Owning a vehicle can be expensive. There's gas, tires, regular maintenance and yearly inspections, and it can all add up quickly. Unfortunately, some New Brunswick drivers are resorting to underhanded and illegal practices to save money, and that is something that can end up costing people their lives.
Every year, the New Brunswick RCMP's Tactical Traffic Enforcement Unit stops cars with expired inspection stickers. What's worse, we also frequently encounter people who have falsified inspection stickers. Our unit is constantly on the lookout for people who are trying to avoid their annual inspection – if you're driving without a valid inspection sticker, you will be caught.
An expired sticker is easy for police to spot because the colour changes from year to year – we can see right away that you haven't had your car inspected recently. You can be fined $172.50 for not having a current inspection certificate, and depending on the condition of your vehicle, the police officer who stops you can order to have it towed on the spot at your expense. That's a lot of money, especially when you consider the annual fee for a motor vehicle inspection is just $35.
If your vehicle isn't towed on the spot, you are expected to drive straight to a garage and get your inspection done immediately. It's definitely not a "get out of jail free" card. If you're stopped again - even if it's just a day or two later – and you're still driving with an expired sticker, you could be fined again.
Falsified inspection stickers are even more troubling for the RCMP's Tactical Traffic Enforcement Unit, because it shows an active will to deceive police and other motorists. Often, people are using falsified stickers because they know their vehicles won't pass inspection, which makes them a hazard to themselves, their passengers and every other motorist on the road. We have stopped vehicles with fake inspection stickers that have had brakes in deplorable condition, or vehicles that are so rusted or damaged that it's hard to believe they're driveable, let alone capable of passing inspection.
Using an imitation of an inspection certificate will result in a fine of $292.50, and a one-way trip for your car to the nearest garage at your expense. Not only that, your vehicle will be flagged as unsafe to the Department of Justice and Public Safety's Motor Vehicle Branch. That means a provincial Motor Vehicle Inspector will have to be present when your vehicle is inspected by a garage, who will ensure that anything wrong with it is identified and resolved before it goes back on the road. That can be an expensive and lengthy process that can be avoided by ensuring your car is inspected every year and that it's maintained in road-ready condition.
If you buy a used vehicle and the previous owner says it's been inspected recently, make sure you do your own due diligence. Ask for the yellow copy of the inspection report, as well as the name of the garage that did the inspection, and examine the stickers yourself to make sure they're legitimate. Even if you didn't own the vehicle when the inspection was purportedly done, you can still be fined for driving a vehicle with expired or falsified inspection stickers.
It's a good idea for all drivers to keep the yellow copy of their inspection report in their vehicle at all times, along with their proof of insurance and registration. If you're stopped by police and there are any questions about the validity of your inspection sticker, it can help speed up the process by providing the paper copy of your inspection report. And a warning to any unscrupulous people out there, police can tell the difference between a falsified inspection report and a legitimate one too!
If you have information about people driving with falsified inspection stickers, or if you have information about the production or sale of falsified stickers, please contact your local police or Crime Stoppers.
Cpl. Ghislain David
New Brunswick RCMP
Tactical Traffic Enforcement Unit