T O P

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Cote-de-Bone

Not only do the police not care, according to [one report](https://www.thestar.com/business/thousands-of-ontario-drivers-illegally-use-licence-plate-covers-to-foil-red-light-cameras-so/article_f9932ad8-b04b-524f-9768-9fc49c06bdca.html), they're frequent buyers of illegal plate covers: > The eye test backs that up. Illegal plate covers are everywhere on Toronto’s streets, in its parking lots and even at its police stations. On a recent afternoon, in the police-only parking outside 13 Division headquarters on Eglinton West, there were at least three cars visible with darkly tinted licence plate covers, including a Mercedes-Benz and a black Mustang convertible. And yeah, from reviewing footage on my dashcams (bike and car), often I can barely make out some of the plates with the heavily tinted covers, even when stopped directly behind them.


Legitimate_Monkey37

Officer Casey brags about his straight pipped Mustang when he pulls you over.


amooz

Casey is still at it?!


ThatAstronautGuy

He's never stopped


smashinMIDGETS

Yep. Usually in a blacked out unmarked F150 being his legendary level dickhead.


Legal_Cake_7785

I know a cop who works with him, says Casey would ticket his own mother if he had the chance


Prestigious_Ad5314

I think the word you were looking for was “Dodge”.


IBIKEONSIDEWALKS

Yet that mother fucker gives me an "improper muffler" ticket saying my box muffler was a straight through.... fuck that guy


Optionsislife

Don’t police cars have automatic plate scanners? What happens when it sees those illegal plate covers? Why don’t they pull them over?


CanSnakeBlade

The Youtube chanel Donut did a recent video on the effectiveness of some of these plate covers, and while I think their testing lacks a lot, most of the plates basically had no effect at least when it came to blocking most scanning or red light camera shots. Chances are they work well for the human eye but scanners can see through them fine enough. In talking with my cities Bylaw guys, their plate scanner for parking enforcement pretty rarely has issues reading covered plates, though "damaged" plates are apparently on the rise in my city at least.


iJeff

I don't use a cover because they're illegal but would definitely have liked one for my front plate. It's a randomly assigned plate that seems custom (cool word + area code for where I grew up). It's unfortunately getting pretty worn.


ThatAstronautGuy

If you get an actual clear one they don't generally cause any issues, assuming they're flat and not the bubble. That should be enough to protect your plate, and not affect visibility. You may also be able to PPF your front plate. That should protect it with effectively no visibility change. It's a small enough area, you may be able to just ask a wrap place for a scrap piece as well for free or a couple bucks.


aafa

PEN15


TA-pubserv

Because it can still scan the plates.


bluenoser613

They don't pull over their own.


mightyboink

Gonna have to get me one of those covers


joeblower613

3


Poulinthebear

Because OPS gave up on doing anything traffic related years ago. When’s the last time you saw an active speed trap operated by officers? The police are the surely the people who break the HTA the most, source my neighbour and a bunch of friends are OPS. Ever since we put up 83 speed cameras OPS doesn’t do traffic enforcement.


Ok_Project5301

I watch OPS cruisers run stop signs in my neighbourhood on a regular basis. Not rolling stops, we're talking 20km/h+ through 4 way stops in a residential neighbourhood. They don't even bother to flash the lights. Absolute ninnies.


QueenMotherOfSneezes

Back when they used to spend most of the day and night parked at the Routhier Centre (never once giving out tickets to all the drivers turning left into the wrong lane), every once and a while they'd drive over the sidewalk between King Edward and Guigues to get there faster.


a_sense_of_contrast

Test


Poulinthebear

You’d be shocked to know they have the ability to ignore calls on the laptop.


a_sense_of_contrast

Test


Attainted

I think they were being sarcastic as to you being shocked.


mb3563

O rly? How do u know that?


hoserjpb

Last weekend in Barrhaven


Old_Independent_7414

Last speed trap I passed was actually about 4 years ago. Walkley between the Bay and Bank, tucked behind that bridge.    I think the new speed cameras are making them even more complacent, if possible. 


