OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – An Oklahoma man is raising questions about the amount of out-of-date car tags on the road. He reached out to News 4 for help, so we went searching for answers.
This viewer has been noticing and photographing these tags for a while now. He even started a Facebook group back in July dedicated to it.
“I think one of the paper tags I posted on there was dated 2020,” Mike Kahl told News 4. “So it was two years out of date and they’re still driving around on the road with it. Maybe we can get these people that are out there embarrassed enough that they’ll start taking care of what has to be done.
Kahl says once he started noticing these out-of-date tags, they became hard to miss – or forget.
“It just doesn’t seem fair that all of us that pay for our tag – and then these people are getting out here on the road, driving on the same roads we are and not paying for it,” Kahl said.
According to OHP, you have 30 days to get your vehicle registered with a license plate after purchase and there is no grace period with law enforcement.
“On a civil side, if you don’t get your tag in time, there are penalties for you not getting your tag past expiration, but they wait 30 days past that,” said Trooper Eric Foster. “That’s what that is. On the criminal justice side, there isn’t. It is illegal. You can be stopped and you can be cited.”
According to Foster, that citation will cost you $249. He says OHP noticed more expired tags on the road during the pandemic.
People fall on hard times and troopers can use discretion.
“However, whenever you get 60-90 days past due, you’re really removing my discretion,” Foster said. “That’s something very flagrant. Not only is it flagrant, it’s arrogant, you know your car can be towed, you know you can be stopped for it, yet you’re driving around anyway. Those are things that have to be corrected.”
Foster says often times if a tag is past due, the driver also has no valid drivers’ license or no insurance.
On the civil side, after your one month grace period, you’ll face a $1 penalty every day up to 100 days for not renewing your tag.
Service Oklahoma, a division of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, now administers vehicle registrations and renewals in the Sooner State.
“Service Oklahoma is available 24/7 for drivers in need of an Oklahoma car tag. If your tag is out of date, visit service.ok.gov, or visit any of our locations or licensed operators statewide for help.”