Anyone who may have inadvertently forgotten to renew their auto insurance and was then pulled over by police because of the outdated tag, may be wondering how this all works now that ICBC has completely done away with licence plate decals.
Trail RCMP Sgt. Mike Wicentowich points out that colour-coded decals were only one way to determine if a vehicle was properly insured and licenced.
“Police have several tools at their fingertips to determine whether or not a vehicle is licenced and insured besides the decal which is a visual cue only,” he told the Trail Times, mentioning that even with a decal, computer checks still had to be done to confirm insurance and licence plate validity.
“This will have minimal impact on police operations, as the presence of the validation decal alone is not the sole determinant of valid insurance,” Wicentowich continued. “Though a few vehicles without insurance have been identified through a visual check of an insurance tag, most are discovered through police investigation, roadside detentions, and by third partying reporting.”
Lastly, Wicentowich said this new way of doing things may reduce the theft of licence plates and insurance tags by thieves who attach stolen plates/decals to unlicensed vehicles to give the appearance of lawful compliance.
To coincide with the full launch of online auto insurance renewals, B.C. drivers from May 1 onwards are no longer required to display a licence plate validation decal on their vehicle licence plate. B.C. motorists have the choice to leave their current decal on their licence plate or remove it.
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newsroom@trailtimes.ca
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