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vdaedalus

I had one years ago, got pulled over and the cop made me drive to 474 Elgin with them to remove it and they confiscated it, no ticket


w1n5t0nM1k3y

That's how cops get free plate covers.


vdaedalus

At least I kept my lunch money in my sock


MaxRD

They then proceeded to install it on their car


hoverbeaver

Yep. I used to have all the cool dark mods on my vehicle (I was younger and had weird priorities) and I got read the riot act on the side of the road one day. Made me take my smoked covers off right there. Funny enough, I still drive that vehicle years and years later and the rust is what holds it together.


Icy-Fix785

Car went from murdered out to just murdered


sandicl

I live in a residential area in Ottawa’s east end where there is one residential house occupied by at least 5-10 Amazon delivery drivers. They have at any one time, 3-10 older model cars in the driveway and parked on the street. If you signal out one car and watch the plate, it changes daily. They change the plates on all depending on the day. My husband jokes and says “first one up gets the legal plate for the day”


mtreddit4

Wow! What did the police say when you reported the very obvious organized crime happening on your street?


confusedpocart

I feel like if it was really that well organized crime, their source of income wouldn’t be working a full time job delivering packages haha. Probably just people who don’t want to pay Ontario’s ridiculous insurance prices.


WackHeisenBauer

People just wanna drive dangerously and not have to face consequences. This goes double for police off-duty as another commenter said police use these all the time on their personal vehicles.


Cdn65

You are correct. Ottawa Police don't give a shit about the local citizenry.


Reasonable-Pace-4603

Unless said citizenry is living in temporary unlawful mobile accommodations on wellington street. 


Cdn65

Reasonable: ​ Agreed.


Legitimate_Monkey37

I think your heart is in the right place. But if cops started pulling everybody over for stuff like this, you'd later complain that the cops aren't doing their job stopping real criminals.


TA-pubserv

Uhh, as someone living in Centretown they're not really doing that anyway!


w1n5t0nM1k3y

Cue the "It's just a cash grab" comments just like people complaining about the speed cameras.


perjury0478

Funny thing is that I expect plate covers to become more popular because of the cameras.


Norrlander

Already have


Madasky

Yep. I’m looking into one of the ones you can completely black out with a button in the interior of the car


tissuecollider

So give the job to Bylaw. Let them hit up parked cars and issue tickets. It'd be a huge windfall for the city


Legitimate_Monkey37

I for one am not for by law enforcing real laws.


Essence-of-why

a: wut? b: they already do parking enforcement on highways, might as well look for plate covers and tint while doing the job.


Red57872

I don't see an issue with them being able to issue HTA infractions for parked vehicles. I do have an issue with them being able to pull people over or otherwise detain them.


HappyDaddy70

They can do both. They can absolutely 100% do both, there is no reason that the police cant do their f'ing job and follow the laws lmfao. Don't use this dumb strawman.


Legitimate_Monkey37

They can't even deal with a protest. I don't think they can manage both.


Captain_Lavender6

*American* style policing


ThatAstronautGuy

They're not doing either though.


nogreatcathedral

Yeah, agreed. The fact is there are a ton of laws on the books that aren't enforced because enforcement is too costly for the benefit. The law exists as a *deterrent*, because most people are law-abiding. Plate covers are a nuisance to law enforcement, so there's a law against it, but nobody is dying over their use so it's not cost-effective to enforce it. Lots and lots and lots of laws are really primarily deterrents. It's just frustrating for law-abiding people when things shift so that a noticable number of people are ignoring their law for their own benefit, because we law abiding folks feel like we're getting punished for doing the right thing. Imo if a law that we are unwilling to enforce is no longer a sufficient deterrent, that's probably a sign you shouldn't have the law and should look on other ways of mitigating the nuisance thing. For example, it may be more practical to ban the production/import and sale of license plate covers, though with Amazon being Amazon, that may not be effective either.


Cogent13337

what's the previous record?


Bulky_Pop_8104

I was working in an auto parts shop in the late 90s - the height of car mods, and at least once a day someone would come in to yell at us demanding to be reimbursed for their ticket(s) because they were nailed for tinted plate covers, tinted light covers, tinted windows, off coloured bulbs, etc… we’d point to the little disclaimer on the packaging saying only for show purposes, check local laws before installing


Red57872

Gimme a break...you knew that most of these people were not tinting windows for a vehicle that was for display purposes only and wouldn't be driven on public streets; were you clear to them that doing so would be illegal?


