Articles by Keith Moor

Traffic camera commissioner Gordon Lewis told News Corp Australia he would do all he could to fix the problem.Motorists eligible to apply for an official warning include those who speed by less than 10km/h without having incurred any other traffic fines in the previous two years, and those speeding by 10 to 14km/h who haven't been booked in the previous three years.Mr Lewis said yesterday he would recommend that infringement notices be changed to include prominently displayed advice on how motorists can ask for a review.It is vitally important that the entire traffic camera system be as transparent as possibleHe also wants the notices to boldly display the principal criteria police use in deciding whether to issue a warning, while emphasising that these are not the only grounds that will be considered."It is vitally important that the entire traffic camera system be as transparent as possible - and that should include being open about how motorists can apply for an official warning instead of a fine," Mr Lewis told the Herald Sun."This information needs to be prominently displayed on every speeding infringement notice. That isn't happening now, and it should be."All the infringement notice currently tells the person is that they can apply for an internal review."But it is printed on the notice in very small type and I suspect not many people see it. And the notice doesn't tell motorists on what grounds they might be eligible to get an official warning."Urging Victoria Police and the Department of Justice to take his comments on board, Mr Lewis said infringement notices were convoluted, cluttered and challenged the reading comprehension of even the most literate people.He said the reference to a review also gave a website as the first point of reference.If the price of transparency requires two pages instead of one, why not?"Now, I don't think we can assume that all motorists have access to computers or know how to use them," he said."A third of all complaints received at my office come by post, mainly from older drivers."I feel that the details of what factors would normally be taken into account in deciding to issue an official warning should be boldly stated on the notice itself, rather than by reference to a website."If the price of transparency requires two pages instead of one, why not?"Victoria's Sheriff, Brendan Facey, and the state's top traffic cop, Robert Hill, said yesterday it was important the traffic camera system be as open and transparent as possible.

The flash on the old cameras alerted motorists to their presence so they were ineffective and rarely used at night. By the end of 2012, police had fitted every mobile speed camera with infra-red technology, enabling them to take snaps without telltale flashing.The hi-tech cameras have been out in the dark for almost 40,000 hours since then.Figures provided to the Herald Sun by Victoria Police revealed mobile cameras used at night nabbed 115,790 motorists in 2012-13 and 98,714 in 2013-14. Those motorists paid more than $40 million in fines.Most speeding motorists at night were nabbed by mobile cameras between 8pm and 9pm, with 35,590 fined in the past two years. The fewest were caught between 3am and 4am, with 1965 busted since July 2012. Almost 15,000 speeding motorists were snapped between midnight and 2am.

Traffic fines of more than $500,000 a month are being raked in by just five high tech Victoria Police cars.Even greater numbers of motorists are about to be nabbed as the hours of use of the futuristic BlueNet vehicles will be increased between now and the end of the year as part of the force's longest and biggest ever blitz on the road toll.A sixth BlueNet car being added to the fleet early next month will also boost the number of busted drivers and help make Victoria's roads safer.Top traffic cop Robert Hill yesterday told the Herald Sun the BlueNet's automatic numberplate recognition technology allowed police to proactively target disqualified drivers who were flaunting court orders by continuing to drive."We know that unauthorised drivers create extra risk on our roads and are commonly over represented in road trauma," assistant commissioner Hill said.As well as automatic numberplate recognition systems, the BlueNet vehicles also come equipped with drug and alcohol testing equipment and laser speed detection devices.Figures provided