Farm Director KC Sheperd spoke with Greg Treat, President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate about the Mason Treat Act which was recently signed into law by Governor Kevin Stitt.
The act is named after Treat’s son who was injured in a car accident on January 5th and spent five days in ICU and another 15 days still hospitalized. The accident was caused by a man driving across the country without adequate sleep, but it was Oklahoma’s tag laws that put Mason in harm’s way.
“We had purchased the vehicle from a private individual,” Treat explained. “In Oklahoma prior to this law being signed, you legally had up to sixty days without a tag on your car.”
The Treats had purchased the Dodge Charger for Mason, and he was driving it to basketball practice on the morning of the accident. He was pulled over by a Sherriff’s deputy for not having a tag on his car.
“That is the way you operated in Oklahoma when you bought a car from a private party and were waiting on liens and other things to be released to be able to pay your taxes and be fully compliant,” Treat said. “He had a bill of sale and insurance verification in his car and had complied with Oklahoma’s law to the letter.”
The exhausted driver, pulling a flatbed trailer full of steel and with three passengers, was driving 70 miles per hour when he rear-ended Mason where he was pulled off of I-40 with the Deputy Sherriff. Mason almost lost his life.
“As soon as we knew that Mason would live, I wanted to make sure that no other Oklahoman had to endure that for that reason. Obviously, we can’t prevent every accident from happening, but we could clear up Oklahoma’s law to make sure people aren’t having to drive around without a tag for a long period of time,” Treat said.
The Bill takes effect on September 1, 2024. While it will render temporary, paper tags that buyers typically leave a dealership with only valid for 10 days, it provides for a pre-registration process for vehicles purchased from a dealership or individual to utilize. Service Oklahoma tag agents will send a metal tag in the mail and buyers still have sixty days to come into compliance after the purchase date of their vehicle.
“My heart is about public safety, protecting the traveling public and law enforcement,” Treat said. “The main impetus is for law enforcement to realize, ‘Hey, this person is driving this car legally,’ and not have to unnecessarily pull them over and put themselves or other drivers in jeopardy.”
While Mason survived the crash, he still struggles with a traumatic brain injury. “Doctors had to remove the first quarter section of his skull on the right side, cauterize some veins, and get the swelling down, then reattach the section of his skull. He had seven or eight broken ribs and continues to experience pain throughout his body seven months after the accident. He still goes to physical therapy and counselling. He is a sixteen-year-old boy who just wants to be able to play football, and probably won’t be able to again for the rest of his life,” Treat said.
He praised God that Mason is still with them and expressed gratitude to the people across the state and country who reached out to say that they were thinking about and praying for Mason during his ordeal.
Treat recognizes that the new law is a change for Oklahomans and the last thing he wants is for it to be confusing or make things more difficult. “These things should be clear and straightforward, “Treat said. “We want Oklahomans to know exactly how it is going to work. So if you purchase a car before September 1, the process will remain the same. If you purchase a car on September 1 or after, you will use the new process.”
More information can be seen at readysettag.com which includes a FAQ section. Service Oklahoma will be doing some outreach to educate the public about the new process.
