Historic Vehicle Plates: Pros/Cons in Ontario, Canada

[Gordon Yeo]

Just because you put a slow moving vehicle ( SMV ) sign on a vehicle doesn't absolve you of all fault if your in an accident. The SMV sign, in agricultural use, is used on vehicles of husbandry. That way when some bright light comes out from the towns and cities going 100 km and hits a farm vehicle there is a system set up for the consequences. Farm liability insurance is applied to the listed vehicles on the policy and there are some limitations. So, technically our farm equipment is insured like a truck or car.

Having been ticketed for no SMV on a carrier may be your best out come in that situation. A more in depth questioning, by a maniac cop, might have lead to discovering an unlicensed vehicle with no insurance.

When you go to the OMVA swap meet this fall it will look like a senior citizens outing, I know because I am one. A hand full of the same people have carried the organization for the last many years and they are tired of the job. There are very few young guys coming into the hobby and no one wants to take on the jobs of running the organization. Being a small far flung group of collectors maybe we should join local car clubs and fall under their organization for historic vehicle "protection". If we go to some none club event we should ask for a letter of invitation to parades and shows. That should provide proof conforming to the HVP requirements. Most local car clubs have a spring "roll out" and vehicles can be inspected for defects. These are the sort of things that the HV plate let older vehicle owners keep their vehicles on the road with some sort of over site without being costly.

I don't think that most people with a historic plated car are as annal about conforming to the rules as the thread seems. If you walk around and look at vintage vehicles, on the streets in the summer, there are many vehicles that are not being driven to the letter of the law.

It may be that the historic vehicle plate was designed and implemented with the input and co-operation of the many car clubs that try and keep vintage vehicles operating safely. I don't think that every cop on every corner is looking to jack up every HV plated vehicle, unless the driver is outside the usual traffic act laws.