Victoria to scrap rego stickers

[Jason[98.EL]]

victoria will scrap rego stickers on Jan 1st 2014

BUT OUR REGO COST STAYS THE SAME

CAR registration stickers will be scrapped in a move estimated to save Victorian taxpayers almost $20 million a year.

Premier Denis Napthine and Roads Minister Terry Mulder today said the change will be introduced for cars and light vehicles from January 1 next year the Herald Sun reported.

Industry groups, who have argued the stickers are outdated and lobbied for them to be scrapped, welcomed the decision as did the Opposition.

Dr Napthine said "pesky" registration labels would be a thing of the past and the move was an important red tape reduction.

He said the reform brought Victoria into line with most other states, which have either abolished registration labels or plan to.

"We've all had trouble in the past trying to remove those pesky stickers with razor blades and as a veterinarian, with scalpels, and all sorts of other devices to get rid of the stickers, then get rid of the underlying glue and put in place the new stickers,'' Dr Napthine said.

"When you operate a business with dozens or even hundreds of vehicles there is a significant cost involved in time and effort to change over registration labels ever year.''

VicRoads issued about 5.4 million registration labels in 2011-12, which cost about $600,000 to print.

Millions of dollars are also spent in administration costs and labour.

Mr Mulder said: "There is no need for anyone to fear that they will be caught driving an unregistered vehicle because the same reminders will be sent to them.

"They just won't need to stick a label on their windscreen."

Tourism and Transport Forum deputy CEO Trent Zimmerman said the decision was good news for motorists and the rental car industry, which has about 140,000 vehicles nationally.

"Victoria is the second last state still using rego stickers and while it is of some annoyance for your average motorist, for rental car companies owning tens of thousands of vehicles it actually becomes a major piece of red tape,'' Mr Zimmerman said.

"This measure will save rental car companies tens of thousands of dollars because it means that each year they won't have to be scrapping off and putting on stickers on their large car fleets.''

Western Australia and South Australia were the first states to axe car registration stickers followed by Tasmania and NSW. Queensland is still investigating the issue.

RACV general manager of public policy Brian Negus urged the State Government to reinvest the money saved into improving transport.

``With today's technology, including number plate recognition, which the police have, and certainly computer chips in all new cars coming on to the market, this really makes rego labels completely out dated and removes the need for them to be issued,'' Mr Negus said.

Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews supported the change but called for the savings to be passed on to drivers through reduced registration costs.

"If technology has moved forward and it's possible to do away with motor car registration stickers then that's a good thing, I can understand that and I'm sure most Victorians will,'' Mr Andrews said.

"What I can't quite understand though is if there's going to be savings to Government why are motor registration fees going up, why is it costing now more than $700 to register a car.''

The Herald Sun revealed last year the TTF and RACV were urging the State Government to scrap the stickers.

The Government said at the time it had no plans to axe the labels.

Registration costs will not change.

[Charliewool]

I heard Vic Rego is going UP also.. (3%)

[EFFalcon]

Originally Posted by Jason[98.EL]

victoria will scrap rego stickers on Jan 1st 2014

BUT OUR REGO COST STAYS THE SAME

Estimated to save $20mil
5.4 million rego labels.

do you really want to save $4 on your rego?

[Bearman]

What will peeve me is that you won't be able to tell how much rego is on any car you are looking to buy. If a car is light on for rego it can be a barganing point. With no stickers you can't tell if it has 12 months or is about to expire.

[joolz]

Originally Posted by Charliewool

I heard Vic Rego is going UP also.. (3%)

Yeah Bracks introduced increases inline with CPI. Will be $800 in a few years and $1000 a year before 2020.

[EFFalcon]

Originally Posted by Bearman

What will peeve me is that you won't be able to tell how much rego is on any car you are looking to buy. If a car is light on for rego it can be a barganing point. With no stickers you can't tell if it has 12 months or is about to expire.

You can look it up online.
a reasonably small issue considering most people would be doing checks for written off status/encumbrance.

[stace650]

We don't have them in WA. You just look at the rego papers when you're buying a car. One issue seems to be that if you move or somehow you don't get your rego bill in the mail, you can end up driving an unregistered car without the sticker to remind you. But most people seem to get by ok.

[Silver Ghia]

Originally Posted by EFFalcon

You can look it up online.
a reasonably small issue considering most people would be doing checks for written off status/encumbrance.

Vicroads website for finding registration details: http://vre.vicroads.vic.gov.au/VRESearch.aspx

To get the result to your enquiry you need to decipher text characters, so you need to squint the right way. But all registration details come up, including the colour of the vehicle.

[mcnamg]

WA has an SMS reminders service you can register your vehicles on their website and it will remind you when your Rego is due for renewal apparently costs them less than the printing and posting of rego stickers.

[prydey]

do we really need this discussion every time another state decides to go down this path?

even SA has been sticker free for a couple of years now. you know your slow on the uptake when even SA can beat you to the punch

[Spurious]

Originally Posted by mcnamg

WA has an SMS reminders service you can register your vehicles on their website and it will remind you when your Rego is due for renewal apparently costs them less than the printing and posting of rego stickers.