to the Herald Sun reveal that since January this year police in the five BlueNet cars have:SCANNED more than 4 million numberplates.DETECTED 84,000 possible unlicensed drivers and 53,000 possible unregistered vehicles.ISSUED 9100 infringement notices and 1050 briefs of evidence relating to serious traffic offences.IMPOUNDED 148 vehicles.CAUGHT more than three times the amount of suspended and disqualified drivers than non-BlueNet patrol cars do.Particularly disturbing cases detected by BlueNet vehicles include a 19-year-old learner driver in an unroadworthy car who tested positive for ice and cannabis while driving alone and a female suspended driver who blew .194 after being busted for another drink driving offence just two weeks earlier.Automatic numberplate recognition cameras mounted on the roof of BlueNet cars rapidly scan every moving, stationary and parked vehicle they pass, instantly detecting suspect drivers and vehicles.The cameras scan numberplates and alert police officers every time an unregistered car or an unlicensed driver is passed.They also detect stolen vehicles and drivers with outstanding parking, speeding and other fines.Assistant commissioner Hill said the BlueNet vehicles provided Victoria Police with a contemporary road policing enforcement tool to further assist in reducing road trauma."Mobilising the technology gives us greater ability to detect and remove high risk unauthorised drivers from our roads," he said."This technology is the future of road policing and will be fully deployed during the upcoming high-risk spring racing carnival and summer period."On average our BlueNet vehicles impound double the amount of vehicles and catch three times the amount of unauthorised drivers than a normal highway patrol vehicle."A sixth BlueNet vehicle is being added to the fleet and will be deployed to Melbourne and Prahran highway patrols."This additional vehicle will substantially improve our enforcement capacity in the metropolitan Melbourne area, creating a safer road system for all road users."An ice-addicted banned motorist was nabbed within minutes of the high-tech BlueNet police car hitting the road late last week.Catching unlicensed drivers is a vital road safety measure.The 44-year-old woman wasn't pulled over because she was driving erratically.What got her stopped was information identified by one of the four automatic numberplate recognition cameras fitted to the roof of the BlueNet vehicle.It scanned the numberplate of her small Mazda and immediately pinged to alert the camera operator the owner of the vehicle had been disqualified from driving after racking up 30 demerit points for speeding and other offences.The siren and blue lights went on and she was pulled over in Beaconsfield Parade, Middle Park.Every motorist stopped by police operating BlueNet vehicles is automatically breath tested for alcohol.This woman's appearance warranted the extra check of undergoing a drug test.She was amazed when told by Acting Sgt Kevin Byrne that she had tested negative."Really, I'm surprised," she told the officer."I thought ice stayed in your system longer."Different illegal drugs stay in the systems of different people for different amounts of time, depending on various factors.The ice user said she couldn't remember when she last took ice, other than it was "a few days ago".The Herald Sun recently spent three hours in a BlueNet car as Acting Sgt Byrne and Acting Sen-Sgt Tony Rayson put it through its paces.In just those three hours it scanned 2486 numberplates, detecting 24 unlicensed drivers and 23 unregistered vehicles.The busted ice addict was cooperative with police and readily admitted having used the deadly addictive drug "recently".She told the Herald Sun she didn't want to stop using ice because "I like it, just like you like a cup of coffee".Acting Sgt Byrne said a normal patrol car would not have picked the ice addict up as she was driving normally and there was nothing visibly wrong with her car."That's the beauty of the BlueNet's numberplate scanning technology," he said."There is no escaping it. If you are driving without a licence or driving an unregistered vehicle it will pick it up instantly and alert us so we can then pull you over."The four numberplate recognition cameras mounted on the roof of the BlueNet vehicles cover every angle and automatically scan every moving, stationary and parked