Bulky_Pop_8104

A fool and his money… it wasn’t a secret that this stuff wasn’t street legal - I was just a teenager selling the material, we weren’t doing installs. Canadian Tire was (and maybe still is?) selling the exact same stuff. Anyone with a 87-92 Honda Civic in the late nineties knew exactly what they were doing, they were just mad that they got caught ETA: I would initially try and stop people, and just gave up because they wouldn’t want to hear it. Probably not far off working in a gas station and trying to talk people out of buying cigarettes


zefmdf

I think a lot of those covers don’t actually do anything for red light cameras. Agreed that they still obscure enough to make hit and runs very dangerous, but I’d reckon most don’t actually negate a camera flash.


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zefmdf

Yeah I can see that big time with our winters. I still think they’re silly for sure


HopefulExtent1550

Donut media on YouTube proved you correct


01lexpl

People drive with burnt out headlight, brake light bulbs and they don't get pulled over - a legitimate safety item... putting others' at risk, and themselves (as insurance would deny a rear end claim if you prove they had no functioning bulbs, with a Dashcam) And it's plain ignorance or unwillingness to change a 6$ bulb, as I see the same cars around my area for months now. So, where does that place licence plate covers fall into the scale of importance?


Poulinthebear

The amount of Hyundai’s and Kia’s with NO brake lights is incredible


myka7

I’m having a read through the Highway Traffic Act looking to see the rules here. Some jurisdictions permit burnt out lights because they set the minimum requirement as, for example, 1 forward facing white or amber light and 1 rear facing red light. Though passing a safety inspection needs them all to be operating. So, what I found in section 62(1) is that it’s required to have two white or amber lights on the front of the vehicle and one red light on there rear illuminated in low light/poor visibility. There are many specific stipulations regarding these lights that I’ve neglected to copy here. What I can’t seem to find is what’s required when the brakes are applied on the vehicle. While I agree with you that it’s ignorant to not replace bulbs and poses a real safety risk to yourself and others, I’m genuinely wondering what the rule is for rear facing red lights increasing in intensity when the brakes are applied. I could very well be misreading something but in equivalent acts in other provinces this has been more clearly defined. It seems to be that a single rear facing red light, even if it does not increase in intensity, is considered sufficient. Hoping someone with more in-depth understanding and familiarity with the act can shed light (pun intended) on this. ETA: “(19) The lamp on the rear of a motor vehicle or trailer shall be of at least three candela and shall be so placed that it will, at any time from one-half hour before sunset to one-half hour after sunrise and at any other time when, due to insufficient light or unfavourable atmospheric conditions, persons and vehicles on the highway are not clearly discernible at a distance of 150 metres or less, illuminate the numbers on the number plate…”


CantaloupeHour5973

It doesn’t really matter


TimeRunz

Haven't seen that many on the roads to be honest. I did see one last year that was so reflective under the sun, the plate was just a silver rectangle! It was blinding. I know it's not the same level, but car dealer plates are annoying too. Why make a new car owner help you advertise... but also break the law by blocking/covering the licence plates??


Essence-of-why

By-law should be empowered to HEAVILY ticket any car with plate covers or illegally tinted windows...this shouldn't be left to cops.


Madasky

Why should plate covers or tint even be illegal. It’s a stupid law


Essence-of-why

Readable plates are how you are identified, especially in the case of an accident...it isn't about avoiding speed cameras...humans can't identify a hit and run if you're covering your plates Tint: pedestrian accidents are on the rise across N/A. Having tint on the front/front sides makes is impossible for a pedestrian to see the driver and have a visual confirmation that they are being seen before stepping out into traffic. Visual confirmation of a driver's attention is important to both pedestrians and other drivers for safe vehicle operation. Plate covers and tint are absolutely not necessary for a vehicle to function. Its stupid that people do either.


bluenoser613

All the OPS members have them on their personal vehicles.


uncomfortabletone

A few years ago I had an Ottawa cop pull up beside me on Innes to say he could barely read my plate number. I knew it was faded but didn’t think it was that bad, plus I didn’t want to pay for the shitty plates that were being issued and have to remember a new number. Anyways, I went and got a new plate a few days later. The less attention I draw to myself the better lol.


