Last week, the Registry of Motor Vehicles and the Stoughton Police Department conducted a crackdown on expired inspection stickers and rejection stickers on Route 27 in Stoughton. According to the Patriot Ledger, officers cited more than 100 drivers in a 4 hour period.
The failure to inspect a motor vehicle is a violation of G.L. c. 90 § 20 and a civil motor vehicle infraction which carries a fine of $50.00. Non-inspection does not trigger 4 year habitual traffic offender revocations. However, non-inspection can trigger a 60 day 7 surchargeable events license suspension. It is a violation of the inspection sticker law to operate a vehicle with an expired inspection sticker or to own a vehicle with an expired sticker.
The enforcement action in Stoughton was part of a larger statewide crackdown on drivers who do not get their vehicles inspected as the law requires. Prior to conducting this operation in Stoughton, the Registry conducted a similar operation in Boston.
Bloggers have criticized the enforcement effort, claiming that it was not the best use of police resources.