The cost of renewing car insurance is driving some people to be creative.
But the Coquitlam RCMP is warning against forging a licence plate to avoid fees.
“Can you spot the difference between the valid license plate and the forgery?” is how Mounties led off a press release this week advising against forging driving documents.
In June, someone spotted a faked licence plate and passed the information to Coquitlam cops. Police seized the plate — with insurance renewal dates written in black ink — and had the van towed.
The van was unoccupied and had multiple drivers associated with the vehicle, but if police had stopped the driver on the road, “serious consequences would have resulted,” according to Cpl. Michael McLaughlin, spokesperson for Coquitlam RCMP.
“We’re used to hearing creative excuses for people trying to get out of a ticket but I’d love to have heard this driver’s explanation,” commented McLaughlin.
Had the driver been caught, they would have faced costly fines, including $598 for expired or no insurance and a charge under the Motor Vehicle Act for the alteration and use of fictitious number plates or documents as well as forgery, a Criminal Code offence.
As it was, the owners had to fork out money for towing, storage fees, and, insurance renewal if they drove the vehicle again.
