OHTA.ca

Help! I just returned to Canada with my Spanish speaking husband. He was recently stopped by the police. They gave him a ticket for "drive motor vehicle - validation impoperly affixed". We purchased the car from a dealer only one month prior to this incident and we gave the dealer the plates to mound on the car. We used my exisiting plates as the sticker is good for another year. We didn't realize, they put the sticker plate on the front of the vehicle. I'm sure the police asked my husband to produce the ownership and insurance. He didn't understand due to the language barrier and the police officer went back to his car to write up the tickets. Meanwhile my husband remembered I had told him to always show the insurance and ownership if stopped. He gathered the papers together for the officer. When the office returned to the car he gave my husband 3 tickets, one for the plates and also two others for "failure to surrender ownership and insurance". My husband told produced the papers and the officer told my husband to go to court as the tickets were already written and there was nothing he could do. Is this correct? Should I contact the dealership to get them to write a letter? Do I need legal representation? Does this mean our insurance rates will be affected? Suggestions? Thanks

Technically your husband did commit all three offences, even if the dealership mixed up the plates. I'd suggest seeking a first attendance meeting with the Crown and explain the situation. I would hope they'd be willing to at least drop one if not two charges in exchange for a guilty plea on the third. Just be sure to bring along a valid ownership and proof of insurance for the vehicle to show that you have them. Hopefully you won't need to hire any legal representation if the Crown is reasonable.

As for insurance, yes, technically any ticket can increase your rates. These are all what would be considered minor offences, but since there's three it could raise your rates. Contact your insurance provider to be sure since it varies from one provider to the next.