Ottawa driver receives $500 in fines, has plates seized after spotted driving solo in Hwy. 417 HOV lane

Ontario Provincial Police say a driver stopped travelling solo in the HOV lane on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa was using a licence plate not authorized for the vehicle. (OPP_ER/X)

An Ottawa driver is facing $500 in fines and had their vehicle plates seized, after being stopped for driving illegally in a high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane on Highway 417.

Ontario Provincial Police say an officer stopped a driver for driving in the HOV lane with no passengers.

During the investigation, Const. Michael Fathi said the officer discovered the plate was not authorized for use on the vehicle and the owner had not applied for a new permit after taking ownership of the vehicle.

The officer seized the plates and the driver’s vehicle was towed.

“There is a grace period of six days when purchasing a new vehicle if you put a licence plate in your own name, from one car to another. This gives the new owner time to register the vehicle,” Fathi said in a statement. “This driver put a random licence plate on their vehicle and then never registered it. Which is why the plate was not authorized for use.”

Fathi tells CTV News Ottawa the driver received four tickets from the officer – a $110 ticket for improper use of the HOV lane, $170 fine for using a plate not authorized, a $110 ticket for failing to apply for a new permit and a $110 ticket for having the front windshield tinted.

High occupancy vehicle lanes can only be used by vehicles carrying two or more people or other specific types of vehicles, such as taxis and motorcycles.