If you're on a motorcycle or automobile, a police officer may pull you over for a random roadside check. In Australia, there are vehicle standards that all cars must adhere to. These standards lay out a set of guidelines that guarantee that vehicles driving on the road are "safe." The way to be safe from any fine is to get your car serviced regularly by a reliable mechanic. Police may issue a defect notice and place a yellow or red sticker on your automobile if they think (or determine) that your vehicle violates certain laws. A yellow label denotes a relatively small error, whereas a red label denotes a major error.
Although you could get a fee for other reasons, a car fault notice is not fine. It serves as a warning that you shouldn't use the vehicle until it has undergone safety inspection and repairs. If there's a small issue, you could be permitted to drive it for a certain amount of time and to a specific location while it's being serviced. If the problem is serious, however, the vehicle may be required to be towed away rather than driven off the road and given a red label.
What is a Police Defect?
The following pointers are the reasons for police defect in your car:
- If your car is issued a vehicle defect notice or if your car does not meet roadworthiness or registration standards.
- If you don't get it rectified, it can put your and other motorists in danger.
- When issued with a police defect, you have to rectify the defects before your car can be used on the road.
- Minor faults can be fixed in seven days but major ones will usually need to be fixed in 24 hours - disregarding a defect notice will cost you three demerit points (VIC).
- If there is no record of the defect being rectified in 28, your registration will be suspended.
What is a Defect Notice?
VicRoads estimates that each year in Victoria, 48,000 "canaries" for defective or unroadworthy automobiles are handled. Get your car repaired if you've ever received a defect notice.
The Road Safety Act of 1986 says that if a police officer or other authorised person finds a vehicle that doesn't follow the Act or the regulations, they can:
- Issue a warning or a vehicle defect notice
- Put restrictions on how the vehicle can be used
- Ban the use of the vehicle.
If your car isn't safe, you risk not only your own life but also the lives of your passengers and other people on the road.
Your Duty When Issued with a Defect Notice
The defect notice will list the components that aren't roadworthy, how long you have to fix them, and what has to be done before the car may be driven on a road.
Depending on the severity of the problems, it may take longer or shorter to repair your car. You could be allowed seven days for minor issues, but if there are any serious ones, you might only have 24 hours to have the car mended. Particularly dangerous cars may be immediately towed away at the police's request.
You should make an effort to get your car fixed by the time and date mentioned. Following this time, the vehicle may only be driven on the road to reach a certified tester for a roadworthy certificate or a VicRoads office to have the fault notice removed, but only after it has been repaired.
Clearing A Police Defect Notice on Your Vehicle
You may need to take your car to a VicRoads-licensed vehicle tester for a roadworthy certificate once it has been fixed to have the defect notice removed. You will then need to submit the certificate at a VicRoads office. You may simply need to bring your car to a police station to prove that a small problem has been addressed in certain circumstances.
One copy of a defect notice is sent to VicRoads when it is issued, and your registration will be stopped if there is no record that the problem has been corrected within 28 days of the notice's issuance. Your defect notice may include a police station where you may take your car to be cleared if you don't live close to a VicRoads office.
If you've made changes to the car, you have to show an engineer's report, which is a technical report from a qualified engineer that says the car has been inspected and meets the standards for registration.
Once your car has been fixed, a person with the right to do so will take the defect notice off of it. Because it is illegal to remove or change a vehicle defect notice without permission, don't remove or change the notice yourself.
Keep in mind that regular maintenance can help keep your car safe to drive, so make sure it is always in good shape. By doing so, you can avoid any police defect notice and all the hassle it brings to clear your car from that notice.
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