Drivers warned to be on lookout for peeling licence plates

Manitoba Public Insurance is reminding vehicle owners to replace unreadable licence plates.

On Wednesday, MPI issued a statement notifying drivers that licence plates that have peeled or faded contribute to dangerous driving and pose a risk to public safety.

“Keeping your licence plate in good repair keeps our roadways safe and helps you identify other vehicles if you are in a collision or need to report them to a necessary agency,” said MPI vice-president Maria Campos in a statement.

While there aren’t numbers to show how many people continue to drive with peeled plates, MPI said it’s a common issue observed by staff and insurance brokers.

Plates can be exchanged at any brokerage or MPI service centre for $15. There is also a five-year warranty on new licence plates, so if anything happens to them within that time frame, they will be replaced free of charge.

The Winnipeg Police Service issues $113 tickets to those who fail to replace their poorly kept plates.

“The WPS supports the need for clear, unaltered licence plates in order to clearly read a plate, which may be integral during investigations and potentially stopping criminal actions involving a vehicle,” Dani McKinnon said in a statement.

Darsh Maruaniya, 23, believes it’s a fair price to pay.

“People won’t change unless they’re fined for something,” said Maruaniya. “All licence plates should be visible.”

Maruaniya, who bought a car around a year ago, said he hasn’t noticed many peeled-off plates but said people shouldn’t have any excuse not to replace them.

“I think people are just lazy,” he said. “It’s more of a convenience thing and not about the money. If it was $50, it still wouldn’t matter.”

Jean Shewchuk noted it may be for a different reason: plain ignorance.

“I would think that people don’t realize it,” she said. “Unless I was washing my car, I wouldn’t even know if it was peeling in the first place.”

Shewchuk said she’s seen plenty of cars with plates that are covered in dust and mud in the spring but hadn’t paid much attention to peeling. Despite that, she recognizes that dangerous driving could go unchecked.

“In case of an accident, you can’t report anyone if you don’t see their information,” explained Shewchuk.

She said it would be more fair if police gave a warning to those with damaged plates before handing out a fee. Shewchuk recommended that if people still haven’t fixed it after 10 days, they deserve the charge.

“At that point, that’s just a person who is not responsible,” she said.

massimo.deluca-taronno@freepress.mb.ca