Articles by Aleks Devic

Victoria's driving licences could soon go digital and be stored on mobile phones, punting plastic cards to the kerb.

Innocent motorists whose personalised numberplates have been stolen are copping speeding fines, toll penalties and accused of serious crimes in a VicRoads policy bungle.

It was also suggested police be given powers to issue on-the-spot fines to cyclists who ride while talking on their mobile phone and riders not in single file on windy and narrow roads.A host of changes to road rules has been recommended to VicRoads as part of the wide-ranging cycling road rules review it commissioned.Among proposed changes are laws requiring drivers to leave at least 1m when passing cyclists, allowing cyclists to ride in bus lanes, permitting riders of any age to ride on a footpath if with a child under 12 years old and making it easier to stage a cycling event.In a bid to address the ongoing road war between motorists and riders, it was recommended an education campaign start alerting drivers and riders to use horns only when needed and motorists to be mindful when opening their car door.There are significant barriers to bicycle riding in VictoriaCouncils surveyed urged Victoria should follow in the footsteps of the Netherlands and introduce "strict liability" where drivers are automatically at fault if they collide with a cyclist.Council officers also suggested riders being allowed to ride through pedestrian crossing without having to dismount and raising the prospect of permitting riders to turn left at red lights.These council reforms did not form part of the final recommendations. There were 10,450 people and most, especially bike riders, did not view cycling as safe in Victoria, citing drivers' negative attitudes towards cyclists, lack of riding infrastructure, fears of car doorings and problems with road design."Participants agreed there are significant barriers to bicycle riding in Victoria. The main barriers were thought to be the lack of respect shown to bicycle riders and the lack of bicycle riding infrastructure," the report said.Cyclists talking on mobile phones is illegal but riders can only be taken to court and penalised, making it difficult for police to enforce the law. It would bring consistency when enforcing the law for drivers and riders.It is also suggested that when motorists are turning left, they be required to give way to cyclists who had a green bicycle crossing light.The report found strong opposition to introducing licensing and registration for bicycles, and there would be heavy "resistance" if any laws changed requiring cyclists to ride single file.Data contained in the report shows between 2004 and 2013 there were 29,181 cycling-related crashes with 84 people killed and 4447 receiving serious injuries.On-the-spot fines for cyclists using a mobile phone When motorists are turning left, they must give way to cyclists who had a green bicycle crossing lightOpen up bus lanes to cyclists Make it easier to stage a cycling event Banning two abreast in certain locations including windy and narrow roads Allow cars to be driven with an empty bike carrier Making roadwork sites safer for cyclists Riders of any age able to ride on a footpath if with a child under 12 years old

Roadside memorials in Victoria will not be permitted on freeways, power poles, close to homes, will have height restrictions and photos of those killed in crashes will also be banned.

The driving habits of Melburnians will be tracked by CityLink's builders as part of a push to overhaul road tolls.

Grieving parents face being told to pull down roadside tributes to their children killed in car crashes and assaults in a policy overhaul.

Victoria Police figures show 10,610 drivers have been nabbed in the last five years for driving with an unrestrained child.Those caught are fined $332 and stripped of three demerit points. Victoria Police State Highway Patrol Inspector David Griffin blasted those gambling with the lives of children."It is highly irresponsible and reprehensible. Young children, in particular, do not understand or appreciate the importance of being restrained and do not comprehend the potential consequences associated with failing to wear a seatbelt," Insp Griffin said."As parents, guardians and drivers, we are all responsible for the safety of every passenger, particularly children. There is no excuse for not protecting children."A father narrowly avoided jail this year after his nine-year-old daughter, who was not buckled up, died when the truck he was driving failed to take a bend and rolled off the Glenelg Highway in November 2012. The driver and another daughter, six, were taken to hospital with minor injuries.There were 2036 motorists caught for the offence between 2013 and 2014 including: A drunk mother who blew 0.154 crashed into two parked cars in Clifton Hill and had her three-year-old-child unrestrained in the back seat.A dad was caught zooming at 148km/h in an 80km/h zone on the Western Ring Road with a two-year-old child unrestrained.A mum taking five kids to school was charged after police found the children, aged six to eight, loose in the car; and A 19-YEAR-OLD suspended driver was nabbed with a six-year-old hidden in the front passenger footwell while her two-year-old son and another girl, aged three, were unrestrained in the back. Insp Griffin said the consequences of not wearing seat belts were disastrous."An unrestrained passenger can be thrown around the inside of a vehicle like a pinball, impacting with steel and glass that will cause significant injuries or death," he said."An unrestrained person can easily be ejected from a vehicle, something that occurs all too often. It is not unusual for ejected passengers to be crushed or to be hit by other vehicles."

