A- A+

Reporting Unsafe Vehicles

Reporting an Unsafe Vehicle
A vehicle inspection technician or station cannot remove an unsafe vehicle from the road. This responsibility lies solely with a peace officer under Section 66 of the Traffic Safety Act.

As a certified technician you are obligated to advise a client that his/her vehicle is unsafe and to provide an explanation for this determination. Some inspection stations choose to bring a tow truck to their facility and have the vehicle towed to the shop of the client's choice.

An additional option would be for you to contact the traffic detachment of your local law enforcement agency and describe your concerns with the vehicle. If they have an officer available they may be in a position to direct the vehicle owner to undertake the repairs before the vehicle can be returned to the road.

You may wish to submit a written safety report to Alberta Transportation so your concerns will be referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency. As an inspection station owner/operator, you may wish to check with your lawyer or insurance underwriter to see if there are additional methods to reduce your liability in the event the vehicle is involved in a collision after driving away from your facility.

For more information, please contact:
Motor Vehicle Inspection Program