NSW - Go and remove your registration sticker.

[robbie]

What great news!!

From 1 January 2013, registration stickers will no longer be required for light vehicles up to 4.5 tonnes Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM). NSW Police use number plate recognition cameras to automatically detect if a vehicle is unregistered.

Please note: You must keep your current registration sticker on until 1 January 2013.

Removing labels for light vehicles simplifies the registration process, reduces red tape and will save time and money for the community and businesses.

What’s different for light vehicles?
•If your registration is due for renewal from 1 January 2013 you will not receive a registration sticker.
•From 1 January 2013 you will not need to display a registration sticker.

What you need to know
•All vehicles in NSW must have current registration.
•Registration renewal certificates will still be sent as a reminder to renew registration.
•NSW Police can check vehicle registration anytime by using on-the-spot camera technology.
•You can check the registration status of a vehicle anytime by completing a Free registration check online.

No more rego stickers for light vehicles < Registration < www.rta.nsw.gov.au

[Lemonskin]

Awesome. I'm registering my car in 2 weeks so I'll leave it on until then.

I assume they will no longer issue rego stickers? Or will it just be optional not to put it on?

[The_Hawk]

From what I understand it was a cost saving measure (IE don't have to pay to produce stickers anymore). Of course the cynic in me asks WTF? On the scale they produce the damn things they have to be worth very little and a few cents per rego increase wouldn't even be noticed.

NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell said the decision would benefit most of the state’s residents and businesses, and would save the government $575,000 in printing costs every year.

That said, it's probably more about the fact that the law enforcement peeps don't need them to identify you or your rego status so there is no point in having them (from their side of the fence). I know I used to glance at mine and say oh yeah, it due in <insert month here>, but otherwise I have never looked down and said "oh dear, that was last week...". that big bill for rego + green slip arriving in the mail tends to make sure I remember.

Now we all know that WA did this back in 2010 and SA in 2011.

The flip side to the argument is that without a rego sticker more people are likely to forget to rego their car, there have been calls in WA and SA to get the stickers back for just that reason. There have also been reports of cars driving interstate getting fined for not displaying their rego sticker even though they don't get one anymore :S

It will be interesting to see how this goes as only time will really tell.

[Ryan_R]

They're also handy when shopping for 2nd hand cars.

[JustCruisn]

There will be problems.. Jump in your mates car only to find out once pulled over that the rego expired = big fines car stuck on side of road etc.
If you have a sticker you can easily check before driving someone else's car; or a even a hire car, I've seen them with out of date stickers.

But maybe the NSW government wants you to forget or not be able to check so they can catch you and get more revenue?

[MattyT]

Speaking as a WA resident, I havent heard of a single complaint or issue with the stickers being gone now.

I think it's a great idea and I'm really surprised the rest of the country hasn't followed suit.

[Umai Naa!!]

Interestingly, I got booked 3 months ago for having an out of date label on the van. However, if there was no label on there at all, I could've continued with "Free abandon".

I'll keep putting the labels on until they stop sending me them.

[Diesel_vert]

Interestingly, I got booked 3 months ago for having an out of date label on the van. However, if there was no label on there at all, I could've continued with "Free abandon".

I'll keep putting the labels on until they stop sending me them.

To be fair, the label does state that 'old labels must be removed' and that it's 'against the law to leave them on'.

I would have thought a warning or asking you to rip it off then and there without penalty would have sufficed, but you must've caught him/her on a bad day.

[Candyman]

There will be problems.. Jump in your mates car only to find out once pulled over that the rego expired = big fines car stuck on side of road etc.
If you have a sticker you can easily check before driving someone else's car; or a even a hire car, I've seen them with out of date stickers.

But maybe the NSW government wants you to forget or not be able to check so they can catch you and get more revenue?

Having a rego sticker on the car has never been proof the car holds a current rego.

[leighaus]

no it hasnt, however its still a great indicator for boys in blue to do a check. Not every copper has ANPR access, which means more unregistered vehicles go undetected.