When David Bond was pulled over by police and fined hundreds of dollars for driving his mother-in-law's car last year because its registration had just lapsed, he began wondering how many others had fallen foul of the law in recent years.
He was especially keen to investigate whether there had been a surge in fines for unregistered vehicles since the abolition of car rego stickers in early 2013. After all, a sticker on a car windscreen served as a reminder of the need to renew a registration.
"I was just genuinely interested to know whether people were getting unfairly done if they had legitimately forgotten [to renew their registration]," he said.
Using freedom of information laws, the senior lecturer at UTS' Business School requested data from the NSW government about infringements for unregistered vehicles over the past five years.
And he wasn't surprised. The data showed that infringements surged by 54 per cent to 78,696 between 2010 and 2015, leading to a near doubling of revenue for the government to $50 million.
The government abolished rego stickers more than three years ago, after a review found that their presence on windscreens was not a reliable indicator that vehicles were registered.
Dr Bond's analysis of the data shows that the biggest increase in infringements occurred the same year as rego stickers were abolished – up 21 per cent to 79,408 in 2013.
"It's hard to pin with certainty the reason ... but [the removal of stickers] does seem to have caused a bit of a jump," he said.
And it was drivers aged 64 and over who copped the biggest increase in fines – up by 148 per cent to 2918 over the five years.
The penalty for driving an unregistered light vehicle is $637 in NSW; for a heavy vehicle it is $1346 and four demerit points.
NRMA spokesman Peter Khoury said the increase in fines was most likely due to the rollout over the past few years of more speed and red-light cameras, and a boost to highway patrols.
"The number of people being fined wouldn't surprise me because there are so many ways to get caught," he said.
Technology in police vehicles now makes it much easier to detect unregistered vehicles.
Mr Khoury said he did not believe the removal of stickers was a major factor in the surge in infringement notice for unregistered vehicles.
Motorists were often reminded of the need to renew their registration when they had to update their insurance.
"I don't think the community would be too concerned that people who are driving unregistered vehicles get caught. No one wants to be hit by people who are unregistered," he said.
The peak motoring body supported the abolition of rego stickers in 2013.
Revenue raised from fines for infringements is funnelled back into road safety campaigns and other measures such as subsidising learner driving for people from low-income families.
A spokeswoman for Roads and Maritime Services said targeted compliance operations and new technology had made it easier to detect unregistered vehicles.
"Those who allow registration to lapse are breaking the law and placing themselves and other road users at financial risk," she said.
"It is the responsibility of motorists to ensure registration is paid, just like any other account."
About 460 police vehicles in NSW now have cameras that recognise number plates.
The Combined Pensioners and Superannuants Association's manager of research and advocacy, Amelia Christie, said it had become easier for those over 65 to renew their registrations.
Holders of pensioner, disability and carers cards are exempt from paying for car registration.
