If you have a rear-mounted bike rack on your car, you could potentially rack up fines.
That’s because – in British Columbia and every other province – it’s against the law to have anything covering your licence plates, whether you realize it or not.
“Police vehicles are all equipped with automatic licence plate readers, so they need to be able to scan the licence plates to look for [expired and suspended licences] and warrants,” said Kyla Lee, a Vancouver criminal lawyer. “And, you know, [someone trying to break the law] can just as easily put a bike rack on the back of their car and cover their licence plate as can a mother with a newborn.”
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Too much on your plate?
If your plate was blocked by a bike rack, it’s tough to beat the charges in court, Lee said.
“As long as the licence plate was obstructed, you are guilty of the offence,” she said. “Ignorance of the law is no excuse. And even if you didn’t mean for it to cover up your licence plate [that’s not an excuse] … because with traffic ticket defences, your intention is usually not an element that needs to be considered by the court.”
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