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The practice became a hot topic on social media this week after a truck driver in NSW posted a video of an officer giving him a speeding ticket based on his "estimation".About 80,000 motorists are caught driving over the speed limit in Queensland each month, most of them detected by fixed cameras.Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart yesterday said officers "absolutely" issued infringement notices based on estimations.He said police did not simply conjure up rough figures but used highly calibrated speedometers, comparing the pace as they trailed the driver in question for several hundred metres.If the magistrate's not satisfied, then they'll throw it out"Estimation has been at the heart of policing for the last 100 years," Mr Stewart said."They will follow a vehicle for a period and they will then lock in their estimation on their speedo." He said police only adopted the method when they were in a vehicle without a fitted radar.Mr Stewart said motorists dubious of an officer's judgement could dispute the ticket in court."If the magistrate's not satisfied, then they'll throw it out," he said. "I've seen it happen. It happened to me."Estimation in policing had existed effectively for "hundreds of years"RACQ spokesman Paul Turner said estimation in policing had existed effectively for "hundreds of years"."We're a motoring organisation and we don't like motorists being stung for speeding but the best way to avoid that is to not speed," he said."We don't get a lot of complaints from our members on this."Chris Smith filmed and posted an encounter with a police officer when he was pulled over for speeding while driving his B-double on the Newell Highway on Saturday."You can't show me the radar?" Mr Smith asked. "I don't need to. Everything is based on my estimations," the officer replied.He uploaded the clip to Facebook. It has been viewed more than 1.5 million times.

Former Formula One driver Mark Webber will return to Britain later this week after crashing in Sao Paulo during the final race of the World Endurance Championship season."Mark spent the night in a local hospital in Sao Paulo where he underwent further checks," a statement on his website said Monday."He sustained bruising and concussion in the accident he suffered in Sunday's six-hour race."The Australian driver was quoted as saying: "I'm quite sore this morning and am pretty bruised and have got a stinking headache."I've got no recollection of the accident or how it happened — the team is looking into the details to find out more."Thanks to the medical team at the track and here at the hospital who did a great job and are looking after me very well."In the closing stages of the race in Brazil, the 38-year-old Webber's Porsche crashed into a concrete barrier after a collision with the Ferrari of Matteo Cressoni, who was not seriously hurt.Webber skidded into the pit lane and the rear of his car caught fire.He was able to wave to the crowd as he was carried into an ambulance.

Australia's largest automotive retailer says the outlook for car sales is encouraging, especially since proposed changes to the fringe benefits tax were dumped. Automotive Holdings Group operates more than 150 car and truck dealerships across the country. "AHG's outlook for the automotive retail segment is robust heading into FY2014 on the back of low interest rates, manufacturer support, continual advancements in the quality and safety of new vehicles and overall vehicle affordability levels," AHG said in its annual financial report, released yesterday. "The recently proposed changes to the treatment of FBT on vehicles has had an impact on the industry, however the September election outcome saw the proposed change repudiated." The former Labor government had planned to tighten FBT guidelines on car leasing and salary-sacrifice packaging. The Coalition Government has dumped the previous government's FBT changes, which were criticised by the motor-vehicle sector. AHG said new vehicle sales remained at record levels up to August this year, buoyed by manufacturer incentives of low interest rates and service offerings.  

Nissan has been working on driverless cars over the past few years at its research centres, but has now pointed to a timeframe to move out of the laboratory and on to the streets.The Japanese vehicle manufacturer said yesterday at an event in California that it will be building autonomous car by 2020. Chief executive Carlos Ghosn has said before that he wants Nissan to be the first to sell self-driving cars. But yesterday’s announcement was more specific.Nissan says it will have a commercially viable autonomous driving system in multiple vehicles within seven years. It hopes to offer that system at a reasonable price across its line-up within two vehicle generations. However the carmaker stopped short of saying when – or if – the cars would be available for sale.The company says it's working on autonomous cars with several universities, including MIT and the University of Tokyo. It's also building the first dedicated proving ground for autonomous cars near its headquarters in Japan. Nissan already offers some technology that's used in autonomous cars, including motion-detecting cameras. 

But when it comes to the brands Australians most like to trust, it's first-aid products that have won our hearts.Dettol retained the top spot followed by Band-Aid and then Panadol, which have kept the same footing for the second year in a row.Home renovators rate Dulux, which has come in fourth, while it seems it's not only dentists who trust Colgate, in fifth.Read full story at: www.news.com.au 