vehicle.They are connected to a computer screen inside the car that is operated by the police officer passenger.The second a suspect numberplate is detected the screen makes a pinging noise to alert the operator and information comes up on the screen as to what possible offence has been detected, such as the car being unregistered or owned by an unlicensed driver or by a driver who is wanted for unpaid fines or other offences."We can be driving in one direction at 100km/h and another car can be driving in the opposite direction at 100km/h and the camera can still scan the plate and instantly tell us if the vehicle is a suspect one," Acting Sgt Byrne said."We can even do that at night as the cameras are infra-red."The BlueNet computer is linked to the VicRoads database so operators can instantly check details of the vehicle and driver.Next cab off the rank after the busted ice addict's Mazda was a P-plater in a Nissan Skyline who was pulled over in Dryburgh St, North Melbourne.The BlueNet cameras identified the vehicle as being owned by a 21-year-old from Sunbury whose licence was suspended after she racked up 17 demerit points.She stepped out of her car with sunglasses perched on her head, carrying an expensive Prada bag, wearing fancy jeans with designer tears and sporting a watch worth more than the average weekly wage.While polite about it, she insisted the BlueNet computer was wrong and that she did have a current licence — she just didn't have it with her to prove it.Just as politely, and just as firmly, Acting Sgt Byrne told her she would have her day in court and that she would have to get somebody to come and drive her car away because she couldn't.It only takes BlueNet half a second to scan a car as it travels past and in one shift it can check up to 7000 carsNot every motorist stopped during the three hours the Herald Sun was in the BlueNet car was busted.That welcome common sense and discretion that police officer can use — that speed cameras can't — was in evidence.The well-dressed businessman in his BMW was parked at traffic lights with his head down and fiddling with what was fairly obviously his mobile phone.As the BlueNet pulled alongside him Acting Sen-Sgt Rayson wound down his window and yelled out.The motorist looked up and got the shock of his life as the lights changed to green and he heard "don't do that again" as the BlueNet moved off.Luckiest of all that day was the P-plater pulled over while driving a truck the BlueNet pinged as being owned by a disqualified driver.It turned out the banned motorist wasn't the driver and the P-plater was quite legitimately driving a truck belonging to the company he worked for.Only problem was he only had one P-plate on display, rather than the required front and rear ones.That offence carries three demerit points and the young driver already had four of the six demerit points needed before license loss."He was a good kid and issuing an infringement for only having one P-plate on display would have meant him losing his licence and not being able to work," Acting Sgt Byrne said."I exercised my discretion after he assured me he would quickly get a second P-plate and display it."Biggest fine of the day was the $1328 ticket issued to a truck driver detected with an unregistered trailer."The boss will pay that, it's his trailer and his responsibility to register it," the driver said.The smallest was the $148 infringement notice given to the P-plater with the automatic licence who was driving a manual Toyota HiLux ute.While the bulk of offences detected by BlueNet vehicles involve unlicensed drivers and unregistered vehicles, in the past nine months they have also nabbed 880 motorists for seat belt and mobile phone offences, 2500 for speeding, 55 for drink driving and 2165 for other miscellaneous traffic offences."When I started 36 years ago it would take 45 minutes on the roadside to confirm someone was unregistered," Acting Sen-Sgt Rayson said."It only takes BlueNet half a second to scan a car as it travels past and in one shift it can check up to 7000 cars."That means that when we are in a BlueNet we know a vehicle is unauthorised before we even pull it over."Catching unlicensed drivers is a vital road safety measure.A Monash University study found about 11 per cent of fatal crashes involve an unlicensed driver.Alcohol was present in 55 per cent of unlicensed driver fatalities.

