Push for more checks on older vehicles

YOUNG lives are being lost on Victorian roads because the government refuses to introduce mandatory annual roadworthiness checks for older vehicles, the Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce has said.

VACC chief executive Geoff Gwilym said poorly maintained older vehicles were contributing to the road toll.

“Research conducted by the

Monash University Accident Research Centre shows vehicle defects are a contributing factor in more than 6 per cent of crashes and periodic roadworthiness tests could reduce the number of crashes caused by vehicle defects by about 50 per cent,” he said.

He said research showed that roughly two-thirds of drivers and passengers killed on Victorian roads were in vehicles more than 10 years old.

“It’s likely that up to 10 per cent of the cars on our roads are unroadworthy,” he said.

The VACC has called on the state government to introduce an annual roadworthiness test for vehicles eight years old or more.

The system is similar to the one that operates in NSW. In that state, vehicles older than five years must past a roadworthiness test by a licensed mechanic.

“This initiative will save lives by reducing the number of deaths caused directly or indirectly by vehicle defects,” Mr Gwilym said.

Victoria’s road toll is up almost 13 per cent this year.

The Victorian government has baulked at the idea of roadworthiness checks because they impose another cost on low income earners. A Department of Transport spokesperson said there was no compelling evidence that annual checks would reduce the number of unroadworthy cars on the road.