Driver with $5,000 in outstanding fines stopped for no vehicle permit on Ottawa highway

Ontario Provincial Police say the driver of this vehicle stopped for having an expired permit has $5,000 in outstanding fines. (OPP/X)

A driver with over $5,000 in outstanding fines and driving a vehicle with no permit is facing a new fine after being stopped on an Ottawa highway.

Ontario Provincial Police are reminding drivers that your vehicle permit will not automatically renew if you have any outstanding fines owing to the Ministry of Transportation, unpaid parking fines or outstanding speeding/red light camera tickets.

Police say the driver of an SUV was stopped on Sunday in the area of Highway 417 and 174 for a licence plate infraction.

“This vehicle’s permit had been expired since 2003,” the OPP said about a vehicle stopped on an Ottawa highway.

“The driver has over $5,000 in fines outstanding. They received another $155 for having no permit on their vehicle.”

• Police issue 1,000 tickets, warnings for obstructed, dirty licence plates on Ottawa roads

Ottawa police and the OPP have been focusing on obstructed, dirty and damaged licence plates, along with vehicles with expired plates.

Ontario Provincial Police will be conducting a ‘Plate Week’ initiative next week, targeting licence plate infractions in Ottawa and the Ottawa Valley.

Between March 31 and April 6, officers will be doing “focused enforcement” on licence plates that are damaged, unreadable, missing or obstructed.

“Front-line patrol officers with the OPP have noted that there has been an increase in the number of plate covers being used on vehicles,” the OPP said. “Drivers that have been stopped by police have admitted to purchasing the illegal plate covers to avoid being detected by the Automated Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras that have been installed in police cruisers.”

“Furthermore, the ALPR camera’s abilities are significantly reduced by licence plates that are damaged or have had their reflective colour fade or peel off over time.”

The fines for licence plate violations range from $110 to $170.