Ottawa driver stopped twice by same OPP officer, didn’t know licence was suspended

An Ottawa driver forgot about a fine from December 2024, leading to a licence suspension. (OPP/X)

An Ottawa driver didn’t realize he was getting behind the wheel with a suspended licence after forgetting to pay a fine handed to him months ago.

On Saturday, an Ontario Provincial Police officer stopped a driver after receiving an automatic licence plate recognition (ALPR) notification that the owner of the vehicle had a suspended licence.

It was determined tha

t the same officer had pulled over the driver and handed him a traffic fine in December 2024.

The driver had forgotten to pay the ticket he received last year and didn’t know his licence had been suspended.

“This situation was completely avoidable,” police said in a post on X.

OPP are reminding drivers that they must plead guilty, not guilty or guilty with explanation within 15 days of receiving a traffic ticket.

No response within that time can lead to a conviction, potentially leading to additional costs, penalties or suspensions.