MORE than 2000 drivers a month are being caught driving uninsured vehicles and frustrated authorities warn they face financial ruin if involved in a crash.
Figures obtained by The Advertiser showed the number of unregistered vehicles caught by the Transport Department's 11 Safe-T-Cams has nearly doubled in the past year, jumping from 14,500 to 26,098.
The Motor Trade Association is warning more people are likely to be caught this year because the State Government has abolished registration stickers.
The figures do not include people identified as unregistered by police, who now use number plate recognition cameras to detect offenders.
From July 1, the State Government significantly increased fines for driving unregistered and uninsured.
The fine for driving unregistered has risen from $258 to $315, while driving an uninsured vehicle now incurs a further $582 fine, up from $517. There is also a $30 Victims of Crime Levy for each offence.
RAA senior legal adviser Graeme O'Dea said having a crash while driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle could "absolutely ruin your life".
"It is a concern that people are driving unregistered deliberately or otherwise," he said.
The new levy means those caught unregistered and uninsured are now slapped with $927 fines.
If the matter goes to court, the offender could face the maximum fine of $2500.
Drivers have 30 days between when their registration runs out and their third-party insurance also lapses.
"It is of specific concern that after the grace period of 30 days passes those vehicles are deemed to be uninsured," Mr O'Dea said.
"People who are driving those vehicles uninsured need to recognise that the risk they take is if they do injure somebody the Motor Accident Commission can legally chase them for whatever the cost of those injuries might be."
A Transport Department spokeswoman said the huge increase in Safe-T-Cam detections could be partly attributed to improved technology.
In February 2010 the grace period for an unregistered vehicle identified by the cameras was changed from 30 days to 21 days unregistered.
In March this year, it was further reduced to seven days.
Details of vehicles detected by Safe-T-Cams are sent to police for processing.
The police media unit did not respond to requests about the fines issued. However, the revenue generated by the fines last year would have amounted to between $7.5 million and $21 million.
The most prolific cameras were situated on Port Wakefield Rd at Globe Derby and the South-Eastern Freeway at Crafers. Those four cameras detected 25,382 unregistered vehicles between them.
Motor Accident Commission general manager corporate affairs Ben Tuffnell said registering a vehicle was important because it provided a compulsory third-party insurance policy.
The costs associated with serious injuries, such as spinal or brain injuries, could be millions of dollars. "It is disturbing that many people continue to neglect their responsibilities by driving an unregistered vehicle," Mr Tuffnell said.
MTA executive director John Chapman predicted that abolishing registration stickers would lead to more drivers being caught out because the stickers acted as a key reminder tool.
The MTA has reacted by selling reminder stickers that people can fix to their windscreens.
Mr Chapman was concerned at the size of the fine increases at a time when registration stickers were being abolished.
"I think that number (of people caught unregistered) will increase because people will inevitably forget to register their vehicle because there is no sticker there to act as a reminder," he said.
Government Enterprises Minister Gail Gago said motorists could access the EzyReg website, a hotline (1300 133 776) and iPhone and Android smart phone applications to check the status of their registration.
More than 30,000 inquires had already been undertaken using these tools.
"While registration stickers have been removed, vehicle owners will still receive their renewal invitations, with a slip to record details on, approximately six weeks before their registration is due," Ms Gago said.
"Feedback indicates most people do not rely on their registration stickers to check whether their vehicle is registered or not - they rely on the renewal invitation in the post."
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