Victoria Police has started using futuristic new traffic cameras to nab drivers who text, talk or tweet on mobile phones. They will also capture people not wearing seatbelts, or those applying make-up or eating while driving.Camera operators can zoom in and snap offending drivers from 700m away - long before motorists spot the camera. Mobile phone users caught by the hi-tech traffic cameras will be hit with a $433 fine and get four demerit points.Top traffic cop Robert Hill yesterday confirmed the new hi-tech cameras will be out in force from today in what will be Victoria Police’s longest and biggest ever Easter road blitz. “We received the technology last week. We have trained our members and we are now deploying the technology across Victoria,” he told the Herald Sun.Speeding, drink, drug and distracted drivers will be busted by thousands of police on patrol and hundreds of fixed and mobile traffic cameras during the record Easter blitz. Assistant Commissioner Hill said the new cameras to tackle driver distraction were a welcome addition to the arsenal of other detection devices that will be used during the Easter crackdown, which will run for 13 days from today.Because the new cameras are mobile they can be moved and set up quickly in many locations - so motorists never know where or when they will pop up. “I drive the Monash Freeway to and from work and what I see in congested traffic are people taking their eyes off the road, being distracted and looking at their mobile phones,” assistant commissioner Hill said.“This new piece of technology is a way of combating that. With these cameras we can see from 700m away who is distracted and who is not concentrating.“We can see them before they can see us. We don’t need to actually see them holding their mobile phone for them to be breaching the road rules.“So if someone is clearly distracted by taking their eyes off the road and looking at their mobile phone on their lap, whether it be texting or whatever, they could still be infringed for offences such as using a hand held mobile phone while driving, careless driving or failing to have proper control of a vehicle.”Read full story at www.heraldsun.com.au 

Cars seized from hoon drivers and destined to be crushed will instead be given to the emergency services in Victoria. SES and CFA members will use the cars for 'jaws of life" training to prepare them for cutting victims out of crashed vehicles. Police Minister Kim Wells will launch the new scheme today. He told the Herald Sun some forfeitedcars would be donated to the CFA and SES to enhance training of members in the use of specialist equipment used in road rescue. 'For the first time, SES volunteers will have access to an ongoing supply of cars that can be used to simulate the rescue of a person trapped in a car," Mr Wells said. 'Previously, the SES had to rely on donations from wreckers and community donations and, while gratefully received, these vehicles are not always representative of the more modern types of vehicles that are encountered." Under the Government's hoon laws, road menaces can have theircars impounded on the spot for 30 days. Police can then apply to the courts to have the cars of repeat and serious offenders, including drink, drug and unlicensed drivers, impounded for up to another three months. The courts also can order permanent forfeiture. Under the legislation, hundreds of hoon cars have been crushed since July, 2010. Mr Wells said Victoria Police would begin donating some forfeited or abandoned vehicles to the SES and increase the number of cars donated to the CFA. 'The SES attends up to 1200 road rescues each year so these vehicles will provide SES members with real-life experience in freeing people trapped in vehicles," he said. Both the CFA and SES need to take vehicles apart in order to conduct training and skills maintenance and, until now, did not have enough vehicles for their training needs. We see the removal of these hoon cars from our roads for practical training for our SES and CFA members as a fantastic opportunity.' "This partnership is a practical way to assist the SES and CFA and provides equipment to better train volunteers." The SES is the largest road rescue service in Victoria, with 102 road crash units across the state.  

Victoria Police has rewritten its rules to alert thousands of speeding motorists how they can get off with just a warning. Its newly published policy states motorists caught doing between 10 and 14km/h over the limit can be warned instead of fined if they haven't been nabbed in the previous three years.The policy previously said only those busted doing less than 10km/h over the limit, and who hadn't been fined in the previous two years, were eligible to apply for an official warning to escape their fine. Victoria Police Supt Dean McWhirter denied increasing the number of motorists who could apply for warnings to include those travelling up to 14km/h over the limit was a new policy.But he agreed it had not previously been published. Speed camera watchdog Gordon Lewis criticised the force for not previously telling thousands of busted motorists they were eligible to apply to have their fines scrapped. He said it was unsatisfactory that a major part of Victoria Police's official warning policy for speeding motorists had been kept secret for years.Mr Lewis was commenting after