It's the end of the month, and with that comes re-registry of certain vehicles in Airdrie.

 

In Airdrie, depending on the spelling of your last name, locals are given a month on which they must reregister their vehicles every year. Upon travelling to the Airdrie Registry on Edmonton Trail with valid proof of insurance, drivers can pay a fee and receive a sticker to place on their license plate.

 

Corporal Glenn Odishaw says that not doing so can result in a hefty fine.

 

"If people forget to register their vehicle, they can face a $310 fine as well as having their vehicle towed."

Even if the car is registered, drivers must place the sticker they received on the license plate, or they risk being pulled over.

 
"If they're displaying a plate that shows expired and it shows up on our system that they do have active registration, we are still able to write the $310 ticket for them. Generally though, in a circumstance like that, we will have a conversation with them just to see if they've actually registered their vehicle or if they're aware that their sticker fell off if that's the case or if they just haven't put the new sticker on yet," says Corporal Odishaw.
 
 
Despite having the ability to tow unregistered vehicles, Odishaw says that rarely happens.
 
 
"For the most part, we just write tickets. If we find a vehicle that hasn't been registered for like five or six months, that vehicle is going to get towed. Depending on the circumstances. Generally, if it's one to two days expired, we will write the ticket and send them (home)."
 
 
Odishaw says they see more people forgetting to register at the beginning of the month and watch out for it.
 
"We see it more prevalently at the beginning of the month. People forget, they get busy with life and they forget to register their vehicle. It happens, we understand it. But that's when we see it the most."
 
Odishaw says that although he understands people forgetting, it still doesn't excuse not registering your vehicle.
 
 
"Despite having the entire month to register their vehicle, people tend to wait until the end of the month and then all of a sudden the end of the month is here and now its Sunday. Then they (say) 'Oh, I forgot to register my vehicle'."
 
 
With the registry no longer sending out emails to remind locals it's time to re-register their vehicle, drivers tend to forget a little more often. However, Odishaw says drivers can still sign up for reminders at the registry.
 
 
"You can sign up for emails and/or text messages, you can both or one or the other. When you go to register your vehicle you just have to go through the process, let the person know when you're registering your vehicle that you want to sign up for email or text message or both alerts so you get notified."
 
 
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