watch your rego date!

[29dinosaur]

I had the embarrassing experience of receiving a phone call today from the boys in blue. (Actually it also put me in a tail spin as I had only just seen my kids off and hearing that the voice at the end of the end of the phone was a policeman caused a sudden empty feeling in my stomach.. I was expecting the worst) . My car which was being driven by my daughter had been pulled over - I had failed to pay my rego last week.. purely an oversight. The nice policeman said that the car was not to be driven any further and that I had to go and pick up my kids and arrange for a tow for my car ..... but he also said that he would let me off $$ and wouldn't fine my daughter either.... phew.. that would have been $1200 for her and $1200 for me.... $77 for a trailer hire was being let off lightly.


Lesson: always check that you've paid your reg and if your driving make sure your driving a registered car (as my daughter was also going to be fined).

[Xavie]

That reminds me I have to change the sticker on the Disco, Thanks!

Jeez, that's a worry being fined for both parties. and as you say an oversight which is easy to do.

Xav

[feral]

Very lucky indeed. :D

In Victoria you could have paid registration over the internet, get your Reference Number as proof of payment and go and put the new sticker on the car.

Would have saved you $77 for the trailer hire.:p

[leeds]

Sounds like the copper was being a decent person so a big thumbs up for him!

Yes I have done it in the UK, minor oversight, not been pulled by the police but it is a worry.

In UK we have DVLA (Drivers & Vehicle Licencing) which has 4 roof top mounted cameras which check for road fund tax (your rego??) MOT and insurance and they can check dozens of vehicles per minute.

If illegal vehicle is stationary, vehicle is clamped. I presumed if vmoving illegal vehicle is detected then registered keeper gets nasty letter/visit from boys in blue.

If it helps keep uninsured vehicles/unroadworthy vehicles off the road I am all for it.

As long as authoroties dont use a sledge hammer on the 'normal law abiding' driver who have a minor oversight and go a few days over in applying for tax disc


Regards

Brendan

[Vern]

Yeah my rangie rego was due, so i just cancelled it instead;)

[chunk]

Very lucky indeed. :D

In Victoria you could have paid registration over the internet, get your Reference Number as proof of payment and go and put the new sticker on the car.

Would have saved you $77 for the trailer hire.:p


The silly bugger could have done it in NSW as well.:D:D:D I payed mine over the net last week.

[29dinosaur]

The silly bugger could have done it in NSW as well.:D:D:D I payed mine over the net last week.


That's not quite right.... older vehicles need an inspection in NSW and you then need to wander off to registry with papers in hand. :p

[mudmouse]

The silly bugger could have done it in NSW as well.:D:D:D I payed mine over the net last week.

The system logs the payment time...so it's cross checked with the time of offence and when it goes to Court the Magistrate see's you're a BS artist and goes to town on you.

The biggest thing for everyone is that your insurance company may not cover any claim once the rego has expired. The Act says there's a two week period of coverage, but if it's a big claim - particularly when there's significant personal injury - they may withhold.

The reg's for the rego act provide that you don't have to be sent any reminder or even new papers - it all falls back on you - your car, your responsibility.

It's great that bloke did offer you his discretion and it all ended well. Rego's such a b*stard in NSW and with everything else going on it's not hard to overlook. Even displaying an expired label can cost you $79! You should see the penalties for class B and C vehicles (heavies) with expired rego :eek::eek:.

Lastly, you can drive an unregistered vehicle to a place of inspection or repair or for the purpose of being registered, but it's a bit hard to get away with that one on an easter weekend.....

[mudmouse]

The silly bugger could have done it in NSW as well.:D:D:D I payed mine over the net last week.

Sorry...yes, of course.

I had people rock up to Court with paid rego in hand saying a mistake has been made. Hence the payment time comment - sorry for being a cynic.

I'm going back to bed:p

[procrastination inc]

Let me tell you a story...

about 16 years ago, easter sunday as it happens, some mates and I had ridden our motorbikes from melb to a mates farm near bendigo for the weekend.

That Sunday afternoon, one of the mates girlfriend and a friend called for help. They had gone touring in a little car and had broken down in Conargo. So we fitted a new uni joint to my mates panel van (that had sat on the farm for the last 6 months waiting for some TLC) and headed off to the rescue. 2am, just over the border 5 km out of Moama and the local boys in blue pull us up.

"Notice that your registration has expired" 7 days overdue...

"I see you have a tool box there, grab yourself a screw driver and take off the plates, you won't be going anywhere tonight. Heres a ticket for the driver $XXX.XX and two demerit points" (which meant he'd run out and would be walking for 6 months) "You can come pick up the plates when you have your new rego sticker" 300km form home..... BASTARDS!

