It's an expensive risk to take, but Sarnia police are finding a large number of drivers without insurance.
Cst. Ron Szabo said he alone in the last two months, has charged over 30 drivers for not having valid insurance or driving with a suspended licence.
He said several drivers indicated they can't afford it.
"I think a lot of people think they won't get caught," said Szabo. "I've caught people as old as 70 and as young as late teens. The newest vehicle was a 2017 leased vehicle, the person cancelled their insurance because they couldn't afford it."
According to several studies, Ontario motorists pay an average of $1,500 a year for car insurance, while drivers in other parts of Canada pay rates as low as $650.
Cst. Szabo said the fine for driving without insurance in Ontario is a hefty one, $5,000 for your first offence. You could also have your vehicle impounded for up to three months.
"In the past without this technology we have, they could go for a number of years without anyone knowing," said Szabo. "But now with this technology, and we're about to get plate readers, that's going to assist in identifying traffic offences too. It will automatically read it instead of the officer having to enter the data manually. So, anybody that's taking that risk, it's just not worth it."
