Some sports vehicle owners say they've been ticketed, pulled over and targeted for inspections often deemed unnecessary

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Some drivers of high-performance cars are accusing police in Vancouver of pulling them over simply because they can, but police deny they’re unfairly targeting them for inspections often deemed unnecessary.

Rick Leung, who’s from Vancouver, says he filed a complaint earlier this year, even though he hasn’t been pulled over yet.

“And I could potentially see myself as a victim, so I’m concerned. We’re being accused of doing something illegal, but that particular thing is actually within the allowable tolerance of the MVA (Motor Vehicle Act).”

Connor Fesenmaier, who’s from Surrey, says changes are needed under the Motor Vehicle Act, so police –and drivers– clearly understand what’s legal.

“If there’s a couple of issues wrong with the car, why can’t we take that vehicle in, look at those specific issues and get that fixed for a much lower cost. We don’t let our vehicles get to the point they’re rotting. We keep our cars in much better order than most people.”

In response to complaint from high performance car drivers who feel unfairly targeted by @VancouverPD, @ChiefPalmer says police have power to pull a custom car off the road if they suspect it’s not safe and you don’t have to be a mechanic to see something’s wrong. @NEWS1130 — Marcella Bernardo (@Bernardo1130) June 14, 2019

During Thursday’s monthly police board meeting, Leung and Fesenmaier pleaded for stronger officer training, but Chief Adam Palmer says, under the Motor Vehicle Act, police have the power to pull a custom car off the road as long as they suspect it’s not safe.

“It’s not a fine by police or by the provincial government. It’s merely an order that they have to go to an inspection facility to make sure their vehicle is safe to operate on the roads in British Columbia. Our officers in Vancouver are abiding by the provincial Motor Vehicle Act and there’s no requirement for a police officer to be a mechanic. If we’re driving down the road and we see a vehicle spewing smoke out the back, you don’t have to know how to fix engines, but you know that something’s not right.”

Palmer’s also dismissing any suggestion police across the Lower Mainland are unfairly ticketing custom car owners as silly.

A complaint filed by Leung earlier this year has now been dismissed by the Vancouver Police Board, but Gabe Meszaros, a longtime mechanic from Surrey who’s also a licensed inspector, says –in recent months– too many customized cars are getting pulled off the road.

“They knowingly send somebody for an inspection that they did not need.”

Palmer insists his officers don’t need to be mechanics to have reasonable and probable grounds to take action.

“If you see a car with bald tires, you don’t have to know how to change tires, but you know that that’s unsafe. If you hear a very loud exhaust system, you don’t have to know about exhaust systems, but you know, when it’s excessively loud that that’s an issue.”

Even so, Leung, Fesenmaier, and Meszaros say drivers forced to pay for unnecessary inspections should be allowed to recover costs which often top $200.