ICBC investment helping B.C. police identify uninsured drivers

June 12, 2024

ICBC’s $1 million investment into B.C.’s Automated Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) program is assisting police in their efforts to pull uninsured drivers off our roads. Police use the technology to check licence plates, scanning up to 3,000 plates an hour, and are crediting it for efficiently identifying drivers for not having valid auto insurance.

“ALPR technology enables police officers across the province to not only check if a vehicle has valid insurance, but it also identifies stolen vehicles and prohibited drivers,” said Chief Superintendent Holly Turton, Officer in Charge of B.C. Highway Patrol and Co-Chair of the BC Association of Chiefs of Police Traffic Safety Standing Committee. “British Columbians can expect more of this kind of enforcement moving forward. Our goal is to ensure our roads are safe for everyone, and ALPR technology is helping us in that effort.”

New data posted to ICBC’s website shows that in 2023, police issued 16,837 tickets for driving without valid auto insurance, which is a significant increase compared to previous years.

Tickets issued by police for driving without insurance in B.C.

Despite an increase in driving without insurance tickets in 2023, B.C.’s uninsured rate remains low. According to ICBC data, less than 1% of crashes in our province involve an uninsured vehicle.

The number of vehicles on our roads is also steadily increasing. Since 2018, the number of active vehicle insurance policies has increased by 53,800 annually, reaching more than 3.6 million in 2023.

“It’s important that we’re able to utilize more ALPR units as the volume of drivers and vehicles in our communities increases every year,” said Chief Constable Neil Dubord of the Delta Police Department and Co-Chair of the BC Association of Chiefs of Police Traffic Safety Committee. “Driving without valid insurance can be a costly mistake. If an officer scans your plate and finds your vehicle isn’t insured, your vehicle will be towed, and you’ll receive a ticket that comes with a $598 fine.”

ICBC’s ALPR investment, announced in 2022 as part of the launch of online insurance, is aimed at modernizing and enhancing the program, helping police purchase new units, replace old ones and update software.

“We share the concerns of police when it comes to uninsured vehicles on our roads and encourage every vehicle owner in B.C. to take a moment to consider when their insurance policy is due for renewal,” said David Wong, ICBC President and CEO. “With options to renew at your Autoplan brokers office, over the phone or online, it’s never been easier than it is now for our customers to renew their auto insurance and ensure they’re covered.”

By using our estimator tool online, in addition to estimating the impact of potential changes to a policy and coverage, ICBC customers are able to check the current status of their auto insurance policy at anytime.

ICBC customers are also able to renew their auto insurance policy as early as 44 days before the expiry date.

Since the launch of online renewals in May 2022, roughly 279,000 online renewal transactions have taken place, taking an average of only 10 minutes for ICBC customers renewing an existing policy.

More information on preparing for your insurance renewal, including what renewal method may work best for you, is available on icbc.com.