Thread: Queensland Road worthy check list

While it is difficult to go against some type of examination when an unregistered vehicle is presented for registration, the fact is that regular inspections do not have any evidence to support the assumption that they add to road safety. For example, they are required annually for most cars in NSW and only when changing hands in Victoria, yet if anything, Victoria usually has better accident and casualty figures than NSW (probably becuse the roads are generally better due to fewer kilometres per taxpayer).

I suspect there are several reasons why inspections don't work:-

1. Very few accidents have vehicle defects as a major (or even minor) contributing cause (no accident has a single cause).

2. The most common accident contributing defect is tyres, either tread or pressure, and these defects can, and often do, develop in a matter of days or weeks, and many other defects can develop almost as quickly.

3. It is impossible for a vehicle to be adequately assessed for all faults at a cost that would be politically acceptable.

In my view regular checks are quite indefensible, and are simply part of the ever growing bureaucracy we live in. I got told by someone yesterday that according to a report they heard, NSW public servants, on average, use 9,000 sheets of paper a year. I can believe it.

John

Originally Posted by 3toes

This type of program are the same the world over. They are merely an excuse take some cash off you wraped up in a we are only doing this for your own good cover.

I purchased a Falcon from NSW which had had its check earlier the same month. When presented it for its RWC in Queensland it failed. The test was done by a mate who was correct in what it was failed on were not minor points and the car was not safe. All this deteroation within a 30 day period and a drive north.

Here in the UK you have a yearly check (MOT) after the car is 3 years old. What is checked is very minor and mainly is centred around emissions. You can have panels falling off the car due to rust and it is not an issue. The problem is that most people only have a mechanic look at their car when the check is due. Then believe that the car is safe to drive for another 12 months without any further maintenance.

It was recently going to be reduced to each second year however a heavy campaign by the motor trade has resulted in it being kept on the existing yearly schedule. Reason for the reduction was that it was not considered to be worth doing so often based on a review of the results of the inspections.

Have worked a dealerships where using the annual check to obtain work on the car is a major part of the profit budget. Set up a seperate bay to do the initial check. Invite the customer in to see the 'horrors' that have been uncovered. Most people have no idea and think anything you show them is really bad and needs instant attention. As they have seen it with their own eyes the work is booked in and done.

Another great selling point of the MOT is that many people are scared of it. The prospect of an MOT drives people into the dealership as they would rather buy a new car than have the MOT done. Strange how that shiny new car become a financial liability and potential death trap a such a young age. This has been drumed into people so much that they think it is normal.

Queensland used to operate a fairly strong roadside checking system which was carried out by the Police and Transport people. They would pick cars out of the traffic and carry out a check then and there or block whole roads and select those they wanted to check. Both these worked well as 95% of cars pulled over failed the test and were repaired or destroyed. Has this been culled?

I was caught by it at about 3 in the morning. Had to present the car within 48 hours to the Transport departments own testing centre. Had been stopped for having rust holes down both sides of the car. When presented they did the RWC check and passed the car. The rust holes were where the chrome trim used to attach to the doors. Attempted to explain this to the police when was stopped however they would not believe me. How often do you see rust holes which are all the same size and in a straight line? Transport department tester thought they were keen to put me in as the car was over 20 years old and it was late at night. Seems they foud a lot of older cars which do not pass the RWC on the road between 1 and 5 in the morning.

I have not seen one of these set-ups for a while. They used to be regular. In some locations there were even roadworks done to provide a stopping bay to get the cars quickly out of the traffic stream. These were used for RBT's as well. About 1995 I saw one that was set up in Old Cleveland Rd. Carina where the inspections continued for three weeks. Every evening when I went past there would be a string of cars roadside with the dreaded sticker on the windscreen. Some were given a defect notice and allowed to continue on their way, others had to effect repairs and get a Safety Certificate within fourteen days, and others had to be towed away and either de-registered or taken to a QT inspection station and go "over the pits". Observing the operation soon revealed that pretty well any car over about 10 years old got pulled over and any newer vehicle with obvious faults or modifications.

After reading this it just shows what a complete rip off this inspection thing is.

Glad we don't have any of that sort of rubbish in South Australia yet, but of course there are people who really, really, want it brought in - you guessed it, motor mechanics!

Originally Posted by V8Ian

You can go pay a full 3rd party, drive to RWC station & QT on the reciept. The certificate (CTP) is then endorsed when you pay rego.
Also a pre RWC inspection may be prudent, if you don't like the list of repairs try another RWC station, no QT paperwork will have been filled out. If you get knocked back on RWC and fail to return QT will call your car in to go over the pits.

You also need to have a completed and signed application for registration from queensland transport with you before you drive it anywhere. I didn't once, it cost me $180.00 and a couple of demerit points when the traffic boys pulled me up literally outside the roadworthy place.

Cheers, Mick.

Originally Posted by Killer

You also need to have a completed and signed application for registration from queensland transport with you before you drive it anywhere. I didn't once, it cost me $180.00 and a couple of demerit points when the traffic boys pulled me up literally outside the roadworthy place.

Cheers, Mick.

I wasn't aware of that, seems a bit pedantic knocking you off for that. Surely a warning would have sufficed.

Originally Posted by V8Ian

I wasn't aware of that, seems a bit pedantic knocking you off for that. Surely a warning would have sufficed.

You would have thought so, but they were traffic cops (from what I hear thats about as low as you can be in the Police force), I drove straight past them thinking I had done everthing right. They were good natured enough to let me drive across the road to the roadworthy place though!

Cheers, Mick.

Originally Posted by Killer

You would have thought so, but they were traffic cops (from what I hear thats about as low as you can be in the Police force), I drove straight past them thinking I had done everthing right. They were good natured enough to let me drive across the road to the roadworthy place though!

Cheers, Mick.

I'm hearing you

Cousin of mine was a police sergant in a Queensland country town for some time. He would not let the highway patrol use the station for breaks as in his opinion having such people seen around the station and associating with his people would result in the good honest citizens on whom he depended to police the town staying away. He had a demountable installed around the back next to the lock up (known locally as the kennel) with a seperate entrance for their cars so they did not come near the real police.