OPP stop driver for speeding and discover young child with no seatbelt

The Ottawa detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) pulled over a driver for speeding through a construction zone on Highway 416 shortly before 2 a.m. on Sept. 30.

While the posted speed limit in the area was 80 km/h, the driver was caught travelling at 122 km/h, wrote the OPP in a post on X.

When the officer approached the vehicle, they noticed a young child in the back laying across the back seats, sleeping without a seatbelt.

Media relations officer, Michael Fathi, told CityNews the child was old enough to be out of a car seat.

Before releasing the driver, police made sure the child was properly secured in their seatbelt.

The driver is facing charges following the incident, and the Ontario Provincial Police are reminding motorists and passengers to “buckle up for safety.”

Charges include drive while passenger under 16 fails to properly wear a seatbelt, which carries a $240 fine and two demerit points, and the speeding charge cost the driver $317 and four demerit points, but if construction workers were present the fine would have doubled.