Driver charged after passenger filmed sports cars from SUV trunk on 417
OPP caught an SUV with its tailgate open and a passenger sitting unsecured inside. The stunt driving charge carries a $2,000 fine and one-year driving ban.
An Ontario Provincial Police officer spotted something dangerous on Highway 417 earlier this week: a person sitting in the open trunk of a moving SUV, filming two sports cars driving behind it.
The driver, pulled over around 8:30 p.m., was charged with stunt driving—a serious offence that carries a $2,000 fine, six demerit points, and a one-year driving prohibition if convicted. The driver's licence was suspended for 30 days and the vehicle impounded.
The passenger who occupied the unsecured trunk position was fined $240 for sitting in a vehicle location without a seatbelt.
The incident marks the second time in May that police caught people riding in the cargo area of a moving vehicle. On May 8, Ottawa police charged a 17-year-old driver after discovering 12 teenagers unsecured in the back of a cube van on Prince of Wales Drive near Maplehill Way. Three other occupants were in the front, including one not wearing a seatbelt.
Under the Highway Traffic Act, stunt driving charges can apply for speeding 50 km/h or more over the limit, doing donuts, or—as in these cases—carrying people in vehicle cargo areas. The charges reflect a broader police enforcement push targeting unsafe behaviour across the city.