Articles by David Nankervis

South Australia Police are urging the public to dob in law-breaking drivers to help improve road safety, as the state's road toll hit 100 deaths for the year.

Breathalyser interlocks should be mandatory for P-plate drivers to help reduce car crashes, a national road safety report says.

This has prompted a warning from the RAA for drivers to examine any parking tickets – which range from $49 to $349 – to check if they are legitimate.According to council figures obtained under Freedom of Information laws, $27,673 worth of fines were withdrawn due to faulty machines in 2013-14 – up 25 per cent on the $22,187 withdrawn the previous financial year. And "officer error" accounted for $23,746 worth of fines withdrawn in 2013-14 – up 12 per cent on the $21,103 withdrawn the previous financial year.The council said parking inspectors "may not be aware there is a fault in a machine in the areas they are patrolling"."In the case where a vehicle does not have a valid parking ticket displayed, an expiation would be given," a council spokesman said.The council's 300 ticket machines are inspected every six months and faults include tickets not issued by the machine due to mechanisms becoming jammed or breaking down.If you are unfortunate enough to get a ticket, check its details to see if they apply to the restrictions where you are parkedThe rise in fine withdrawal due to inspector errors and faulty machines is in contrast with a 5 per cent reduction in total fine withdrawals over the same period – from $742,612 to $707,044 – for other reasons such as compassion or a valid ticket or parking permit being produced by the driver.RAA spokesman Charles Mountain urged motorists to check all parking tickets they receive to avoid paying for a fine they didn't deserve."If you are unfortunate enough to get a ticket, check its details to see if they apply to the restrictions where you are parked," he said. "And if a machine is showing an error message and not issuing tickets, you could take a picture with your mobile phone as supporting evidence."The problems we are seeing are unacceptableFamily First MP Robert Brokenshire also urged drivers to check tickets "and dispute any fines they believe are incorrect"."The problems we are seeing are unacceptable – speed cameras have to be checked regularly and it should be the same with parking meters," Mr Brokenshire, who obtained the figures, said. "I encourage the Adelaide City Council to lift their game and make sure fines are not issued where machines are not in working order."Last December, he also obtained figures showing the council raised $443,000 in 2013-14 from fines issued to motorists who were less than 10 minutes late returning to their cars. In the same period, 54,000 parking fines were issued, raising more than $2.4 million.In April, News Corp Australia revealed that more than a third of motorists who complain in writing to the council have their fines waived.

Number plates with criminal and sexual connotations were among those rejected for being too "inflammatory".

The latest police figures show four in every five South Australian motorists caught driving under the influence of drugs or drink is a male.

Car service costs in South Australia are the highest in the nation, a survey has revealed.

The number of such offences has risen 50 per cent since the stickers were dumped in July 2011, to save the Government $2 million a year. It has attributed the surge in fines revenue since the abolition of stickers to the increased number of traffic cameras able to scan registration plates, but the figures have prompted calls for a return of stickers, which clearly show when registration fees are due.The South Australian Motor Trade Association and Opposition say the return of stickers would remind people to renew their registrations and avoid fines of more than $1000 - $404 for being unregistered and $696 for not being covered by compulsory third-party insurance.Motorists who drive an uninsured car are also liable for medical bills if they injure another person in a crash.SA MTA chief executive officer Paul Unerkov said the fines increase was not surprising."The latest figures seem to back up the MTA's prediction in 2011 that there would be a spike in the number of South Australians unintentionally caught driving an unregistered vehicle due to the abolition of registration stickers," he said."Despite the mechanisms in place to notify South Australians when their vehicle registration is due, errors happen and many drivers still prefer the visual cue that a reminder sticker on the windshield gave them." Mr Unerkov is calling on the Government to consider reinstating the registration stickers.Since the abolition of stickers, News Corp Australia has reported several cases in which fines were withdrawn after renewal notices were sent to the wrong addresses.These include southern-suburbs woman Chantel Merrett, who successfully challenged her fine in court in May last year, resulting in changes being made to the EzyReg website to simplify the renewal process.Latest police figures show an average of 2340 drivers of unregistered and uninsured vehicles were caught each month in 2011-12 - the first year stickers were abolished.In 2012-13, the monthly average was 3412, followed by 3379 in 2013-14 and 3512 a month this financial year.The increase means the Government is estimated to receive up to $19 million in fines this financial year, compared to $12 million in 2011-12.Police said they had "continued to pursue opportunities to improve methods of detection" of unregistered and uninsured cars.Failing to maintain a vehicle's registration and subsequent CTP insurance is an offence"Increased numbers of fixed cameras and automatic numberplate recognition devices have assisted in detecting offences related to motor vehicles," a police spokesman said."In the event that a driver of a South Australian registered vehicle is involved in a crash, (third-party) insurance provides compensation to any parties that may be injured as a result of that crash," he said."Failing to maintain a vehicle's registration and subsequent CTP insurance is an offence and may also result in the driver/owner of the vehicle being liable to the costs associated with any personal injury resulting from a crash." Opposition transport spokesman Corey Wingard said stickers were "a useful way to check if a vehicle is registered and also a reminder to renew their registration for many South Australians"."I have had residents tell me that they have been pulled up by the police for accidentally driving unregistered because they received no reminder notice, and no longer had the sticker to remind them," he said.Transport Minister Stephen Mullighan said the increase in fines was a result of intensified law enforcement."My advice is that the increase in detection of unregistered and uninsured vehicles can almost entirely be put down to the installation and use of automatic numberplate recognition and safety cameras," he said."For example, about 10,000 unregistered and uninsured vehicles were detected in the last financial year through the safety camera network." Mr Mulligan said the Government provided several registration renewal options, including direct debit, paying online, by smartphone app, telephone, at a post office and through Service SA."People can also register to receive a reminder SMS and/or email seven days before their registration is due and can check their current status online or via the smartphone app," he said.Average number of drivers caught driving unregistered and uninsured each month, since registration stickers were abolished:2011-12 - 23402012-13 - 3412 2013-14 - 3379 2014-15 (so far) - 3512Source: SA Police

