November Traffic Safety Spotlight Focusing On Suspended Drivers And Unregistered Vehicles
Driving with a suspended license or without a registered vehicle is not the best thing to do but even more so in November as it is SGI's monthly Traffic Safety Spotlight.
A Traffic Safety Spotlight is where SGI funds an increased police focus in areas of public driving safety.
Police and SGI are focused on suspended drivers and uninsured vehicles for the November Traffic Safety Spotlight.
According to SGI at any time 55,000 drivers licenses are suspended for a variety of reasons. The reasons can vary from everything to administrative, poor driving record, non-payment of child support, impaired driving, police requests or medical. For a list of reasons why licenses are suspended click here.
The majority of suspensions are for unpaid traffic fines and/or not completing driver program requirements such as Driving Without Impairment, a Defensive Driving Course, or participating in the Ignition Interlock program.
On average since 2013 annually nearly 3,500 drivers caught driving while suspended every year.
In Moose Jaw many Moose Jaw Police Services vehicles have Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR). ALPRs use infra-red technology to scan licence plates as police are driving around. ALPRs alert the MJPS, and other police forces in the province, when the plate is linked to a stolen or unregistered vehicle, a suspended driver, a reported impaired driver, or even a person wanted by police. SGI funds the ALPRs.
To learn more about ALPRs click here.
An infrared scanner used by an Automatic License Plate Reader - photo courtesy SGI
“It should go without saying that anyone who has a suspended licence should not be driving – that’s what being suspended means – but some drivers risk it,” Penny McCune, Chief Operating Officer of the Auto Fund said in a statement. “It’s a safety concern, because in many cases, licences get suspended as a result of bad driving behaviours, such as impaired driving.”
Potential consequences for driving while suspended include immediate vehicle impoundments, and court summonses for charges under either The Traffic Safety Act or the Criminal Code, with potential fines and/or jail time. Consequences escalate for repeat offenders.
Drivers with a suspended license, who have an accident, don’t have insurance if they cause a collision. If a driver is found responsible for a crash while driving suspended, they will be held liable for potentially tens of thousands of dollars in damages – or more – to any vehicles or property involved.
The same applies for anyone who causes a collision while driving an unregistered (i.e. uninsured) vehicle – meaning a vehicle with expired or cancelled plates.
Annually about 10,000 drivers are caught every year operating an unregistered vehicle through the use of the 160 ALPRs on police vehicles province-wide.
The fine for driving an unregistered vehicle is $580. Repeat offenders receive a seven-day vehicle impoundment.