Motorists in Rankin Inlet would be well-advised to be fully compliant with the law throughout August as members of the Rankin Inlet will be busy making sure all motorists are legally driving on the roads in the community.
The police will be backed in their efforts throughout the month by the hamlet's bylaw officers.
Rankin Inlet Fire Chief Mark Wyatt works in close connection with the hamlet's bylaw officers throughout the year.
Wyatt said bylaw is doing the joint campaign with the to crack down on traffic violations.
He said and bylaw officers will be looking specifically for vehicles that are unregistered, unlicensed, uninsured, having no plates or being operated by an unlicensed driver.
"That's a big problem in Nunavut, even though people don't seem to recognize that," said Wyatt. "It's especially big here because 30-to-40 per cent of the vehicles aren't properly registered or insured.
"What happens when that vehicle gets in an accident? And a lot of them do. I hate to say it, but accidents happen all the time. If you run over someone or somebody dies and you have no insurance to cover any of that, that's just ridiculous.
"If you want to own a motor vehicle, you need to go through the proper steps to licence it, insure it and make sure your documentation is up to date, and get a driver's licence. There's an awful lot of people driving around in town who don't even have a driver's licence.
"I see kids driving vehicles sometimes and it has to stop. If you don't have insurance and you're in an accident and someone's badly hurt, you'll be paying for that for the rest of your life. Your wages will be garnished for the rest of your life and it doesn't matter if you make $1,000 a month or $10,000 a month. You're not only ruining the lives of the people you hit, you're ruining your own life, as well."
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