Police Commissioner Gary Burns fired a salvo at the state's motorists by claiming they were rude and impatient. His comments were made in response to an article in The Advertiser this week revealing more than 3200 drivers had been caught by police last year for the dangerous practice of tailgating.The Commissioner said tailgating was "a pretty good example of impatient drivers''."I've driven in the US, UK, Europe (and) the rest of Australia and I think South Australia is right up there with the worst, particularly when it comes to being impatient (and) lacking in courtesy," Mr Burns said. "I think SA drivers really need to wake up to themselves" and become "far more polite and courteous".Mr Burns' comments were made when he was asked during a regular guest appearance on ABC radio about the tailgating story.Using hand held mobile while driving - 12,143Driving wrong way down a one-way street - 187Failing to keep left (unless overtaking) - 177Driving with an animal/ passenger on lap - 132Fail to keep safe distance while overtaking - 68Entering a blocked intersection - 68Failing to give way when merging - 43Failure to give way to emergency/police vehicle - 39Leading an animal while driving vehicle/riding bike - 10Increasing speed while being overtaken - 2Source SA Police expiation notice data

And the RAA has praised police for cracking down on tailgaters, saying it represented justice for those motorists who deliberately and aggressively drive too close and put all road users safety at risk.Police said the closer a driver is to the car in front the more likely they could be involved in crash with potential serious or fatal consequences.Officers last month targeted tailgating in the southern suburbs and latest police figures show almost 3200 drivers were either fined $360 or cautioned for tailgating last year.RAA road safety manager Charles Mountain said drivers tailgated for different reasons."Unfortunately you see people who do it deliberately - they may see a green light up ahead and want the car in front to go faster to catch the lights," Mr Mountain said."Others will think they can force someone to go faster." In such circumstances Mr Mountain advises drivers "if at all possible to get out the way" so they don't feel pressured by the tailgater to exceed the speed limit and "compromise their safety".Drivers who bunch up in congested traffic can also find themselves unintentionally tailgating but potentially involved in a pile up, Mr Mountain said.A driver needs to allow sufficient distance to allow for reacting to a situation and sufficient braking distanceSA Traffic Support Branch officer-in-charge Superintendent Bob Fauser warned tailgating decreases a driver's ability "to see the road ahead and react in the event of the need to brake suddenly"."A driver needs to allow sufficient distance to allow for reacting to a situation and sufficient braking distance," he said.Supt Fauser said drivers should use the "three-second rule" to measure a safe distance from the vehicle in front."Choose a fixed point aligned with the car in front of you and ensure a three-second gap between your vehicle and the one in front as you pass the fixed point," he said.But the decision of what is a "safe distance" between vehicles is up to the police, based on varying factors."These include weather conditions, general visibility, road conditions, speed and type of vehicle which all affect braking distances," Supt Fauser said.Almost 90 per cent of rear-end crashes occurred in the metro area"A police officer is required to estimate from their observations whether the rear vehicle is travelling too close and if necessary justify the estimations in court." Police crash data shows 31 per cent of reported prangs causing more than $3000 damage or injury involved a rear-end collision.The crash data also shows that almost 90 per cent of rear-end crashes occurred in the metro area, and just over half occurred at intersections.

Sydney's average price was around $1.30 a litre yesterday when it should be around $1.10 a litre, Mr Oliver said.The inflated pump price has added about $14 to the cost of filling a typical family sedan. Mr Oliver analysed the price of crude oil and pump prices since 2000 and said there has been a major disparity in recent weeks.You can't justify current pump prices given the price of Tapis oil and the value of the Australian dollar"Based on the normal relationship between the level of the Asian Tapis oil price in Australian dollars and average Australian petrol prices, petrol prices should be running around $1.10 a litre right now."When oil prices fell earlier this year competition pushed pump prices to around $1 a litre but now it seems competition is out of the market."You can't justify current pump prices given the price of Tapis oil and the value of the Australian dollar," he said.Mr Oliver said Tapis oil prices - the benchmark for Australian prices - have fallen from around $US64 a barrel to $US55 a barrel since February but the savings had not been passed on at the pump.He said refineries were making little money when prices were around $1 a litre in January but now "have gone from one extreme to another"."I hope an independent retailer will see an opportunity to import cheaper fuel and push prices down," he said."Remember world oil prices are still 50 per cent down on what they were a year ago, but $1.30 a litre is not much off the high point pump prices were at back then."There is some good news for motorists, with several experts believing fuel prices will fall in the lead-up to Easter.