No mobile phones in those days. Luckily we had an AM CB and it was pretty late. Hooked up with some one in tassie who kindly rang another mate at 4am and filled him in on our troubles.

He came and rescued us, we rescued the girls ( decomposing fuel line blocked the fuel filter) and snuck the unregisterded panel van between the two other cars back over the border where they had at the time a "28 days grace" policy on expired rego...

Make sure your rego is sorted, when you borrow a car too...

[leeds]

Talking about rego, which I assume is the equivalent of the UK road fund tax.

What is the situation with a UK registered vehicle temporarily imported into Australia?

My 110 will have full valid UK tax, MOT test certificate and insurance on it, i.e. completely road legal in UK. OK insurance not valid in Australia but will subscribe to your local scheme.


What about the rego though?

Regards


Brendan

[mudmouse]

G'day Brendan.

I'm in the New South Wales Police (Highway Patrol), so whilst each State and Territory has its own regulations for vehicle registration, this information is from the Australian Road Rules which was created in 2000 to give some sort of uniformity across the country.

Basically if the vehicle you temporarily import and drive has current registration for the country of origin and you continue to display the registration plates and rego label (Tax disc etc), then you're okay. Obviously your licence and visa must also be valid.

Insurance is another issue..... It might also pay to read a copy of some of the road rules that exist here - not that they'd be much different from the UK but there are some varioations from State to State - and Territory.

The issuing Authority for registrations and licences (in NSW) is called the Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA Home Page (http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au)). Bear in mind they're a Government department and as you might discover, are VERY keen on speed cameras to raise revenue under the pathetic guise of ensuring road safety. So keep and eye out mate.

So that's my perspective of your requirements for NSW. The regulations do say this covers all other States and Territory but some of the other guys on here might know more.

Good luck and I hope you have a fantastic time.

[procrastination inc]

but there are some varioations from State to State - and Territory. ...


wasn't that sorted some time ago, National Road rules or something

[45tr0]

Good Advice mudmouse!

I will add to it if i may :)

Hi Brendan,

I used to work for RACQ - the Royal Automobile Club of Queensland.

To drive a UK registered car on Australian Roads, you'll need to arrange a Carnets du Passage en Douane - basically these are a security bond which says you aren't going to sell the vehicle in the country you are visiting. (Because of the different Roadworthy/Design standards from country to country, among other things). If you cover this privately its roughly 300-400 percent of the vehicles saleable value!!!!
Thankfully Automobile Associations run a Carnet scheme, whereby you pay a much smaller fee and they put up the security on your behalf.
Contact your RAC, or check out RAC Know-How - Going on a journey - Driving abroad - Carnet de Passage (http://www.rac.co.uk/web/knowhow/going_on_a_journey/driving_abroad/carnet_de_passages)

[mudmouse]

but there are some varioations from State to State - and Territory. ...


wasn't that sorted some time ago, National Road rules or something

Yeah, they got almalgamated in 1999-2000 to be the Australian Road Rules. Funny though that licensing and rego stuff didn't - must have been the money thing.

quote from ARR (Vehicles temporarily in NSW): 'The registration provisions do not apply to a registerable vehicle that; is registered in another State, Territory or in a foreign country if; that the vehicle carry, conspicuously displayed in the required manner and condition, all number plates and labels that it is required to carry; in the State, Territory or country in which it is registered. Phew.

[45tr0]

BTW - this system is the same for all Australian States & Territories.

And for us Aussies, it works in the opposite direction too. chat to your State Auto Club if planning a trip with your Landy overseas. :)

[29dinosaur]

It's great that bloke did offer you his discretion and it all ended well. Rego's such a b*stard in NSW and with everything else going on it's not hard to overlook. Even displaying an expired label can cost you $79! You should see the penalties for class B and C vehicles (heavies) with expired rego :eek::eek:.

Lastly, you can drive an unregistered vehicle to a place of inspection or repair or for the purpose of being registered, but it's a bit hard to get away with that one on an easter weekend.....

1. Yes there are some decent fellows out there - the threat of losing that amt of money and points was pretty scarey.... (why don't we ahve a system like you see on motorway patrol in NZ where a sticker or like is attached which allows driving straight back home or to registry station? Getting a trailer at short notice was very lucky indeed.... I didn't relish the idea of leaving my car where it was left - probably wouldn't have come back to a car in one piece.... )

2. Driving to the place of inspection was my next question - I could just see myself being pulled up on Tuesday for driving an unregistered car, when I was driving to service station for rego check..

