17 October 2011
With the startling results of its quarterly report revealing that 36.7 per cent of vehicles on Victoria’s roads are unsafe by its standards, VACC – the state’s peak automotive industry body – has called for the Government to give Victorian Police the resources to do year-round random vehicle checks.
In its effort to help reduce the Victorian road toll, VACC runs a vehicle safety campaign in which it collects and reports its Five Point Safety Check data. The Five Point Safety Check is an additional service provided gratis to motorists getting their car serviced by participating VACC repairers and covers the five key safety features of a vehicle – tyres, brakes, lights, steering and restraints.
Following the findings that there are so many – one in three, to really spell out just how bad it is – unroadworthy vehicles in use, VACC has voiced its dissatisfaction with the one-off roadside blitzes currently conducted by the Victorian Police and is pushing for the Government to introduce mandatory testing throughout the year.
“If motorists knew they could be pulled over at any time, in any place, as they can for random drink and drug tests, they would pay more attention to the condition of their vehicle,” said VACC executive director David Purchase.
Mandatory testing might not be a reality yet but, even if the Government ratifies it, drivers still need to accept all the responsibilities that come with owning a car, especially safety. Keep yourself and others out of trouble by opting in for the additional Five Point Safety Check.