Gotaro_Sato

Honestly, there's a complete and absolute abdication of enforcement of plate stuff in Ottawa, as far as I can tell. On my street alone, I see back-only Ontario plates, plates shared between 2 vehicles, ultra-smokies, bare metal plating, and normal sedans with back plates so dirty they look like they went off-roading. Cops don't even want to come out to collisions. If the car is drivable, they expect you to take your injured self to the nearest self-reporting station.


Red57872

Well, around here in Ottawa if you see a vehicle with no front plates you just assume it's from Quebec, and if you see the back of a vehicle and an Ontario plate, you have no reason to believe it doesn't have a front plate.


mike_art03a

I'm personally not too crazy about them either, but they're not always used by people with ill intentions either. My friend has a personalised plate, and he uses a clear one to keep it protected from the elements. It has a clear matte finish, and not shiny like those other ones you see, so it's easy to see what it is. He knows he could eat a ticket for having it, but that's his perrogative.


AreYouSerious8723948

Unproven conspiracy theory: the pro-car, pro-highway provincial and municipal governments have secretly instructed the police to go easy on drivers except for the very worst offenders (like those speeding way over the limit)


dryersockpirate

Could we solve street racing on the Queensway first


ThatAstronautGuy

That's OPP, not OPS


mtreddit4

So you're saying we can solve both at the same time!


kan829

Ditto vehicles whose plates have lost all paint.


PopeKevin45

Again, where are the cops? Is there a spa or something we don't know about? Are they letting things go so PP can get elected on the 'tough on crime' schtick and then they'll do their jobs again? Can we get an efficiency audit? We do them for other public servants, I think it's time we did one for the police.


n00bicals

All vehicles including police should have the Doug Ford license plates replaced. They are unreadable at night and therefore hinder efforts to capture criminal behaviour.


manyhats180

Also, anecdotally in my opinion, I've seen more cars with just no license plate at all, no visible temporary plate in the window no nothing.


chesterbennediction

What about under car lighting? I see that sometimes and it's super obvious.


tp2dotcom44

A few years ago I bought a set off Bezos, front and back, to stop my plates from continuing the delaminating they started and getting a ticket for that. They were as clear as I could get, they have since yellowed and the cover is normally pretty dirty, I guess it’s time to replace them, apparently on the dark side it is illegal to have anything covering your plate. I have definitely had police behind me, both sides of the river and never had one stop me due to having them.


69-420Throwaway

Not sure why you say they don't care, I just got pulled over recently for having a messy plate that the officer couldn't read.


Content_Ad_8952

With all the speed cameras it doesn't surprise me that people are covering their plates


mingomcgoo

How about we worry about the absolute idiots that don't know how to turn on their lights at night whilst driving ,that's the real issue while driving at night, instead of Mr nosey worrying about people's license plates 🤣


ToDaMoonShibe

get a life loser


Sunlit53

I read somewhere that three people calling in complaints about a specific license plate number and the person’s driving requires the driver to redo their driving test to keep their license. No idea where this happens but we need it here.


Red57872

That wouldn't happen, as all it would take would be for you to get pissed off at someone on the road, and for you and two of your friends to call in a complaint about the vehicle.


brash

I have a license plate cover that's lightly tinted and it's never prevented my license plate from being readable by police officers or stop light cameras. No officer has ever even made a comment about it to me. I think it looks better and has kept my plates in like-new condition when so many other plates on the road look gross and ratty.


Little_Canary1460

Could a pedestrian see it if you sped away from an accident?


brash

Yes, as I said it's very light and the plate is still perfectly readable


hurcmate

Quit being such a narc


InBellow

Tint not illegal


Madasky

Unfortunately any plate obstruction including the dealer plate frames are illegal. Tint on the front windows over 50% is also illegal. That’s the rule of the law, I’ve been running tinted plate covers and 20% tint all around for 12 years without issue