Proper Display of Licence Plates

Why don't you advocate having plates on bicycles, then? 

From my observations, as a group, they're the worst law breakers out there. But it seems that they NEVER get tickets, regardless of the way they impede both pedestrians and vehicle operators at times.

Gotta say that plates that are deliberately obscured with highly reflective covers, or smokey/tinted covers, or the curved lenses that make the plate only readable from a narrow angle behind are one of my huge pet peeves. I don't understand why cops aren't more agressive about ticketing these.

Conviction should be a slam-dunk: just carry a standard BC plate, photograph it next to the covered plate at a slight distance or off-angle as the case may be, and you've shown how it's obscured contrary to the law. 

Drivers who've gone out of their way to obscure their plates have effectively announced their bad intentions. Seems like really good pro-active law enforcement to shut them down by fining them every time they're on the road with obscured plates. Keeping them from being anonymous in their cars is a good way to prevent them from risky driving behaviour.  

This is an interesting change, and no doubt a sign of the times:

No more decals

To coincide with the launch of online auto insurance renewals, B.C. drivers from May onwards will no longer be required to display a licence plate validation decal to show they have valid insurance. This change aligns our province with other jurisdictions in Canada that have successfully eliminated the decal, including Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and the North West Territories.

Blank stickers will not be given out to place on top of your current decal when you renew your insurance. After May 1, you may choose to leave your decal on your licence plate or remove it.

Importantly, everyone will need to continue to keep their insurance documents in their vehicle at all times. You'll be able to print these out at home, request a copy by mail or visit a broker office to receive a copy.

More information on online renewals will be made available on icbc.com in March, when British Columbians are able to start renewing May policies online. ​

For me, this will take a little getting used to. Heck, I used to manage a fleet, and I've removed/applied an awful lot of license plate stickers over the years!

I guess it's a similar situation to the valid decals that municipalities charged required until recently on commercial vehicles. What comes next?  Will we see the disappearance of a valid CVSE Government Inspection decal on the windshield of buses and trucks, to ensure mechanical safety standards have been met?

I can understand that the governmental agencies would be eager to automate this stuff. If the cops are passively scanning every license plate to determine whether the insurance is valid, then from their point of view a visible decal is redundant. (That said, it also becomes incumbent on them to ticket the uninsured vehicle if it's parked on a public street, of course.)

And for two or three years now, drivers presenting themselves for an ICBC Road Test have been required to bring in a photo of the license plate, and/or a copy of the valid insurance document beforehand (thus freeing the Driver Examiner from having to check for validity).

And where does this leave the bylaws officers? Will they now be incentivised to ticket uninsured vehicles as well as cars that have been parked five minutes too long in a 2-hour zone? 

But this elimination of the requirement to display a valid decal also means that it becomes incumbent on the prospective driver of a vehicle (whether it be mum's car or a work vehicle) to search out the registration/insurance document from the glove box or wherever, in order to ensure that they can legally operate that vehicle.

I wonder if John Q Public (particularly Class 7 or Class 5 from other jurisdiction) is adequately informed of their responsibilities? Because no matter what the police or the government agencies might think, the driver has to be sure that they can ascertain that the vehicle can be driven by them, validly. 

After looking around on the internet, I noticed MVA Section 13.

Offences

13 (1) A person commits an offence if the person drives, operates, parks or is in charge of a motor vehicle or trailer on a highway

(a) without the licence required by this Act for the operation of that motor vehicle or trailer having been first obtained and being then in force,

(b) without displaying on it, in the manner prescribed, the number plates issued or designated by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia or otherwise prescribed to be displayed on that motor vehicle or trailer for the current licence term of that motor vehicle or trailer, or

(c) that has displayed on it a number plate other than those issued or designated by the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia or otherwise prescribed to be displayed on that motor vehicle or trailer for the current licence term of that motor vehicle or trailer.

(2) Every peace officer, officer or constable of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or the police department of a municipality or inspector authorized under section 217 (1) (a) to inspect motor vehicles may

(a) seize a number plate

(i) that the officer, constable or inspector finds detached from a motor vehicle or trailer or displayed on a motor vehicle or trailer other than the one for which it was issued, or

(ii) that is required under this Act or by a direction of the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia to be surrendered, and

(b)hold the number plate until the receipt of instructions from the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia as to its disposal.

(3) Subsection (2) applies in respect of number plates and motor vehicles whether on a highway or elsewhere, and for the purposes of that subsection an officer or constable of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or the police department of a municipality may enter without warrant the land or premises of any person on or in which there is a motor vehicle or trailer.

(4) Subsection (2) does not apply to dealers' number plates used as permitted by this Act or to number plates detached under the regulations.

And it actually seems that the non-requirement to display a 'valid' plate has been in effect since mid-January, is this correct?

Horizontal Mounting

A licence plate must be mounted horizontally unless it is attached to a motorcycle. Then it may be attached in vertical position on the left front fork of a motorcycle, with the first number or letter at the bottom of the fork.

I'm a little lost as to the interpretation of the above. Does that mean that a licence plate can be mounted vertically on the left fork of a legal road going motorcycle in BC? If yes, the wording also suggests that it doesn't need to be illuminated same as a plate mounted at the back in a horizontal position. Thanks!