3. Was the plod right when he said the fine would have been $1200 each?? Extraordinary amount of money for a simple oversight.

Cheers

[Scouse]

That's not quite right.... older vehicles need an inspection in NSW and you then need to wander off to registry with papers in hand. :pMost places (in Sydney at least) do electronic Pink Slips. Get your inspection done, pay your Greenslip beforehand & they notify the RTA right away. You can then process your rego over the net - easy peasy :).

[mudmouse]

1. Yes there are some decent fellows out there - the threat of losing that amt of money and points was pretty scarey.... (why don't we ahve a system like you see on motorway patrol in NZ where a sticker or like is attached which allows driving straight back home or to registry station? Getting a trailer at short notice was very lucky indeed.... I didn't relish the idea of leaving my car where it was left - probably wouldn't have come back to a car in one piece.... )

2. Driving to the place of inspection was my next question - I could just see myself being pulled up on Tuesday for driving an unregistered car, when I was driving to service station for rego check..

3. Was the plod right when he said the fine would have been $1200 each?? Extraordinary amount of money for a simple oversight.

Cheers


1. In NSW registration offences DO NOT attract demerit points for class A vehicles (cars, bikes, tractors, trailers...anything with a GVM less than 4500kg). It's only class B and C vehicles (basically a GVM over 4500kg) that have demerit point provisions.

2. The Act allows for an unregistered vehicle to be driven to 'the nearest convenient place of repair or inspection for the purpose of registration' - now what does convenient mean - where your mate works or the stickler around the corner... That's the Act - not your insurance company if you have a prang. The onus will always be on the driver - to ensure the vehicle is safe to be used on a road. My opinion is that if a bloke has his rego papers with him accompanied with the right attitude, then he's doing the right thing. No one can give you permission to use and unregistered vehicle on the road (unless you've got an unregistered vehicle permit) and strictly speaking you can still be fined for driving it to the servo - offences such as 1) display expired label $79, 2) not return plates $79, 3) not display current label $79 etc etc. It can get totally rediculous, but that's the law ain't it. Years ago you'd type up a short 'Letter of intent' that you'd produce if you were stopped - just to say you weren't making up stories about why you were driving - you also had to remove the plates. Things have changed a little but the penalties have gone through the roof.

3. Again, strickly speaking, the offences are: (Driver) 1) use unregistered vehicle $477, 2) use vehicle with road tax unpaid $477, 3) not return plates after rego expiry $79, 4) expired label $79, 5) not display current label $79 6) if rego out for more than 14 days - use uninsured vehicle $477. Thats for your daughter...for you (Owner) 1) permit use of unregistered vehicle $477, 2) permit use of uninsured vehicle $477, 3) permit contravention of reg (road tax) $477 plus the 'permit' offences of the others.

Technically those offences were committed, however, if anyone managed to secure those for themselves I'd be letting a Magistrate look at it. Pleading guilty with an explanation (it was an oversight, genuine mistake etc) will end with a more reasonable result. The Court is required to discount monetary penalties with an early guilty plea (in NSW) even dismissing them.

Police are not permitted to caution for demerit point offences and I guess that bloke was explaining the maximum penalties. Unfortunately the cost to the community of collisions involving unregistered/uninsured vehicles is massive and as such the RTA and Police invest a huge amount in detecting and prosecuting those drivers who do it. Usually without mercy.

I'm really happy of the outcome for you. That's good news when it's a genuine oversight.

Hope this helps.

[mudmouse]

Oh. One other thing...the vehicle registration act allows for an unregistered vehicle being used on a road to be immediately seized and application made for it to be forfeited to the Crown:o

[Scouse]

the vehicle registration act allows for an unregistered vehicle being used on a road to be immediately seized and application made for it to be forfeited to the CrownMatt, how often does that happen though?
It doesn't seem to happen in Cabramatta or Green Valley - the cars just sit by the side of the road for days/weeks.

[mudmouse]

G'day Scott.

Yeah not much - it's more of a logistical (storage) thing than anything. The 'special' people that continously drive unregistered vehicles are the likely candidates. Also, the Court has to see that they're avoiding paying rego, which is a bit contentious. Other things like having the time to get a Police rostered tow, and the associated paperwork mean it's not a popular option -also the storage fees come out of the particular commands budget but when it's sold the cash goes to state revenue, so all in all, it's not commonly done.

