REMEMBER WHEN

GOLD COAST BULLETIN Friday August 13, 2004

GOLD Coast City Council vehicles were involved in an accident nearly every day of the year, costing ratepayers almost half a million dollars over the previous 12 months.

And council workers admitted responsibility in more than 70 per cent of the accidents, Freedom of Information documents obtained by The Gold Coast Bulletin revealed.

Their poor driving skills cost the city more than $1.2 million between 2001 and 2004. In many cases, the claims did not even involve another vehicle. More than 230 stationary objects were hit during the previous three years by council vehicles, amounting to $158,200 in claims. Council workers reversed into objects another 249 times over the same period, costing $184,562.

During the previous financial year, the council’s self-insured fleet had nearly 300 claims, totalling $402,948, the documents revealed.

Of the claims, only six, amounting to $9178, were made by elected councillors. Council officers and workers hit stationary objects 68 times, reversed into objects another 68 times, overturned their vehicles twice, drove into the rear of other cars 26 times and hit two animals. These claims alone totalled $176,151. A further 37 accidents amounted to another $102,961 in costs.

Council workers were not at fault 79 times, when their vehicles were hit by other cars.

City infrastructure assets committee chairwoman Cr Sue Robbins said she was concerned, but the statistics were not surprising considering the high number of vehicles the council owned.