NSW rego fines nearly double since labels dropped

Unknowing drivers have handed over close to $70 million to the state government in the past two years, with more than 110,000 caught driving unregistered since car rego stickers were discontinued.

The move to abolish stickers was sold to drivers as "making life easier", but with some drivers claiming they never received renewal reminders in the post, the annual errand has gone unnoticed, resulting in fines of more than $1200.

According to figures from the State Debt Recovery Office, 52,871 fine notices have been issued in the first 10 months of this year, raising more than $32.4 million.

That's almost double the $17.4 million raised in 2010, when only 34,085 fines were issued. In 2013, the first year of NSW having no visible registration stickers, 58,968 drivers were fined a total of $35.49 million.

Bangor father of three Rhett McGillicuddy has contributed more than $1800, forgetting to register a vehicle twice since 2013 because of the lack of written reminders.

"We were 200m from my house and there was a stationary cop who followed me and pulled me over and said, 'are you aware your car is unregistered?'"

"I had absolutely no idea," he said.

"I had all three kids across the back, there was no malice in it, I hadn't received any paperwork about it at all.

"It was a $600 fine - I was two days over." Again he failed to receive a reminder this year and was recently caught five weeks out of registration.

"I was driving around the whole time and hadn't been caught. The officer said the reminder - which I didn't get - wasn't mandatory, it was purely a courtesy letter," Mr McGillicuddy said.

"Life's busy enough to remember this on top of everything else. I've been driving for 13 years and have never forgot when I had the stickers - it's ridiculous." 

NSW Police Inspector Phil Brooks said drivers caught unregistered were fined $623 for using an unregistered vehicle, and another $623 for using an uninsured vehicle, tipping the fine to $1246 - more than four times the average green slip cost. A spokesman for the Roads and Maritime Service said motorists received information in the mail six weeks before their vehicle's registration was due.