For immediate use
February 9 2010
VACC warns blasé motorists not to ignore vehicle safety
VACC has issued shocking photos which it claims, proves some motorists are
deliberately ignoring vehicle safety.
The peak Automotive Industry body in Victoria has made public, images of worn or
badly damaged vehicle parts. The damage is so bad, VACC says the drivers and
occupants of the vehicles are lucky to still be alive.
“VACC repairers are reporting an increasing number of vehicles coming in to
workshops that are in a dangerous condition. These photos are just the tip of the
iceberg. Some drivers would have to be ignorant or stupid, or both, not to know there
was a problem with their car,” VACC Executive Director, David Purchase, said.
“VACC has released the photographs because we want motorists, and the media, to
see the alarming things we see on a daily basis,” Mr Purchase said.
Image 1: A brake rotor so badly worn that the outer surface was ground down to the
cooling fins. The damage was so severe the central hub separated from the disc. This
vehicle was an accident waiting to happen.
Image 2: A worn tyre with a patch so bald the metal casing was visible. Worryingly,
this family vehicle was driven some 200 kilometres, from Melbourne to Benalla, before
the owner was told the tyre was dangerous and that it must be changed immediately.
Image 3: A death-crack in the spoke of an alloy wheel. This could have caused the
wheel to collapse, loss of control of the vehicle or the vehicle to roll over.
Image 4: A brake caliper worn down as a result of a wheel, not designed for the
vehicle, being fitted. This could have led to a number of serious incidents including the
wheel to seize, the caliper to lock and brake to fail.
“You would expect that the screeching noise of brake discs running metal on metal
would alert a driver that something was wrong with their car. You would hope an alarm
bell would ring in a driver’s mind when they saw the tread on their tyres was worn
through and you would think a driver would spot a death crack in their wheel. But
unfortunately, these images show us, that some motorists are blasé about vehicle
safety,” Mr Purchase said.
“Of course, if a vehicle is regularly maintained, these issues are rectified before they
become dangerous. VACC is so concerned about this that we have launched a
Vehicle Safety campaign and appeal to motorists to think about vehicle safety and to
have their car regularly serviced by a professional,” Mr Purchase said.
For more information about Vehicle Safety – go to vacc.com.au
NEWS 
