Driver caught in Whitby using fake plates facing serious charges

A driver caught using a novelty licence plate is now facing a battery of charges, including having no insurance and driving with a suspended licence.

The vehicle has been impounded for 45 days, Durham Police said.

The fake plates under tinted plate covers were spotted by an officer travelling through Whitby on Monday. The tinted plate covers are also illegal, and the man was charged with that offence as well.

In an exchange on Twitter, one person asked how long the driver got away with that “novelty plate from a souvenir shop,” which elicited this response for DRPS Traffic Services: “Our thoughts exactly – but now he has some cool new Durham souvenirs: court summons, and lots of them.”

Ontario police put out a message earlier this year telling drivers that despite plates being free, they still have to be renewed at the appropriate time.