Grieving father wants Victorians to be mature and dob in friends driving without a licence or getting behind the wheel drunk.Andrew Piroska is one of many dads who will be without their sons or daughters this Christmas after they died in fatal road crashes.His son, Aaron, would have turned 20 on December 28 but Mr Piroska is now left to ponder what would have been.Aaron, who was 16 at the time, was among six teenagers packed into a 4WD being driven by a 14-year-old and was thrown from the car after it crashed in Brighton East on October 31, 2011."On that night, I not only lost my son, my mate, but also my potential business partner. Aaron's life was cut short and so was our dream," Mr Piroska told the Herald Sun.You might think you are protecting a mate but on the other hand you are putting others at riskThe pair had ambitions to be a father and son team in a painting and decorating business and were studying at TAFE together. Mr Piroska said the government needed to focus more time on education campaigns and teach people more about the consequences of foolish decisions."The community has a responsibility and can help by dobbing in people like repeat offenders who drive without a licence," he said."You might think you are protecting a mate but on the other hand you are putting others at risk. How would you feel if it was your son, daughter, mother or father that got killed as a consequence of you not reacting and instead protecting a mate?"Mr Piroska said the support of family and friends had helped his family cope but nothing would rid their hearts of the pain. "You never get over it, you just learn to deal with it the best way you can. But it is never an easy thing," he said.

Victoria's top traffic cop wants booze buses made smaller to aim at more inner-city streets as our road toll eclipses last year's, ending an eight-year downward trend.Police predict 10 more lives will be lost on our roads before the end of the year.Assistant Commissioner Bob Hill's Christmas wish list includes reviewing speeds on 'B-class roads", increasing roadside drug testing, ramping up and modernising the booze bus fleet to make it easier and quicker to deploy and reconfiguring it for smaller locations.In a bid to curb serious accidents, crash sites across the state where a serious injury occurs will be analysed, including whether speed limits need to be cut, trees removed or new signage required.The road toll is 240 so far this year. Four children under four years old have died, including a child aged two, the youngest to die on our roads in 2014. The toll is 20 more than the same time last year.November has been the worst month on our roads in 2014 with 29 people dead. The TAC last week launched its Be Present campaign, urging Victorians to take care on the roads and to promise their loved ones they would be present during Christmas.Drugs have emerged as a key road killer. Police data shows 39 drivers with drugs in their system died in crashes last year - 15 more than those who died with alcohol.It is unacceptable because we know we can do betterIn 2013, Victoria recorded its lowest road toll - 243 dead - a fall of 13.85 per cent on the year before.Mr Hill said the road toll this year included two tragedies where four people died in each crash and three crashes that claimed three lives each.He said police believed it was always going to be a challenge to achieve another reduction given the record low number last year."The fact it has increased this year is certainly disappointing but it only motivates me more to work even harder with our road-safety partners and the community next year to once again deliver a record low road toll and reduce road trauma," Mr Hill said."We are not going to sit on our hands and do nothing."This is a time for celebration when we spend Christmas with family and friends and it's not a time for arranging a funeral and certainly not arranging funerals for young children or visiting loved ones in hospital." Starting from the new year, police, VicRoads, councils and road-safety groups will attend crash sites together to conduct an audit.Ballarat, Dandenong, Fawkner and Gippsland are the first areas to be audited and it is expected the program will be rolled out across the state.Mr Hill said given the increase in drug-related fatal crashes, the expansion of the roadside drug-testing program would be evaluated to see what more could be done."We need to determine whether or not 100,000 tests per annum would deliver that general deterrence we are looking for given we do four million alcohol tests," he said.Mr Hill said police were proposing an overhaul of the booze bus fleet. "While we'll maintain a certain number of the large booze buses, we will look to modify the fleet and seek a smaller configuration with smaller buses, more agile and easier to deploy across the state," he said.TAC chief executive Janet Dore said the road toll was unacceptable. "Our vision is zero deaths and serious injuries so it is unacceptable that more people have been killed and injured on our roads than last year," she said."It is unacceptable because we know we can do better."TRAGIC TOLL Victorian road deaths November 1 to December 9, 2014NOV 1, 6.30AM Pascoe Vale Rd, Moonee Ponds Woman pedestrian, 85, hit by car. Motorist on culpable and dangerous driving and other charges.NOV 8, 12.20PM Calder Hwy, Ravenswood Woman collided with concrete truck. Girl and male passenger and truck driver admitted to hospital.NOV 8, 12.30PM Chanters Lane, Fern Hill Man's car hit tree.NOV 10, 3.15PM Howards Rd, Wattle Flat Man, 20, lost control of car and hit tree.NOV 11, 12AM Great Ocean Rd, Fairhaven Woman, 25, lost control and hit tree.NOV 11, 6PM Melbourne Rd, Rye Man, 75, on mobility scooter in bike lane hit by turning car.NOV 11, 1.30AM Rosedale-Longford Rd, Rosedale Woman, 25, in car that hit tree. Man, 39, admitted to hospital.NOV 12, 2.30AM Hammond Rd, Dandenong South Male passenger in car that collided with car on bypass. Drivers treated for minor injuries.NOV 12, 11.15AM Mt Buller Rd, Mansfield Cyclist, 70, hit by car.NOV 17, 8.20AM Monash Fwy, Toorak Male motorcyclist clipped rear of car, hit from behind by truck.NOV 17, 1PM Mornington Peninsula Fwy, Dromana Two people in car that ran off road and hit tree, bursting into flames, after contact with another car. Other driver charged with culpable driving.NOV 25, 2PM Nepean Hwy, Mt Martha Man, 91, in crash. Two others treated in hospital.NOV 25, 6.30PM Maroondah Hwy, Kanumbra Woman in 60s lost control, veered across road, hit culvert, slammed into tree.NOV 25, 9.10PM Hume Fwy, Springhurst Male passenger in car that lost control, collided with truck, crashed into trees. Female driver treated in hospital; truck driver unhurt.NOV 27, 11.50PM Church Rd, Hazelwood North Male cyclist collided with ute at intersection.NOV 28, 2AM Billson Rd, Wonthaggi Man lost control of car, which rolled. Passenger taken to hospital.NOV 28, 5.10PM Princes Hwy and Lochiel St, Orbost Two in car that crashed into loaded cattle truck.NOV 28, 5.20PM Murray Valley Hwy, Rutherglen Woman's car collided with grain truck.NOV 29, 8.40AM Toorak Rd, Toorak Motorcyclist collided with rear of turning truck and hit by car.NOV 29, 3PM Coolart and Hunts roads, Tuerong Woman in two-car crash; three hurt.NOV 30, 1AM Mount Duneed Rd, Mt Moriac Driver and passenger in car that rolled, caught fire.NOV 30, 4.30PM High St, Prahran Girl, 4, hit by car while crossing with parents at Williams Rd.DEC 3, 2AM Stud Rd, Dandenong Male rider crashed into car turning into McFees Rd.DEC 3, 11AM Mansfield-Whitfield Rd, Barwite Cyclist clipped wheel of bike in front, fell, run over by car.DEC 5, 6.20AM Epping-Kilmore Rd, Woodstock Man lost control of car, hit pole.DEC 7, 6.30PM Barry Rd, Campbellfield Woman lost control of car, hit tree.DEC 8, 10.55AM Blackgate Rd, Connewarre Man in 60s lost control of van, which left road and rolled.FATAL ACCIDENTS PER MONTHJanuary 25February 21March 25April 14May 23June 17July 22August 21September 20October 18November 29December 5Source: TAC

