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Comox Valley

2023-07-26 09:53 PDT

The first week of July saw 40 drivers getting reminders about their insurance and driver’s licence renewals.

Over the last few weeks, members of the Comox Valley RCMP Municipal Traffic Unit believed they were observing an upward trend in the number of drivers who were failing to renew their driver’s licence and/or insurance. As a result, they decided to focus on these two offences for a few days using the assistance of the Automated Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR).

The ALPR is technology that is used by law enforcement which assists in identifying traffic infractions and criminal activity that may otherwise go undetected. It uses specialized cameras to read the licence plates of parked or moving vehicles and then compares them to provincial and federal databases to identify possible infractions.

We were blown away by the number of drivers who were travelling around the Comox Valley without a valid driver’s licence or insurance. There were several instances in which we couldn’t even stop all the vehicles being identified by the ALPR. said Cst. Brad Landers, Comox Valley RCMP Municipal Traffic Unit. People are telling us that they didn’t get a letter to remind them of their renewals, or that they had no idea their insurance was due since they had no validation tag for reference anymore. If you’re reading this, now is a good time to set up reminders on your phone, your computer, or your home calendar. he added.

The penalty for driving without insurance in BC is steep at $598 and if you get into a crash without it, you’ll be paying out of pocket for all of the damages. If you fail to renew your driver’s licence, you’re at risk of not being covered by your insurance if you’re involved in a crash. Additionally, you may face higher insurance premiums moving forward if you’re caught without coverage.

By the end of the week, 34 drivers were located without valid insurance and 6 drivers located without a valid driver’s licence.

For more information on:

• the ALPR
• fines and points for BC traffic offences

Released by

Cst. Monika Terragni

Email: monika.terragni@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

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