Fake Vehicle Inspection Stickers Discovered in St. Landry Parish

That little sticker that is supposed to be affixed in the lower-left corner of the windshield of your car can certainly cause problems for a driver in Louisiana. The problems usually aren't major and can be remedied by a visit to any authorized State of Louisiana Motor Vehicle Inspection station. In fact, the two main problems most of us have with our stickers is, one, they won't stay stuck, and two, we've forgotten they've expired.

A valid state inspection sticker is required for a motor vehicle to operate on Louisiana's public roadways. So, law enforcement officers are trained to spot out of date stickers much like an eagle can spot a fish in the water from 500 feet. There are fines that can be levied against you if your sticker is out of date or your car could be pulled off the roadway until such time it can be inspected.

In St. Landry Parish, the City Marshal's Office in Eunice is reporting a rise in fake inspection stickers there. You might wonder "why would someone fake an inspection sticker, they're only $10 bucks or $20 if you go for multiple years"?

The answer to that question is usually, the vehicle can't pass inspection and the repairs to make it road ready cost more than $10 or $20 bucks. So, the driver of that car might opt for one of the fake inspection stickers that have surfaced in the area.

The fakes are usually made of paper and taped to the inside of the vehicle windshield. The paper is often faded and weathered looking to make it look authentic. As you can see from the Facebook post by the Eunice City Marshal's Office from a distance the fake could fool the untrained eye.

Now, the trained eye can spot these fakes and when they do, there are some pretty hefty fines and other punishments that could be coming the guilty party's way. For example, a person using a fake Motor Vehicle Inspection sticker could get up to six months in jail or pay a fine of $500.

Then there is also that "whole driving an unsafe vehicle on the roadway around the rest of us". Trust me, we don't want you and your baling wire buggy to be breaking down in front of us or losing a wheel while we're next to you on the Interstate. Get your car fixed. Get it inspected. Do what's right. Everyone else can do it, just maybe you can too.