VACC Supports Victoria Police's Summer Road Safety Campaign Following Worst Ever Vehicle Safety Figures

VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA – Dec 1, 2011: VACC, the peak automotive industry body in Victoria, has welcomed the introduction of Victoria Police’s summer road safety campaign.

Motorists can expect to be breath-tested, speed checked and monitored by police during the enforcement campaign, which runs until 8 January, 2012.

“We are targeting speed, we are targeting distracted drivers and we are targeting drink and drug drivers. Throughout our Summer Stay campaign, we will be moving our drug and alcohol buses into urban and regional centres and locking down entire areas. We all know what the key risks are – speed, alcohol and distraction. Stay alive this summer and stay away from the risks,” Head of Road Policing, Deputy Commissioner, Kieran Walshe, said.

As a consequence of the summer road safety campaign, police officers will have an opportunity to visually inspect vehicles they pull over. Drivers of vehicles found to be unsafe or unroadworthy will be served defect notices.

“We fully support Victoria Police officers taking the opportunity to inspect vehicles during the summer road safety campaign because there are more unsafe vehicles on our roads than people realise,” VACC Executive Director, David Purchase, said.

“Our final vehicle safety figures for the year make disturbing reading. Our research shows 40 per cent of vehicles on Victoria’s roads have a defect. Of the 2,307 cars tested during 2011 in our Five Point Safety Check program, 998 were found to have a defect – that’s two out of five cars.

“This is the worst set of figures we have ever recorded. The vehicle safety message is just not getting through to motorists and governments. We should be embarrassed by these statistics. They are simply unacceptable,” Mr Purchase said.

VACC advises motorists this holiday period to ensure their car is serviced by a professional and to ask participating VACC repairers for a free Five Point Safety Check. This is a voluntary additional vehicle safety check of the tyres, brakes, lights, steering and restraints, carried out when a car is serviced.