Customized Cars

Q: I have a customized car and wanted to shave the door handles. That is where the door handles are removed and a remote control is installed to pop the doors open from the outside. They open normally from the inside. Are they legal in B.C.?

A: Unless the vehicle you are planning on modifying is a demonstration or a "Show Car," it appears that taking off the door handles is against the law.

Standards for the Approval of a Motor Vehicle

Door, body, hood
Schedule 11
The vehicle shall comply with section 19.02 of the regulations with regard to size and dimension. Doors—Doors shall be installed in a vehicle where the vehicle was manufactured with doors. The doors with which a vehicle is equipped shall be in good working order, and any hinge, latch or handle must not be broken, missing or inoperable. The doors shall not be warped, twisted or weakened to the extent that a slight jar will open them. A door shall be capable of being opened or closed with normal effort.

Constable R.A.(Richard) ASELTON
Central Okanagan Traffic Services - Media Liaison
Kelowna R.C.M.P. Detachment

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