Jan. 12, 2009 — Rental-car agencies in the territory need to make sure their vehicles are registered or face getting tickets, especially on St. John, police say.
"A recent traffic initiative on St. John highlighted the fact that many rental cars have overdue inspection stickers on their windshields," Police Commissioner James H. McCall said. "Although it is the responsibility of the officers to enforce traffic laws, we understand we must be sensitive to the St. John tourist economy when ticketing cars driven by visitors who have no knowledge or responsibility when it comes to inspecting and registering the rental vehicles."
Jerris Browne, director of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, offered to have individuals in his office make personal phone calls to the rental agencies on St. John. But he issued a warning of his own.
"It is not the job of the BMV to contact individuals or companies to request that they follow the law and inspect their vehicles," Browne said. "The police department and the BMV have their responsibilities to insure the public's safety on the roads and the owners of the vehicles have their responsibility."
The police department will continue to ticket unregistered vehicles, McCall said, noting that he has asked officers to be especially courteous to tourists driving unregistered rental vehicles.
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