If you’re driving without a licence, you’re doing it wrong.
Police will be focusing on suspended drivers and uninsured vehicles in November for SGI’s Traffic Safety Spotlight.
Every year, police in Saskatchewan catch around 3,500 people driving while suspended.
“Driving with a suspended licence is against the law,” said SGI’s Chief Operating Officer of the Auto Fund, Penny McCune. “Unfortunately, people do it and it’s a traffic safety concern because in many cases, those suspensions were a result of unsafe driving practices.”
Those driving while suspended could face a long list of penalties including Traffic Safety Act or Criminal Code charges, vehicle seizures, a court summons and fines up to $5,000 upon conviction. Suspended drivers can also expect to lose demerit points under SGI’s Safe Driver Recognition program.
What if your driver’s licence is valid, but your plates are not? Driving an unregistered vehicle is another bad idea. Motorists caught driving an unregistered vehicle face a $580 fine. Repeat offenders will receive a seven-day vehicle impoundment.
Potentially most seriously, a driver who causes a collision while operating an unregistered vehicle or driving while suspended may not have insurance coverage, and could be held financially responsible for tens of thousands of dollars in damages.
Let this month’s Traffic Safety Spotlight be a reminder that you need a valid driver’s licence, registration and insurance to legally drive a motor vehicle on public roads in Saskatchewan. Renewing your plates or your licence is simple and can be done so online by visiting MySGI.ca.
Police officers will be using automated licence plate readers (ALPRs) to help catch suspended drivers and unregistered vehicles. There are nearly 180 of these incredible devices in law enforcement vehicles across the province. Each one can automatically scan dozens of licence plates per minute and determine if a vehicle is owned by a suspended driver, uninsured, reported stolen or otherwise flagged.
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