A North Vancouver driver was stung with a ticket after telling police an unhappy bee caused her to drive on to the sidewalk and hit a telephone pole on Capilano Road.
The accident happened around noon on Tuesday.
A North Vancouver woman had been driving north in an older model Pontiac Sunfire, when she lost control and drove on to the sidewalk, sideswiping the pole before jumping back on to Capilano Road near Mount Crown Road, said police.
The car eventually came to stop some distance away.
Fortunately, no one was injured and there were no pedestrians on the sidewalk at the time of the collision, said Const. Brett Cunningham, spokesman for the North Vancouver RCMP detachment.
The driver told police she lost control of the vehicle when a bee flew into her car. The woman wasn’t stung and the bee had flown away.
Cunningham said the investigating officer wasn’t able to confirm the woman’s version of events.
But long skid marks left by the car’s tires led police to believe the driver was going over the speed limit when she lost control.
The North Vancouver resident has since been charged with driving without consideration under the Motor Vehicle Act. The violation carries a fine of $196 and six penalty points.
Cunningham said as North Vancouver is so close to forests and mountains, it’s not surprising that nature finds its way on the roads. Drivers need to be diligent when encountering “small or large animals and even insects like bees,” he said, adding serious crashes can result when drivers lose control.
