RICHMOND, Va. (WTVR) -- If you cruise around Central Virginia long enough, you’re sure to spot vehicles with out-of-state tags, some of them expired.
CBS 6 News spotted a Lexus that one viewer pointed out. It’s a car he says he sees almost daily with an expired tag from September 2010.
To some drivers like Arnitra Whitfield, it just doesn’t make sense.
“They should realize once you move here you just have to pay the taxes for Virginia. Then you’re still not paying them at home, so you’re getting over both ways," Whitfield said.
Others said when they see tags that have expired years ago, they wonder just how safe it is for that car to be on the road. Their fear is that the driver has not been completing state inspections either.
"Because during that inspection, they check your brakes, your belts and see if the car is operating properly,” driver Kenneth Whitfield added.
DMV reps told CBS 6 News that by law, a newcomer to Virginia must title and register his or her vehicle. They have 30 days to do so and must also surrender their out of state tags.
However, active duty military service members, reserve and National Guard members whose vehicles are licensed and titled in another state, are exempted.
In Virginia if you register your car and get new tags, you must also show that you have current insurance. If not, you could face a $500 uninsured motorist fee.
A typical registration could run you between $20 and $40, depending on the size of the vehicle.
DMV reps said these are fees that don’t go into Virginia’s coffers when drivers try to skirt the law.
