Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 21:58:30 -0700
Reply-To: Eric Unrau <eunrau@YAHOO.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Eric Unrau <eunrau@YAHOO.CA>
Subject: Re: Driving In Canada
In-Reply-To: <003a01c1fb8d$c1adfc10$0a01a8c0@uwithinkpad>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="Windows-1252"
That's odd. We made the same trip in October with no police incidents.
~Eric~
'89 Westy
Vancouver, BC
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
Of Russell, William
Sent: May 14, 2002 2:25 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Driving In Canada
I cannot recall who it was but recently someone asked for any tips about
driving in Canada this summer and after having just completed my 4500km
trip from Vancouver to Hamilton, I have some advice:
Ensure that all your papers are in order. This means license,
registration, insurance, ownership, passport, etc. I mean completely in
order and readily available! The police up here seem to have decided
that VW vans are the likely transport vehicles for the drug trade and
are pulling them over without any reason whatsoever.
Keep the van tidy inside. They need justification to search a vehicle.
If there is none, they cannot search it (this is based on their
behaviour, not my legal understanding). If you have liquor on board,
keep in the furthest cabinet. Make absolutely sure it is not in sight
and certainly not within reach of the driver.
Don't transport illegal narcotics around (certainly not the types that
Western Canada is famous for and the dogs love smelling. If you happen
to be the type of person that carries a personal amount with you,
avoiding a search should be your top priority.
I was pulled over three times on the way from Vancouver to Hamilton. I
wasn't speeding or driving recklessly or not using signals or anything
else. I was carrying no illegal substances but I really don't like
dealing with the police and certainly didn't appreciate the veiled
threats that they presented. I was never searched and I am convinced it
is because everything was in order. They scoured the vehicle through
the windows using those giant "mag" lights, and I do mean SCOURED. I am
convinced that if they had seen anything that they could justify a
search with, they would have torn the van apart. Instead they remained
outside the vehicle, searched through the windows with flashlights, ran
my credentials through the computer, checked the credentials of the
person travelling with me, and made threats about dogs and
incarceration.
I saw several other VW vans pulled over as well. This was not something
isolated to my and my van. This is disgusting. I was embarrassed for
all Canadians. What a waste of time and what a hassle. In case you
didn't notice the tone, I am #*&*$ pissed about this.
Happy travelling,
\/\/i!!y
1980 Westy "Jazzy"
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