Why are so many people still driving around with license plates that have completely peeled so that you can barely read them?

Delamination, as it is referred to by the Ministry of Transportation, first began to take on epidemic proportions with license plates issued in 2019. Car owners with license plates that were either partially delaminated, or fully delaminated, were given a grace period to have them replaced during the COVID pandemic. But the pandemic ended two years ago and there are still drivers out there with delaminated plates.

What makes this issue even more irksome is the ease with which those drivers can get them replaced, and at no cost. All they have to do is visit the Service Ontario office on St. Joseph Blvd., or any other Service Ontario office in the province, hand in their old plates and they’ll get a fresh new set of plates absolutely free as long as the plates are five years old or less. If the plates are older than five years then there’s a $59 fee.

That may sound like a good chunk of change for something that is basically a manufacturing defect, but it’s a lot better than a $110 fine and those owners with the newer delaminated plates have had five years to replace them. That’s more than enough time. But I’m not aware of a single person who has been fined for driving with delaminated license plates. In the meantime, I’ve been fined for driving through a photo radar zone 10-15 km/h over the speed limit. Why? Besides the obvious fact that I was speeding, it’s because the photo radar could take a clear picture of my plate. Meanwhile people with delaminated plates can drive through a photo radar zone with impunity.

This is about fairness and doing your civic duty. Get your dang plates replaced. As for the police, they should make it a priority to first issue a warning to drivers who still have delaminated and illegible plates, and than start issuing fines.

In May 2022, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police called on the provincial government to start allowing the police to seize illegible plates at the roadside. This seems a little much, if you ask me, but if you start issuing fines, word is going to get around pretty quick.

As for car owners who deliberately cover their plates with darkened visors, they should be fined immediately, with no warning issued. It’s a deliberate action and the only reason to do it is to avoid photo radar and red light cameras. And the fine should be a lot more than $110. Throw the book at them.

Laws are made not only followed, but enforced. We all have to do our part.