A motorcyclist’s plan to save money on insurance by using a paper photocopy instead of a real licence plate backfired in Burnaby this month.
The 37-year-old man was riding his motorcycle in the Brentwood area on Aug. 8 at about 11 p.m., when local Mounties ran his plates, according to Burnaby RCMP.
They came back as “invalid insurance,” police said, so officers initiated a traffic stop at the corner of Lougheed Highway and Willingdon Avenue.
They discovered the “licence plate” was actually just a piece of paper.
Officers impounded the bike and wrote the man $983 worth of tickets for not having insurance, a licence plate or a driver’s licence.
“This is quite possibly the most expensive paper plate of all time,” Burnaby RCMP quipped on Twitter.
While some on social media speculated the man might have saved money in the long run given the cost of insurance, Burnaby RCMP Cpl. Mike Kalanj doesn’t think so.
“Between impound fees, storage fees and paying for the points on these offences, the $983 worth of fines in this situation are just the tip of the iceberg,” he said.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
Email cnaylor@burnabynow.com