the Herald Sun alerted him to the decision by the force to publicly reveal its full policy for the first time on which motorists can get off with just a warning. "To apply for an official warning if you are caught travelling between 10 and 14km/h over the limit, you have to know such a policy exists," Mr Lewis said."I was not aware such motorists could apply for warnings so it is fair to assume most motorists didn't know either. If Victorians are to have faith in the traffic camera system then it must be transparent."Police not telling people for years the basis on which they were eligible to apply for official warnings instead of fines is unsatisfactory."The publication of this additional basis for granting a warning in lieu of a fine, while claimed to be longstanding police policy, has not been published since I was appointed Road Safety Camera Commissioner in February 2012."I was surprised Victoria Police had not issued a press statement in relation to the publication of this additional policy, rather than rely on motorists reading its website." The old policy - which will still apply in addition to the new written rule - allowed 63,907 motorists to avoid fines in the past year. More than 166,000 motorists were fined for exceeding the limit by 10 to 14km/h in 2012-13.Read more here: www.news.com.au 

The force policy used to say that "under no circumstances" were cameras to be concealed by any covert means. It also used to ban them on downhill stretches of road unless the site had a significant speed-related crash record.The new rules - effective immediately - permit mobile speed cameras to be hidden behind trees, bushes, posts and road signs to lessen the risk of harm to camera operators from angry motorists. They also allow them to be used at the bottom of hills and on slopes if the "road safety objective" can't be achieved at an alternative location."There is no restriction from a technical, legislative or enforcement perspective on a mobile road safety camera being operated on a slope, hill or gradient," the new rules say. The force spent months creating its new policy after the Herald Sun revealed some cameras were being hidden despite the ban and also that fines had to be scrapped because a camera was wrongly set up on a steep hill.Almost 510,000 motorists paid more than $103 million in mobile speed camera fines in the past year. Victoria Police yesterday defended the changes to the mobile speed camera policy, saying they included recommendations made by speed camera commissioner Gordon Lewis."The amendments were made to specifically focus on the occupational health and safety of mobile speed camera operators, which is paramount in ensuring they can work in a safe environment," force spokesman Leonie Johnson said. Police told Mr Lewis the use of concealed or partly hidden cameras was necessary to protect camera operators from injury.Mr Lewis yesterday congratulated Victoria Police for clearly spelling out its mobile speed camera policy in a document that will be publicly available on the camerassavelives.vic.gov.au website. "Transparency and clarity are fundamental to the motoring public's trust in the road safety camera system," he saidPolice rewrote the rules after Mr Lewis asked Herald Sun readers in October last year to report any mobile speed cameras they believed were being used in breach of force guidelines. He did so after the Herald Sun revealed speeding fines had to be scrapped because a mobile camera was wrongly set up over the brow of a hill to snap motorists going down a steep slope on Warrigal Rd, Surrey Hills.Mr Lewis's plea to Herald Sun readers resulted in reports about 116 mobile camera sites they believed breached Victoria Police guidelines. His nine-month probe found in each case the cameras had been set up fairly and according to the guidelines.While he did identify three camera sites that were placed on unsuitable downhill stretches of road, he agreed with the decisions of regional police inspectors to override the rules and allow the use of cameras on those hills for safety reasons. Mr Lewis said it was Herald Sun readers who discovered the controversial hidden camera tactic.He asked Victoria Police for a "please explain" and was told the hidden cameras identified by the readers were put behind shrubs and road signs to protect the camera operators. Mr Lewis was shown CCTV footage shot from inside a number of camera vehicles showing cars and trucks being driven at camera cars. Police told him the drivers were "deliberately intimidating" the speed camera operators.www.heraldsun.com.au

And the Herald Sun has been told Victoria Police is now rewriting those rules so they can officially continue to conceal some cameras.Police recently told speed camera commissioner Gordon Lewis the use of concealed or partly hidden mobile speed cameras is necessary to protect camera operators from injury.Changes being planned to the force's speed camera guidelines will also make it clear to mobile speed camera operators they can put cameras at the bottom of hills and on downhill slopes if they believe doing so will achieve the desires "road safety objective".Mr Lewis yesterday endorsed the planned rule changes relating to hidden cameras and cameras on hills. He said both were justified to protect mobile camera operators and road users.Read full story herehttp://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/law-order/victoria-police-officers-caught-hiding-speed-cameras-in-defiance-of-rules/story-fni0fee2-1226668487135?utm_source=Herald%20Sun&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=editorial&net_sub_uid=6223456 

