A state law that went into effect this month gives car buyers in Oklahoma less time to get tags for their vehicles.
Senate Bill 2035, dubbed the Mason Treat Act, gives Sooner State residents two days to pre-register a recently bought vehicle and ten days to obtain a temporary metal plate from Service Oklahoma.
The law is named after Senate Pro Tempore Greg Treat’s son, who was nearly killed with Canadian County Sherriff’s Deputy Jose Tayahua-Mendoza during a routine traffic stop in January.
Mason was pulled over on the side of I-40 due to the lack of a plate.
“He was hit 70 miles an hour from behind with a truck carrying a flatbed of steel building materials,” Sen. Treat said.
Treat said he hopes that by shortening the registration window from 30 days, law enforcement won’t have to pull drivers over for not having tags, avoiding possible accidents.
Not everything about vehicle registration in Oklahoma will change with the law.
“You still have the two months to get your excise and sales tax paid and any liens released from the previous owner,” Treat said.
Mason continues to recover from his injuries months later.
“[I] can’t play any sports anymore,” Mason, who was a linebacker, said. “First football game is going to be hard to watch.”
Mason said he has no memory of the day of his accident.
The new law was signed by Governor Kevin Stitt in April and took effect on Sep. 1.
