2.10 Measures of effectiveness

Earlier sections have outlined the legislative basis and the mechanisms put in place for Victoria's roadworthiness system. It is also necessary to discuss the measures used to gauge the effectiveness of the current system. Many measures can be used to ascertain whether the system is effective in removing vehicles with serious defects from the roads before they represent a hazard. The Committee examined two:

1) Frequency of roadworthiness inspections, and

2) Defects found during roadworthiness inspections.

2.10.1 Frequency of inspections

The Committee found that the frequency of regular roadworthiness inspections was a very poor measure of effectiveness. Not only can vehicles become unroadworthy days after the test, but also comparative studies with Jurisdictions that have a much more frequent roadworthy testing system than Victoria do not reveal less defect-related crashes (see Chapter 1, Section 1.4).

Roadworthiness is not established through the number of times a vehicle is inspected but through maintenance to ensure it remains roadworthy.

The Committee is of the view that only the owner of the vehicle can ensure this.

2.10.2 Defects found during roadworthy inspections

Defects found during any roadworthiness inspection are important. Some defects are safety related, some may relate to the mechanical condition and others are merely cosmetic.

A malfunctioning numberplate light or side light globe may be a very minor fault but they are recorded as lights on the Certificate. Minor faults may not affect the operation or safety of the vehicle. However, a failed headlight - also considered a minor defect easily fixed at low cost - is a major defect when the vehicle is driven at night.

The VACC provided information from a roadworthiness of vehicle survey conducted in 1994 from records of roadworthiness tests conducted by VicRoads LVTs. The VACC examined 5,026 tests conducted during the survey.⁷⁹ Table 2.1 indicates the percentage of faults found at first inspection for light vehicles.

Table 2.1: Percentage of Faulty Light Vehicles by Category 1994

Source: VACC Submission, 31 May 1999, Attachment 3, p. 32.

During the inquiry the Committee requested the same information broken down for light and heavy vehicles. VicRoads provided information on 1,300 light vehicles and 200 heavy vehicles that failed the first inspection.⁸⁰

Table 2.2: Light Vehicle Defects 1999

Table 2.3: Heavy Vehicle Defects 1999

Source: VicRoads correspondence, 26 September 2000.

From its review of the above data, the Committee found items such as brakes, tyres and steering are prevalent in terms of defects found. Although these vehicles were in the process of obtaining Certificates, it is alarming that there were still a high percentage of safety-related defects.

Whether or not these items are over-represented in defect-related crashes has not yet been established. Analysis of FORS Fatal Files (1988, 1990, 1992) indicates that two factors account for 79% of all defects in light vehicles causing fatalities. Tyres accounted for 61% and brakes accounted for 18%.⁸¹