Motorists have one year to get their vehicles tagged as of next month.

The Transport Control Department starts its Electronic Vehicle Registration (EVR) in June in an effort to crackdown on unregistered cars, motorbikes and trucks.

EVR is a system that electronically verifies whether a motorist has a valid registration. It works by placing a small tamper-proof sticker tag on the windscreens of vehicles at the time of registration, or renewal of registration.

The tags will be fitted to the vehicle by a TCD examination officer and will remain for the time the car, motorbike or truck is on Bermuda’s roads.

A Government spokesman said: “There will be a grace period of approximately one year for all vehicle owners to have the tags installed, and as of July 1, 2008, it is expected that all motor cars will have a vehicle tag.”

The tags will make it harder for drivers to use vehicles which are not insured or registered.

Unveiling the scheme in February, Minister for Transport and Premier Ewart Brown, said that about eight percent of vehicles fit into this category.

Dr. Brown said: “RFID (radio frequency identification) tags on each vehicle will interact with strategically placed readers around the Island to ensure that all vehicles are properly registered, insured and inspected.”

The new system will also reduce fraud because insurance companies will be able to transfer information directly to TCD.

TCD figures show there were 29,230 private cars in Bermuda in 2005 — and with trucks and motorbikes added, the total number equals one vehicle for each one of the Island’s 69,000 residents.

Taking these figures into account, this means more than 5,520 vehicles on Bermuda’s roads are not registered or insured.

For more information visit: www.tcd.gov.bm