Call to fine cars that break down. Vic.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by DJM83

I reckon an annual RWC should be mandatory. When i was living in NSW the amount of poorly maintained cars was no where near as bad as in Vic or QLD (plenty up here)

But stick with the 3 year rule (No car 3 years or newer needs one)

It's 5 years now

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by sudszy

Im sure they'll seriously consider not pushing the empty envelope again if they know there is a painful consequence for doing so, perhaps that's why planes running out of fuel isnt of such frequency.

You saying the fine (if true) was justified... just so we are clear here.

[nstg8a]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

I dunno if it still happens in New Zealand, but when they used to show that Motorway Patrol, the police cars were equipped with large rubber push bars, to push cars off the freeway to get traffic flowing again.

yup still happens, also here in brissy ive seen a double cab ute in the clem 7 with what looks like shunting bars on the front of it, im guessing to do the same thing. never seen it used though.

with the rwc thing, hell yes bring it in.

nz you have to get your car inspected every 6 months once its 3 years old, if its younger its every 12 months.
would get a lot of the junkheaps of the road straight away.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by nstg8a

yup still happens, also here in brissy ive seen a double cab ute in the clem 7 with what looks like shunting bars on the front of it, im guessing to do the same thing. never seen it used though.

with the rwc thing, hell yes bring it in.

nz you have to get your car inspected every 6 months once its 3 years old, if its younger its every 12 months.
would get a lot of the junkheaps of the road straight away.

Every 6 months... pretty stringent! Whats the cost of that inspection? In NSW it's $33.

And then there are states that have no inspections at all.....

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

Anybody here never run out of fuel...?

I never have ran out of fuel.
If my low fuel light comes on I pull into the next servo.

I don't think people should be fined for breaking down.
However running out of fuel is different. As long as your fuel gauge is working you should see you are getting low.

[AWD Chaser]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

The "breakdown" is a pretty vague term and an obvious money spinner.

You could tie this in with the other vauge term - Hoon - Improper Use of a Motor Vehicle - would driving a poorly maintained vehicle, or broken vehicle constitute improper use of a motor vehicle?

[sudszy]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

You saying the fine (if true) was justified... just so we are clear here.

clearly running out of fuel was/is negligence so a fine is justifiable.

size of the fine? whatever is needed to change people's behaviour. Perhaps they means test the fines in NZ, once she let them know she was on a good salary as a solicitor they upped it a bit

As someone who is exempt from fines(its conditional on obeying the laws though ) I do have a laugh when people complain about the government is raising the price of traffic/parking fines and claim it will raise their cost of living

[Keepleft]

Germany will fine you for running out of fuel on the freeway, but not for breaking-down.

[gtxb67]

Originally Posted by Ben73

I never have ran out of fuel.
If my low fuel light comes on I pull into the next servo.

I don't think people should be fined for breaking down.
However running out of fuel is different. As long as your fuel gauge is working you should see you are getting low.

i think i agree with this. it would be too hard to determine if a break down was due to negligence or not
it certainly isn't fair to other road users if some idiot cannot put enough fuel in or drives a piece of crap that is almost guaranteed to break down

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

I remember one of those cop TV shows (the one that's from NZ), where a woman in a new VW Beetle ran out of fuel and had to pull into the breakdown lane of one of the highways around Auckland. The cops turned up, and handed her some ridiculous fine (I'm sure it was up near a grand) for running out of fuel. The woman was a solicitor and was stunned to silence by it...as would anyone with half a fricking brain. The cops said seriously that if you let your car run out of fuel, you shouldn't be driving on the highway as, in not so many words, you aren't a competent motorist.
Anybody here never run out of fuel...?

The "breakdown" is a pretty vague term and an obvious money spinner. Hell, I can rebuild engines, work on cars and motorbikes competantly, and have restored three motorbikes and four cars...but if our new G6E suddenly stopped on the side of the road, I wouldn't have a clue where to start beyond opening the bonnet and staring blankly at it.

I ran out of fuel once due to a lpg sender which gave a false reading on my fuel gauge meaning I was running on petrol and not realizing it. Didn't even know this happened till I ran out of fuel and the RAA came and test the LPG sender. I had no idea something like this would happen.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by blueoval

I ran out of fuel once due to a lpg sender which gave a false reading on my fuel gauge meaning I was running on petrol and not realizing it. Didn't even know this happened till I ran out of fuel and the RAA came and test the LPG sender. I had no idea something like this would happen.

You see... now if you were fined, you would have remembered to not do that again.....

Tisk Tisk.....

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by sudszy

clearly running out of fuel was/is negligence so a fine is justifiable.

size of the fine? whatever is needed to change people's behaviour. Perhaps they means test the fines in NZ, once she let them know she was on a good salary as a solicitor they upped it a bit

As someone who is exempt from fines(its conditional on obeying the laws though ) I do have a laugh when people complain about the government is raising the price of traffic/parking fines and claim it will raise their cost of living

There is also something very clear... based on your response.........