[mudmouse]

also, standing an unregistered vehicle (parked) is the same as driving it - in those cases with the dunger taking up a parking space the local council can put an 'abandonded' sticker on it and between 48hrs and 2 weeks later (depending on the council) they can take it. Usually if the value is estimated to be less than $500 it'll go to the scrappers, above $500 and they'll auction it.

[Andy-M]

Hi all,

I'm in the same job as Mudhouse only in Tassy. Maximun penalty down here is $150 unregistered, $150 uninsured. You would have to be a right pain the **** for us to fine you for out of date labels though.

It is also good to remember there is no MAIB insurance if the vehicle hits a push bike rider, who pays for the medical fees?




Cheers Andy.

[procrastination inc]

same as if the car hits a pedestrian...

[B92 8NW]

(Driver) 1) use unregistered vehicle $477, 2) use vehicle with road tax unpaid $477, 3) not return plates after rego expiry $79, 4) expired label $79, 5) not display current label $79 6) if rego out for more than 14 days - use uninsured vehicle $477. Thats for your daughter...for you (Owner) 1) permit use of unregistered vehicle $477, 2) permit use of uninsured vehicle $477, 3) permit contravention of reg (road tax) $477 plus the 'permit' offences of the others.



Herein lies the entire problem with the Western world, the fact that some sick demented bastard in a parliament somewhere thinks that a genuine mistake made by a decent person is justifiably worth $1191, that that sort of figure is fair and reasonable punishment just epitomises the fact that fines are a revenue raising operation with absolutely no regard to their stated objectives of "protecting the community" and other poorly worded euphemism-of-the-century disguises like "road safety cameras". $1200 is completely and utterly excessive and an insult to every honest hard working person on the face of the planet.



Unfortunately the cost to the community of collisions involving unregistered/uninsured vehicles is massive and as such the RTA and Police invest a huge amount in detecting and prosecuting those drivers who do it. Usually without mercy.


This is a good thing. There are way too many uninsured vehicles getting about and its not right that people who genuinely pay their insurance can be screwed by people who don't in the event of a collision.



Thanks mudmouse for posting the info. You are the only NSW officer that I know that has been good enough and let the community know the facts before it is too late.

I don't know what has happened to the police force but its so hard to see them as a positive thing any more. I know it isn't of their doing but it seems to have become all about revenue and fines for every single conceivable thing. People don't feel safe seeing a police car any more, they just think "oh s***, what am I going to be fined for now". What's gone wrong?:(

[29dinosaur]

Thanks for all the info mudmouse. Most interesting. Sounds like there are a lot of unregistered cars on road?? (Is this sort of information available on net somewhere?)

I'm interested in how my car would have been spotted as being out of rego. She was turning left at a round about - a long way from the the next car from the right (purple unmarked PC) - he would not have spotted her rego label as it was on LHS of windsceen and the colour if he did spot it is March colour... The car had a bike rack on it with 2 mountain bikes . it had a bike rack number plate attached. S'pose he just plugged the rego number into his computer????? He didn't seem to have stopped her for anything else than rego..... no mention of any offence or anything to do with bikes. (Does a bike rack have to have an illuminated number plate??? I've never seen anyone use one??) Does the PC have a list of locally unregistered cars flashing up or something????

[mudmouse]

Thats okay. Yep, its amazing how many and what type of cars on the road that are unregistered - many, as you found, due to a simple oversight.

1. Detection: There are two ways to detect unregistered vehicles in NSW today. The first is just looking for expired labels and running it though the radio or on board computer... or if a car just has that 'look' about it. Second is the use on an Automatic Number Plate Recognition Sysytem (ANPR). This is a tripod mounted IR camera that is linked to the RTA database. A programmed matrix 'reads' the rego plate. Almost immediately you're told the plates rego status. At the moment they are stationary units you stick in the boot but soon they will be vehicle mounted to be 'mobile'.

2. Bike rack: Yes, all bike racks or anything that obscures a rego plate must be removed or you have to display an authorised substitute plate - bike rack plate (available for a fee from your friendly:twisted: RTA office) . The penalty for not doing so, or using an unauthorised plate is $318 and three demerit points - which is insane!! And yes, its supposed to be illuminated when used at night. I've never seen one either.

3. List: There isn't a list of unregistered vehicles on hand at any Police station simply because they expire every minute of every day. The ANPR database is downloaded on the morning of use, so is accurate as of close of business the previous day. The Mk 1 eyeball option compares it with live data, so it's (usually) spot on. In many cases, you're just unlucky to get nabbed but as you were informed, the penalty will set you straight.

Channel 10 did a story on the ANPR system when it was introduced last year - in 1 hour it detected 53 unregistered vehicles in the Bondi area. Say no more - $$$.