A Prince George man was pulled over by police after driving a child-size pink toy Barbie Jeep along one of the main roads in the north-central B.C. city on Sept. 5.
And on a day that included a hit-and-run involving an ambulance and a prominent downtown business being destroyed by fire, photos and video of the Barbie Jeep quickly spread online with a mixture of humour and disbelief.
Photos captured by several witnesses show Kasper Lincoln wearing aviator sunglasses and cruising down 15th Avenue near Nicholson Street — one of the main thoroughfares.
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Kyla Lee, a Vancouver-based lawyer specializing in driving offences agreed with police, saying it is well-established that toy vehicles are not allowed on the road.
“You are required to have a driver’s licence in British Columbia if you’re operating any motorized vehicle on the roadway,” she said. “That includes Barbie cars, toy cars, electric skateboards — anything like that. It is required to have a licence and insurance.”
She said while some cities are seeking to adapt the rules given the increased popularity of electric scooters and e-bikes, when it comes to a Barbie Jeep the law is cut and dry: “Toy cars constitute motor vehicles if they are powered by some sort of an engine.”
According to Mattel, the Barbie Jeep Wrangler from Fisher-Price can drive up to eight km/h and comes with power brakes.
It is recommended for children three to seven years of age and for use on hard surfaces.
Generally speaking, Lee said, police aren’t likely to get involved for a child playing on a quiet residential street but in this case, the car was driving on a high-traffic road used by other vehicles.
“It’s a huge public safety risk,” she said. “If you’re using it on the sidewalk, you pose a risk to pedestrians, to children. If you’re using it on the roadway, it’s a safety risk to yourself. Nobody wants to hit somebody in a Barbie car and drivers aren’t looking for Barbie cars in the roadway.”