The car industry has been accused of crying wolf over the federal government's proposed changes to tax concessions for business-related vehicle use. Senator Doug Cameron, who is a parliamentary secretary in the Rudd ministry, hit back at claims Labor's crackdown will hurt an already vulnerable motor industry and lead to job losses.“The car industry has no right to argue they should survive off the back of people making unsubstantiated claims on taxpayers,” the NSW senator and Left faction convener told AAP on Thursday. ”The car companies are crying wolf.”Labor's reform of the fringe benefits tax (FBT) system governing car leasing and salary-sacrifice packaging is expected to generate $1.8 billion over four years. The savings will be used to support Australia's $3.8 billion transition from a fixed carbon price to a floating emissions trading scheme (ETS) linked to Europe a year earlier than expected.The government says the move will help lower electricity and gas prices and has said Australian families will benefit by as much as $380 in 2014/15, if the ETS move goes ahead. But the opposition, backed by motor industry groups, condemns the FBT decision and has challenged the government to prove its claim the system is being rorted by high-income earners buying luxury cars and claiming personal mileage as a work-related expense.“Where's the proof? Where was the inquiry? Where were the revelations from the tax office saying there was $1.8 billion worth of rorting,” shadow treasurer Joe Hockey said. Since the FBT announcement on Tuesday, car dealers say fleet sales and salary-packaging orders “have ground to a halt”.The Australian Salary Packaging Industry Association (ASPIA) says just five per cent of salary-packaged cars are luxury models and most users of the FBT scheme are government, charity, health, police and education workers.ASPIA said the change, which requires legislation to become law, would hurt jobs in the salary packaging and leasing sector. ”This is poor policy made on the run,” ASPIA president Leigh Penberthy said. Car leasing company NLC on Thursday said 80 staff at the firm will be made redundant.Treasurer Chris Bowen said the reforms were based on expert advice from Treasury, the taxation office and bureau of statistics and in line with the need for compliance across the tax system. ”I know this is controversial, reforming fringe benefits tax never is uncontroversial, but it's the right thing to do for fairness and regarding our fiscal circumstances,” he said on Thursday.South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill will meet with federal industry minister Kim Carr on Friday to discuss the change and the implications for the car manufacturing sector, which comprises a large part of the state's economy. Mr Hockey did not say if the coalition planned to block the reforms in parliament. ”We will have more to say about this in the next 24 hours,” he said. 

Ford's manufacturing workers won't be left behind when they lose their jobs in 2016, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has vowed. Ms Gillard met workers from the company's Geelong factory yesterday afternoon and announced an extra $15.1 million to help them find new positions when operations close down. Earlier yesterday, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott challenged Ms Gillard to apologise to the employees, singling out the carbon tax as a contributing factor in their misfortune. Last month, Ford announced it would stop making cars in Australia, costing 510 jobs at Geelong and 650 at Broadmeadows. It's been squeezed by the high Australian dollar, which has made exporting more expensive and cut the cost of imported cars. Ms Gillard told the workers she understood it was a "lonely and bleak time''. "I want to make sure no one gets left behind...I want to make sure Geelong does not get left behind.'' The money comes on top of an existing $51.9 million jobs assistance package. Ms Gillard said $5 million will be set aside immediately to provide career advice services and training. A further $5 million will go towards future skills training if required. Geelong will be made a priority employment area, with a $200,000 fund to help the transition of workers into new jobs before or after the plant closes. An Australian jobs and skills expo will be held in the city before June 30. Businesses downstream in the supply chain won't be forgotten, with the Federal Government also allocating $470,000 to the Federation of Automotive Parts Manufacturers.

...to rise by up to three cents a litre in the next fortnight.

Australians are buying more cars and trucks this year with new vehicle sales increasing 9.4 per cent for the first nine months of the year, compared to the same period in 2011.The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) said 822,674 new vehicles have been sold since the beginning of the year, up 9.4 per cent on the same time last year.On a month-to-month basis 94,627 vehicles were sold in September, an increase of nine per cent on 2011.The biggest growth was in hybrid vehicles which sold 9,461 during September, compared to 6,143 for the same month in 2011.SUVs sales increased by 20 per cent for September, light commercial vehicles rose by 10.7 per cent and heavy commercial vehicles were up 12.4 per cent.Sales of passenger vehicles only grew by 3.2 per cent but it is still the largest vehicle segment in market, with 52 per cent of overall sales.Locally manufactured vehicles dropped in popularity for the year to date with 102,331 sold in 2012 down 2.8 per cent on 2011. 

Ross Thomas Murray, 28, has been handed a jail term of five years and three months for the hit-and-run death of the cyclist. Tim Anderson, 26, was killed in Cottesloe on March 8 when he was struck from behind by a car while cycling. Murray, a former soldier and father of two, pleaded guilty to charges including aggravated dangerous driving causing death, driving under the influence of alcohol and failing to stop after an accident. Mr Anderson hit the windscreen of Murray's car but he claimed to have been so intoxicated that he did not realise he had hit a person. He drove on and was found by police more than a kilometre away. Mr Anderson died from his injuries six hours after the accident. Murray's blood-alcohol level, when tested at the police station, registered 0.174 per cent. Police then calculated his blood-alcohol level to have been 0.171 per cent at the time of the accident. He was sentenced in the District Court on Tuesday and must serve three years and three months in jail before he becomes eligible for parole.