Unlicenced teenager gets his parents’ minivan towed while his friends lay next to a lawnmower

BC Highway Patrol

2025-06-24 10:56 PDT

File # 2101 2025-1714

Excessive speed, driver inexperience, and passengers with no seatbelts (or seats). Thankfully, a BC Highway Patrol officer got there before potential disaster and heartbreak.

On June 4, 2025, at 4:30 a.m., a minivan sped up behind a police cruiser driving on Highway #97 south of Pelmewash Parkway, Lake Country, BC. The minivan was doing 160 km/h in a 100 zone, and the driver did not have a licence.

Many people do not realize that police radar works just as well from behind a police cruiser as it does from the front, says Corporal Michael McLaughlin with BC Highway Patrol. In this case, the 16-year-old driver had no driver’s licence, and two of his teenage passengers were lying on the back floor of the minivan next to yard tools and a lawn mower.

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The driver was served $955 in violation tickets including:

• Excessive speed, section 148(1) of the BC Motor Vehicle Act;
• No driver’s licence, section 24(1) of the BC Motor Vehicle Act;
• Operate vehicle with too many passengers (no rear seats), section 39.02(e) of the BC Motor Vehicle Act Regulations;
• A seven-day vehicle impound.

The driver’s parents were called and said their son did not have permission to drive the van, and the parents of another passenger thought their son was at home sleeping.

This had all the ingredients of an imminent tragedy, says Corporal McLaughlin. Parents, make sure you talk to your kids. Teach them well to help them have a safe summer on BC highways.

Released by:

Email: bchp_media@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Website: bc-cb.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/highway-patrol

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