “And if you’re driving in a vehicle that’s obviously not roadworthy, you probably shouldn't speed. Police can’t ignore that.”

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