Police see more tickets for unlicensed or no licence drivers in Ottawa

Officers are stopping more people on Ottawa roadways because they don’t have a valid driver’s licence or have no licence.

Police noted this has been an increase as of late, warning people to make sure they have the proper identification before getting behind the wheel. Without a licence people face a $325 fine.

Officers are using tools such as the Automated Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) software in their vehicles, which has allowed them to crack down on unlicensed drivers. The notification comes up only when the software scans the plates for a vehicle in the database.

Between Jan. 1 to 28, officials issued 95 tickets for drivers with no licence. Ottawa police told CityNews that the majority were issued with regular traffic enforcement but 33 per cent of these tickets were flagged by ALPR software.

Chief of Police Eric Stubbs was asked at a media conference earlier this week about why people aren’t getting their licence. He said he’s only heard of one consistent reason.

“With the cost of living and where people choose to spend their money or not, they are not wise to forgo the effort and the money to get their license if that is the case,” the chief said.

It isn’t just those without licences getting caught, police say that a number of people with expired licences are also getting fined.

Over the course of the month, 163 tickets were issued to drivers without a valid permit with half of them due to regular enforcement efforts by officers. The ALPR technology allowed 68 tickets to be laid for invalid licences.

Officials said people are telling them they aren’t getting reminders from the Ministry of Transportation to renew their licence.

“Drivers can renew online as long as they have no outstanding fines, have insurance and their photo doesn’t need to be updated,” police said. “It is the driver’s responsibility to look after their driving license affairs and ensure they renew their license plates. Drivers can sign up on the Service Ontario website to get text and email reminders that their license will expire and renew before expiration.”