Expect to See More Eyes on the Road and Fewer Suspended Drivers Says OPP 

ORILLIA, ON – Driving with a suspended licence is about to get much riskier for drivers as the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) become the first police service in Ontario and one of the first in Canada to target suspended drivers with their Licence Plate Recognition Program (ALPR).

The OPP is also expanding its ALPR program to include an additional 27 ALPR equipped vehicles to its existing fleet of four. Automated Licence Plate Recognition technology was first developed by the United Kingdom and was first introduced in Ontario for use by the 407 Toll Highway and Canadian Border Security Services. According to the OPP, the additions will make it more difficult for suspended drivers, drivers of stolen vehicles and other vehicles with plates in poor standing to drive undetected on Ontario roads and highways.

“Thanks to our continued partnership with the Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) and the Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC), our roads will be much safer now that we have the resources to remove the threat that suspended drivers pose to all road users.” Said OPP Deputy Commissioner Bill Blair  “The additional 27 vehicles will allow us to scan thousands more plates every day over a broader geographic range in the province.”

All OPP ALPR equipped vehicles now have access to an MTO database that contains all Ontario licence plates of vehicles whose registered owners’ driver’s licences are suspended.

“Our partnerships with the OPP and all our road safety partners have allowed us to lead the way with some of the most advanced road safety programs, tough laws and strong enforcement.”  Glen Murray, Minister of Transportation said “This is why Ontario is a North American leader in road safety.”

Approximately 250,000 Highway Traffic Act licence suspensions are issued annually in Ontario.

SOURCE Ontario Provincial Police