It is suggested the fine for driving an unregistered vehicle rise from $335 to $1000, while anyone caught driving an uninsured vehicle (registration expired by more than 30 days) will be hit with a fine of $1500, up from $619.
“We are opposed to these large increases, especially given that existing fines are already significant enough,” says Charles Mountain, RAA senior manager road safety.
“For most people in the community, the cost of registration and third party insurance already represents a substantial amount of money.
“We don’t see how increasing the fines to be more than the cost of registration and insurance itself will provide any additional encouragement for motorists to ensure their vehicle meets regulations.”
“We understand the strategy that fines act as a way to encourage motorists to register and insure their vehicles before the expiry date.
“But we don’t feel these excessive fine increases will create a significant enough deterrent to motorists to stay on top of their registration responsibilities.
“When considering that new technology also means drivers are more likely to be detected, we don’t see how fine increases this large can be justified.
“This is supported by figures that show the number of unregistered vehicles detected increased by 22% in the past financial year, compared to 2011/12.”
RAA has written a letter to state attorney-general John Rau expressing its concerns on behalf of its almost 600,000 members and the wider South Australian motoring community.
Mountain says it’s also not clear when the increased fines will be formalised in legislation and made enforceable by authorities, leaving motorists in the dark about the fines.
“In addition to the written renewal notice that motorists currently receive, strategies like the reminder SMS and email alerts have been positive introductions to support motorists,” says Mountain.
“We believe the current fines for unregistered and uninsured vehicles should not be increased above the annual CPI adjustments.”
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