Car safety responsibility should sit with owners

MUCH is being reported about possible lapses in the warrant of fitness programme and the Government is running about like ‘‘Henny Penny’’ making dire predictions about the consequences.

It could be argued that the warrant system has been a mainstay of the ‘‘Nanny State’’ ever since it was conceived. We have religiously presented our vehicle for inspection, crossed our fingers and breathed a sigh of relief when it passed inspection and then have taken little personal interest in the safety of the vehicle until the next inspection.

The average age of the fleet in New Zealand is 14 years. By comparison, in Canada the average age is 10 to 15 years old. We bought a vehicle in Alberta two years ago. A safety check was not mandatory at the time but it certainly facilitated a good insurance deal. Now there doesn’t appear to be any requirement for us to have another check done while we are owners of the vehicle. It is up to us to look after our own safety with regards to this vehicle and have voluntary checks done whenever. The vehicle is nearly 30 years old.

In Australia where the fleet age is 10 a lot of the states have a similar system to Canada. So go figure. Are our crash statistics better than these other countries because of the warrant of fitness scheme?

Robert McCallum

Clinton

Cycle trail irony

I WAS fortunate to be at the RMA submission hearing about the proposed new cycle trail linking Bannockburn and Clyde as a mere observer.

Clearly, there is huge support for this based on the number of submissions. Some of those against raised legitimate concerns regarding rockfall. The applicant spelled out the mitigation that could be carried out, both construction and ongoing. Modern rock bolting and meshing has moved on a long way.

However, I was gobsmacked when Amy Adams raised her concerns about the close proximity of the proposed new trail to her new holiday home. As a former minister of justice, and having had a successful law career, one would have thought she would have known no consent process was required for that section of the trail that is across public lakefront land.

The poor old Nats have never been a great fan of the RMA, and John Key championed cycleways when in power. There is a bit of irony in that. Ken Churchill

Alexandra

Mortgage lending

PETER Lyons wrote an article (ODT, 3.12.18) describing how housing booms turn to busts. He suggests that this occurs when banks have ‘‘got it horribly wrong in their lending processes’’ and adds that the banks are ‘‘trapped in a strange market dynamic’’, effectively freeing the banks from blame.

The banks have not simply ‘‘got it wrong’’; pushing up the demand for mortgages is deliberate policy.

Since the 2008 crash, interest rates have been at record lows. The banks could have loaned to small businesses, who would have been pleased to get such favourable interest rates, but the banks preferred to promote mortgage loans because they are backed by the collateral of a house.

Apart from Otago and the deep South, house prices have stalled nationally. Otago and the South will soon follow because it is the only skittle still standing and speculators have nowhere else to go.

Soon we will see the most vulnerable fall into negative equity as happened in 2008 and the banks will pick up their houses for a pittance. Does this look as though the banks simply ‘‘got it wrong’’ and have had a ‘‘bad rap’’? Dennis Dorney

Calton Hill ...................................

BIBLE READING: Those of steadfast mind You keep in peace — in peace because they trust in You. — Isaiah 26:3