Parking inspectors, rogue mechanics and some of the worst driving is being captured on in-car video.Dash cam sales are booming as the technology becomes a useful tool in gathering evidence for insurance claims and court cases for road rage attacks.A Facebook page called Dash Cam Owners Australia is achieving cult-like status and has more than 200,000 likes.Research conducted by Slater & Gordon Lawyers shows 54 per cent of Victorian drivers backed the use of dash cams and 39 per cent who did not have one wanted one.But Victoria Police has urged caution with the devices."Police are aware of cameras being used in private vehicles to record driver behaviour and there is the potential for this footage to be used in prosecutions for traffic offences," Victoria Police spokesman Ben Radisich said."However, police are also concerned that the technology could pose a distraction to drivers."Distraction is one of the biggest killers on our roads and drivers need to remain alert and drive responsibly at all times." Dash Cams Australia expects to double its sales this year and sell more than 20,000 of the devices.A woman managed to beat her parking fine after her dash cam recorded when she arrived at the car space, and a mechanic was caught thrashing a client's car on a test drive, unaware the whole thing was filmed.Earlier this month, vision emerged of a truck driver's camera filming a Holden Commodore swerving across four lanes of traffic on the Princes Highway and showed how the truck narrowly missed crushing it and the occupants.Slater & Gordon motor vehicle accident lawyer Craig Lynch said he expected an increase in the use of dash cam footage in Victorian courts similar to how phone camera footage was being used in some cases.He said in-car footage was admissible evidence in a court case, as long as it was not used to film a private activity."At the end of the day, it will always be for the judge to determine the weight given to the use of dash cam footage in evidence," Mr Lynch said.Dash Cams Australia recorded a 20 per cent jump in sales in October with 1200 units sold.Sales manager Nick De Fazio said footage had been used to settle insurance claims when there were conflicting stories and were also a deterrent in road rage incidents."The amount of road rage is going through the roof and people want proof to show police," Mr De Fazio said.