Riot Ang
map-marker Melbourne, Victoria

VicRoads don't remind us and Victorian police have no mercy.

Today, my partner and I were pulled over by Victorian cops. We thought it was just a routine check, but as it turns out, the police wanted to fine us because my partner had forgotten to pay for the Car Registration fee. The Car Registration had only ended 4 days ago. Whilst I understand that not having your car registered IS breaking the law, what I don't agree with is 2 things: 1. The fact that we were slapped with a $705 fine. As a student working part time, it takes me 2 MONTHS to earn that much money. It seems EXCESSIVE to charge that ridiculous an amount when all we did was accidentally forget to pay for our Car Registration fee. 2. VicRoads makes no attempt to remind drivers that their Registration fee will be due soon. Think about this. All companies will ALWAYS give you a reminder that your bill is due soon or about to be overdue. Phone bills, electricity, water, rent - all these companies that provide you with their services will give you a cautionary reminder prior to charging you a late payment fee or stopping your services. Even the government will send you several letters to remind you to not miss the election! Why is a government statutory corporation not up to par with every other company in Australia?! On another point, I believe that the Victorian police should review the prices of their fines and the grounds on which they hand out fines. I would really like to know why not having your car registered gives reason to be slapped with a $705 fine. It is not like we were purposely doing it! What about parking and speeding fines? Those are intentional acts and they are not even HALF the amount of the fine for not having your car registration. I would understand if someone was trying to avoid paying for their registration to be hit with a fine this big. But we were not trying to weasel our way out of paying the fee, we simply forgot. In this world, people are busy. There are so many things that go on in our lives that sometimes we just need a gentle reminder. But it seems that VicRoads lacks understanding and care for its drivers. I am also extremely disappointed with the Victorian police. We were charged with this fine and were shown no understanding or mercy for the situation we were in. Even after immediately paying for the Registration fee on the spot, we were cruelly punished with an unreasonable fine of $705.
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Loss:
$705

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