Oh... never mind. Don't think I have been barred yet, rather not.

[XR_6falcon]

I hope the person who came up with this idea breaks down and gets a fine.

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

You see... now if you were fined, you would have remembered to not do that again.....

Tisk Tisk.....

I never ever ran out of fuel before....ever until this time. The fuel sender had water get on the terminals on the ecu due to a leaky window seal which again, I had no idea of. How was I supposed to know the sender wasn't working? I wouldn't have known right up until I ran out of fuel. Stupid thing is, the gauge was showing full from the LPG side which is what I was on at the time, not the petrol side. So it seemed a bit far fetched to have ran out of fuel at the time the car conked out.

Anyway, back on topic, there was a slip lane to pull off into which did not restrict traffic and the RAA was able to assist and notify me of the issue I was unaware of. Not due to negligence. Why can't the authorities provide emergency slip lanes for instances like this rather than fine a person which still doesn't provide a solution?

[Dezza]

Isn't it penalty enough that you have to wait around for the tow truck to come and pick the car up? I know when I've broken down, the last place I've wanted to be is on the side of the road, but unfortunately it does happen. How was I to predict that I'd snap a clutch cable in peak hour traffic? What about when my car started surging while driving to my mates, then cut out completely about a minute later? I was nowhere near home when it happened, so it was a major inconvenience. That was a bad day. What effect would the fine have but to simply make the day even worse?

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by blueoval

I never ever ran out of fuel before....ever until this time. The fuel sender had water get on the terminals on the ecu due to a leaky window seal which again, I had no idea of. How was I supposed to know the sender wasn't working? I wouldn't have known right up until I ran out of fuel. Stupid thing is, the gauge was showing full from the LPG side which is what I was on at the time, not the petrol side. So it seemed a bit far fetched to have ran out of fuel at the time the car conked out.

Anyway, back on topic, there was a slip lane to pull off into which did not restrict traffic and the RAA was able to assist and notify me of the issue I was unaware of. Not due to negligence.

Mate, I hear ya, my comment was sarcastic.... Cars are machines, and machines break down. Not all parts on a car are servicable and that means every now and again a car will break down through no fault of the driver.

And this is why I disagree with any BS breakdown fine....

[onfire]

Originally Posted by blueoval

this will open a can of worms. Imagine the implications if you broke down, get fined for it, and then you sue the car manufacturer for a part that was the cause of the break down to cover the costs???

I agree, some things are due to owner neglect, but what if its a manufacturer issue? Do you think they will cover the fines based on your location of break down? I doubt it.

I think that's the difference right there. If the car is a pos, yes fine the owner.

A genuine problem, sure.. you'd probably have the option to dispute it as you would a speeding or parking fine.

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Mate, I hear ya, my comment was sarcastic.... Cars are machines, and machines break down. Not all parts on a car are servicable and that means every now and again a car will break down through no fault of the driver.

And this is why I disagree with any BS breakdown fine....

Sorry Jason, Im just passionate about being fair, and this just reeks of unfairness to me.

[nstg8a]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

Every 6 months... pretty stringent! Whats the cost of that inspection? In NSW it's $33.

And then there are states that have no inspections at all.....

Yeah about $40 -50 from memory.

But rego is a lot cheaper so it evens out a bit.

But really, you get used to it, its an inconvenience and that's about it.

[sudszy]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

You see... now if you were fined, you would have remembered to not do that again.....

Tisk Tisk.....

My guess is a random malfunction of gauges would be low on the causes for people running out of fuel and discretion could be used in such cases, though it would be difficult to distinguish this from those that know their gauge has malfunctioned and have simply not bothered getting it fixed.

That being said, I am more than familiar with the problems of lpg senders and whether the car is on petrol or lpg etc and have even driven cars for years at a time when neither the odometer or fuel gauge worked, its not rocket science to work out you need to put fuel in it if you keep driving.

[burnz]

Originally Posted by joolz

For those that cant read the news article link>>


MOTORING and transport groups have called for the owners of cars and trucks that break down on freeways during peak hour to be penalised.

This follows a spate of incidents in which single vehicles have delayed thousands of frustrated motorists by conking out on CityLink or the Monash Freeway.

VicRoad's decision last week to slash the number of emergency crews by half - a response to state budget cuts - is likely to make the situation worse.

Road experts said many mechanical breakdowns were caused by poor maintenance and were avoidable.

More than 451 trucks broke down on CityLink last year alone - an average of two per day.

About 3199 cars - or nine a day - stopped on freeways and major arterial roads.

Figures from the RACV reveal motorists were most likely to have their journey blocked by stalled vehicles on the Monash Freeway, with more than 670 calls for assistance in the first three months of this year.

