DIRTY CAR? – YOU COULD BE FINED $448 AND LOOSE 3 POINTS!
Did you know that it is an offence for drivers and registered operators of vehicles to have their rear number plate obscured?
Although it is barely spoken about, it has been the law for many years now that your number plates must be visible. A recent warning which was posted on the Highway Patrol Command – NSW Police Force Facebook page could make you a little more cautious in respect of keeping your car clean. Last week, the driver of a Toyota Prado was hit with a huge fine because they forgot to clean one crucial part of their vehicle — the number plate.
A photo uploaded to the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command Facebook page showed the rest of the car was completely clean but the number plate was caked in dirt. This meant police were unable to read it, resulting in a $448 fine and three demerit points for obscuring the licence plate This post received various views from the users of social media. Some arguing the penalty was too high, others arguing that it is important to allow safety on our roads.
THE LAW
Pursuant to Regulation 25 of the Road Transport (Vehicle Registrations) Regulations 2017 :
“The vehicle number-plate issued by the Authority for a vehicle must be permanently affixed to the vehicle so that the number-plate is at all times: in an upright position that is substantially parallel to the vehicle’s axles, not more than 1.3 metres above ground level, the number-plate is not obscured, defaced or otherwise illegible, the numbers on the number-plate are clearly visible from any point that is up to 20 metres from the number-plate, and within an arc of 45 degrees from the surface of the number-plate above or to either side of the vehicle, and any cover on the number-plate is clear, clean, untinted and flat over its entire surface”.
THE PENALTY
According to the law if you use a vehicle with obscured, defaced or illegal number plates you will be fined a total of $448 for this offence and lose 3 demerit points for a light weight vehicle or over $600 for a heavy vehicle and also lose 3 demerit points. The Courts can also issue fines of up to $2,200 for this offence.
LAWS BY STATE
Each state has their own laws for having a dirty number plate, they are:
Qld – fine up to $104
NSW – fine of $448, three demerit points
SA – fine up to $534
VIC – fine up to $161
WA – fine up to $100
NT – fine up to $70
TAS – fine up to $163
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
Although we do agree that the penalty is quite high, in our opinion, it is very important to allow your number plates to be shown not only to the Police but also to the others because the position and visibility of number–plates plays an important part in helping ensure road safety.
So next time your scrubbing your car be more mindful on your number plates and don’t neglect them! Otherwise it will end up costing you a heavy fine and a few demerit points!
WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT OTHER INTERESTING TRAFFIC OFFENCES?
For a list of all traffic offences to watch out for, please visit National Criminal Lawyer’s ® dedicated page on traffic offences.