The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island says the state’s Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV) gave inadequate notice to nearly 30,000 Rhode Island motorists who received late renewal forms for vehicle registrations set to expire in July.
Vehicle registrations that were originally scheduled to go out June 11 were all sent by July 14 after “a failed computer file transfer” halted their mailing by about a month, said DMV spokesperson Paul Grimaldi.
As a result of the delay, 29,145 affected vehicle owners now have through Aug. 31 to renew their registration — which can be done online.
The delay was announced via a news release on July 11 and is featured at the top of the DMV’s website.
“We appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding as we worked quickly to resolve this issue,” DMV Administrator Walter “Bud” Craddock said in the July 11 statement.
In a July 17 letter to Craddock, ACLU of Rhode Island Executive Director Steven Brown commended the DMV for the extension but said he believed most of the affected drivers were likely unaware of their forms getting sent out late.
“Absent receipt of a timely notice sent out by the vendor, they may not realize that their registration is expiring, much less that this extension has been granted,” Brown wrote. “The same lack of knowledge may hold true for police departments across the state.”
Drivers caught operating with an expired registration face an $85 fine. Registrations that have been suspended because of lapsed insurance or expired inspection can be reinstated for a fee of $253.50, Grimaldi said. Brown asked what steps the DMV took to ensure police don’t pull over drivers next month still awaiting their updated tags.
In his response Wednesday, Craddock wrote that a notice was sent to the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association and that Rhode Island State Police were tasked with posting it on the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System.
“While this is considered ample time for individuals to renew their registrations, the decision was made to extend the renewal period in case some were out of state for summer vacation,” Craddock wrote.
Sidney Wordell, executive director for the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association, confirmed via text message that notices were received and distributed to all municipal police departments. Rhode Island State Police Lt. Col. Robert Creamer also confirmed that agency posted the required notice to the national system.
This story was originally published by the Rhode Island Current.