If people can't remember when their rego is due they shouldn't be driving! Stickers were ditched in TAS a few months ago. even though the gov' saved money on stickers I couldn't help but notice that rego fee's went up too. If their saving money then shouldn't that saving be passed on to the customer. Obviously not in this case.

[OCTANEBOSS]

Ditched in WA of few years now I think, the law here are trialing these new in car cameras that ID rego plates, confirm owner details, rego status & warrants if applicable i a few seconds. We still get the rego papers with first & final notice printed on them. I dont miss the sticker thing.

[MITCHAY]

The ACT will get rid of them from 1 July too.

It is a trivial amount for one person but collectively a lot of money that can be used elsewhere.

Honestly though just call it what it is. Don't crap on about wasting time and how inconvenient it is changing labels.

You've got bigger problems in life if changing a rego label takes so much effort even if it were a fleet.

[Vincenzo]

As of 1 July 2013, they are no longer needed in the NT. Not sure what will be the reminder system. I thought I heard the Chief Minister saying it is up to the individual to remember, though I may / am probably wrong.


Cheers Vincenzo

[MAD]

It would be nice if Vic followed suit on other motoring issues, not just the ones they feel like.

If Vicroads do their job as well a Civic compliance, we're all screwed. You might as well go door knocking to find your paper reminder.

[joolz]

Rego stickers helped police spot an unregistered vehicle. I guess cameras will replace them too!! It was handy when looking at a car and finding out the weight, year and rego expiry date. Now you need the internet for that and hope its on a database. Also in Victoria on the back they had emergency numbers and number for towtruck service.

[Wretched]

about time.

[GQ_Smooth]

Another thing us oldies have to lament.

"Back in my day, we had registration sticker that told you make, model, year, vin# expiry"

[MrMaestro]

I will miss the mild excitement of opening the renewal letter to see what colour they're doling out that year. It's the little things...

[bangm001]

Wow it aint that hard to remove the rego stickers, peel it off with fingers then a quick wipe with some metho....

[mik]

Originally Posted by redloamrules

Ditched in WA of few years now I think, the law here are trialing these new in car cameras that ID rego plates, confirm owner details, rego status & warrants if applicable i a few seconds. We still get the rego papers with first & final notice printed on them. I dont miss the sticker thing.

We noticed a plate recognition camera set up in a 7/11 not too long ago........... big brother is watching !
Edit: actually I didn't mind the rego labels (when I remembered to put them on), I did like being able to see the tare weight of the vehicle as well.

[Charliewool]

So no more saucer of water needed?

[MAD]

My latest rego sticker was put on with a month and a half left in that cycle.
Only did it cause a kind officer noticed it was an old colour during a RBT.

They're pointless for the most part. Having a sticker on your window does not mean the vehicle is registered. They don't need to be stamped at the post office to be official any more.

[sgt_doofey]

Originally Posted by Vincenzo

As of 1 July 2013, they are no longer needed in the NT. Not sure what will be the reminder system. I thought I heard the Chief Minister saying it is up to the individual to remember, though I may / am probably wrong.


Cheers Vincenzo

Here in SA, you still get a reminder mailed out to you with your registration certificate a month before it expires. You complete the registration certificate by simply entering in the receipt number after you've paid it and it's all good.
We also have an app released by Transport SA that can put a reminder in to the calendar on your smartphone. That's how I remind myself.

[Silver Ghia]

Originally Posted by Charliewool

So no more saucer of water needed?

Ahh, that brings back memories. I did perfect the method of removing the old transfer by letting it soak with a folded up wet tissue held up against it with gladwrap. Peeled off very easily then.

The only concern I have with no window stickers, is that at an accident scene you can't check whether the plates on a car that ran into me are legitimate. There would be enough things going on without spending time going online to check.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by sgt_doofey

Here in SA, you still get a reminder mailed out to you with your registration certificate a month before it expires. You complete the registration certificate by simply entering in the receipt number after you've paid it and it's all good.
We also have an app released by Transport SA that can put a reminder in to the calendar on your smartphone. That's how I remind myself.

Sounds like a well thought out system designed to be simple, user friendly and cost effective.

Have they privatised it?

[nstg8a]

I wish qld would do it as well, but when I was on the phone to qld transport on tuesday I asked them, and they said there is no immediate plans to do it here.

Given that they only just realised drivers licenses don't have to look like video shop cards from the 90s I'm not gonna hold my breath...

[sgt_doofey]

Originally Posted by flappist

Have they privatised it?

Probably outsourced it to begin with ;-)

[Whoosha]

Dont know how the Hot Rodders will cope with out the rego label telling them that there 34 repro its really a 70s Hi-Lux

[jpd80]

A few years ago I got dinged in a company ute with out of date rego even though I was assured that all vehicle regos
were paid in one batch on the tenth month. I still had to pay the fine but the copper was understanding of my plight,
told me no points but suggested my employer reimburse me. They did.

Maybe responsibility for registration in company vehicles should go to the legal owner, not the employee/driver?