I've written this elsewhere, in response to someone's poorly written letter that trots out the "it'll damage tourism, people have spent a lot of money to mod their vehicles line"
To whom it may concern,
I am taking the time to write to you to address some concerns I have following publicity of recent police enforcement campaigns and the damage they may do to the Queensland tourist economy.
The focus of police enforcement campaigns targeting modified vehicles that are not compliant with legislation is welcomed; however, there are many aspects in the vehicle modification codes that are in force across Australia that are inconsistent – at times, state and territory codes are different to federal ones, and with further differences between states and territories. There is even uncertainty as to whether a vehicle that is legally modified in one state is legal in another, never mind the transfer of registration for a modified (with approval plate or engineering certificate) vehicle between states.
The increasingly wide community of recreational four wheel drivers often draw on knowledge from one another, reputable suppliers and the media associated with this hobby. However, due to inconsistencies in vehicle standards between states/territories, this can lead to confusion.
Resulting from this legislative confusion, as well as rules that change (yet cannot always keep up with technology – see the LED light bar regulations for examples of legislation lagging technology), there are challenges faced by QLD road users.
However, the targeting through a strategy of enforcement rather than education is risking a negative image of the police’s work. There are concerns that the enforcement is a disproportionate response to a problem found in a minority of vehicles.
Many recreational four wheel drivers endeavour to keep their vehicles legal (to the best of their knowledge) and functional for their uses; however, due to the myriad of rules that exist, this is difficult not only for the owner, but also those enforcing the rules. The police who are often left to enforce the rules are forced to interpret rules that are not always transparent, and frequently have received minimal training in these aspects.
Further implications of this high profile campaign are the risk to the QLD tourism industry in regional areas and remote communities. Iconic areas such as Cape York and Fraser Island are both popular destinations for these drivers, bringing valuable income into the areas. A negatively perceived campaign will put people off from visiting these areas; these areas are rightly popular destinations not only for intrastate travellers, but those from interstate. In both cases these travellers are likely to bring their own vehicles which they will have spent time and money preparing for these (possibly once in a lifetime) trips.
I suspect that the wider community endorses the need to remove un-roadworthy/non-compliant vehicles, but this needs to be countered with a reasonable balance to the needs of the user. I propose the following:
1) An Australian wide standardised set of modifications adopted automatically by all states that does not apply retrospectively (as with ADRs)
2) An easily accessible platform for establishing legal modifications and the limits for those modifications to be confirmed for each vehicle. NSW has the RVD list which goes some way to this, however it is not that easy to access and use.
3) The use of an extensive education programme (not one driven on scare tactics, but on established testing and evidence) of the danger of modifications that are not approved or are outside the boundaries of modifications that do not need approval
4) A transparent pricing structure for seeking engineering approval, in the same way that there is a fixed pricing structure for Road Worthy Certificates. This will promote and encourage people who want to do the extra modifications to have them properly approved and tested, rather than a “She’ll be right” approach to modifications.
Points 3 and 4 are potentially the most difficult; the need to educate people when they believe that the modifications they are carrying out are appropriate and safe, but evidence may prove otherwise is a challenge faced by all those involved in the supply of accessories to modify vehicles. Improving access to expertise in guiding and educating those who chose to modify their vehicles is perhaps key to this.
Enforcement of laws takes many shapes; the manner that this is undertaken is the challenge. Hopefully the first stage of law enforcement is an education process of what is legal and what is not; the second stage is that of penalties