Victorian Transport Association CEO Phil Lovel, said: "There has to be some kind of a penalty.

"It can't keep happening and ruining the efficiency of our road system."

National Motorists Association of Australia spokesman Michael Lane said while fines would be difficult to enforce in court, some sort of stick was needed to make drivers accept responsibility for their actions.

He called for mandatory road worthiness checks to be imposed after a suspect breakdown.

Mr Lovel went further, stating VicRoads should inspect the maintenance records of serial offenders, including trucking companies.

CityLink spokeswoman Natasha Whalley said mechanical failure accounted for 31 per cent of all incidents attended by emergency crews on the toll road in 2010-11.

"When a car or truck breaks down on CityLink, we can respond on average in approximately six minutes," she said.

"However, depending on the nature of the breakdown, particularly for trucks, it can take 30 to 40 minutes to clear the scene."

VicRoads manager traffic and incident management, Keith Weegberg said there was virtually no spare capacity on our major roads during peak periods when things went wrong.

i have to ask? how many of those cars were tennex cars.

[XAGSV8]

My thoughts

Flat tyre = no fine
Run out of fuel = fine
Break down more then three times in a six month period causing traffic delays = fine

[HUNTER8]

Originally Posted by joolz

This follows a spate of incidents in which single vehicles have delayed thousands of frustrated motorists by conking out on CityLink or the Monash Freeway.
\VicRoads manager traffic and incident management, Keith Weegberg said there was virtually no spare capacity on our major roads during peak periods when things went wrong.

If it's anything like Adelaide the main cause of delay is the roadworks being done on just about any main road you drive on.

[Jim Goose]

Had to laugh, watching the news there was a story that in one place in the USA (New Jersey?) Police has started to issue tickets to people texting on mobile phones while walking!!

Seems that too many people walk out in front of cars and get run over....

[nstg8a]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

Had to laugh, watching the news there was a story that in one place in the USA (New Jersey?) Police has started to issue tickets to people texting on mobile phones while walking!!

Seems that too many people walk out in front of cars and get run over....

lol, i saw that too... cracked me up. should let them get run over... they wont do it again then.

[Franco Cozzo]

Hell no to annual inspections, is it like the Vic RWC where they will fail stuff like aftermarket mods?

You'd be pretty ****ed off if you did for example a full exhaust, then had to put the stock one back on for the inspection, then put the aftermarket one back on after you passed.

[eyes87]

Originally Posted by EATHSV

They fine you for leaving your window down an inch in tassie. Aparently it encourages theves to break into your car....
I asked a police officer about it and he said that if the windows up they won't take the oppitunity..... I replied that if they weren't breaking into my car I wouldn't take the oppitunity beat them to death with my tyre iron.. he laughed.

And leaving your car unlocked. Had a mate get fined a month or so back. Pulled up at the atm. Got out and while withdrawing money a cop crossed the road, opened the door and when my mate asked what he was doing cop replied with it's illegal to leave your car unlocked. Then booked him. They also checked every car in the local shopping center car park that day as well.
Booked heaps.

[vanman_75]

Originally Posted by nstg8a

Yeah about $40 -50 from memory.

But rego is a lot cheaper so it evens out a bit.

But really, you get used to it, its an inconvenience and that's about it.

dont want to argue as i agree with the sentiment ...BUT , i got four vehicles ...the law states i must not drive an unroadworthy car on the road ...FINE them , the project car that i continue rego on will not see a road till it is , 5 year new car tollerance ...why i do about 250000 km in that time ,on my new cars . 5 sets of tyres , 25 services ,numerous mechanical parts , why once a year force some twit who cant be stuffed actually looking after his car change tyres , its probably all most would do .

even though i have run out of fuel ( faulty gauge old car ) i err on the safe side these days in my old cars .so i can sorta see that not being a bad idea , but it still fails in the big scheme ( just a fine for a fine sake )
my 2 cents

[blueoval]

Originally Posted by eyes87

And leaving your car unlocked. Had ate get fined a month or so back. Pulled up at the atm. Got out and while withdrawing money a cop crossed the road, opened the door and when my mate asked what he was doing cop replied with it's illegal to leave your car unlocked. Then booked him. They also checked every car in the local shopping center car park that day as well.
Booked heaps.

What a joke. Society has gone to the crap heap if they are fining for petty stuff like that.

[JC]

Originally Posted by eyes87

And leaving your car unlocked. Had a mate get fined a month or so back. Pulled up at the atm. Got out and while withdrawing money a cop crossed the road, opened the door and when my mate asked what he was doing cop replied with it's illegal to leave your car unlocked. Then booked him. They also checked every car in the local shopping center car park that day as well.
Booked heaps.

Better use of police resources to issue you a fine than try and catch the people who stole your stuff - at least to the govt cofffers!

I agree with fines for those that cause a traffic delay. So who do they send the bill to for the lights changing from green to red????