All drink-drivers will be ordered to fit interlock devices to their cars at their own cost under a radical reform of Victoria's road laws. The crackdown will catch about 17,000 motorists a year who blow .05 or over.The interlocks prevent a car engine from starting if the driver has been drinking. Police Minister Peter Ryan said the tough reform followed a government road-safety survey, published in the Herald Sun, in which 83 per cent of respondents favoured an increase in the use of interlocks.The result convinced the State Government it had overwhelming public support to significantly toughen drink-driving laws. "The user-pays system ensures there's a powerful financial deterrent to drink-driving," Mr Ryan said.He said drink-driving caused 25 to 30 per cent of deaths on the state's roads. "This will also bring about a strong cultural change and it will save lives," Mr Ryan told Fairfax Radio today."People get killed on our roads not because of accidents - it happens because people make poor choices and the issue here is do not drink and drive." The law will apply to all drink-drivers, unless they are able to convince a court "exceptional circumstances" exist in their case.Interlocks protect not only the community and would-be drink-drivers, but the drink-drivers from themselves. Work has already started on drafting the legislation and the Government will enact it as soon as possible."Some may argue these are harsh penalties for drink-drivers," Mr Ryan said. "But people should remember interlocks aim to stop more families from suffering the pain of losing loved ones. Interlocks protect not only the community and would-be drink-drivers, but the drink-drivers from themselves."Currently, only repeat offenders, drivers who blow more than .15, and those aged under 26 who blow .07 or more have interlocks fitted. The duration ranges from six months to four years depending on the blood alcohol reading and on whether the driver is a repeat offender.Using an interlock for six months costs about $1049, and for four years, $6509. Failed attempts to drive a car with an interlock device fitted to it are recorded.Read the full story here: www.heraldsun.com.au 

It's the topless cutie that Fiat Australia is hoping will give its stagnating 500 a swift kick in the class.  Deliveries of the soft-top Fiat 500C began last week and with more than 100 customer orders in the wings Fiat Australia is hoping the renewed interest in the re-born Fifties icon will help arrest a slide that saw the car's sales tumble from 584 in 2008 to just 342 last year.Over the same period class competitors like the Ford Fiesta and Hyundai Getz increased sales while other light passenger rivals like the Honda Jazz, Mazda 2 and Smart held their ground significantly better.  "When you are selling a car like this it is very important that there is something fresh and new (on a regular basis)," Fiat Australia spokesman Edward Rowe says."Unfortunately for us, while Fiat has recognised this on a global basis and there has been something fresh and new for the 500 every year (since the retro model was launched in Europe in 2007) we have missed out on one of those steps ... the Abarth version."As luck would have it the cars have come out of order for us. We are still hoping to have the Abarth later this year. It is definitely not off the future planning menu."While the Abarth model may yet make it to Australia, Rowe wouldn't comment on suggestions that the next stage of Fiat's global plans to keep the 500 fresh and exciting is a wagon version which could make its public debut at the Paris Motor Show in October and pay tribute to the tiny 500 Giardiniera wagon from the early 1960s.In a bid to re-ignite interest in the 500 Fiat Australia set pricing for the 500C ($28,990 manual and $30,990 DuaLogic automatic) last year and started taking orders at the same time."We started forward selling it last year because we knew the numbers were going to be limited and we wanted to make sure the first cars that arrived were going to be the colours and trims that customers wanted," Rowe says. "Those orders are already well into three figures and we will probably be able to get two or three hundred this year."The 500C has the same 74kW engine featured in the 3-door hatch version coupled to either the five-speed manual or five-speed DuaLogic automatic. The electric soft-top is a dual stage affair with the cloth roof folding back between the fixed rails to be either partially or totally open.Seven airbags are standard, including a driver's kneebag, along with anti-lock brakes and electronic brakeforce distribution. Electronic stability program and traction control along with a hill hold function are also standard."The Fiat 500C has to be the car to be seen in this summer," says Andrei Zaitzev, General Manager of Fiat in Australia. "But the 500C is much more than a stylish body. It shares the same technology as the 500 and that means it is as economical as it is cute, it has a five star EuroNCAP safety rating."Like the 500, the 500C is as clever as it is beautiful and fun to drive."  Rowe also downplayed suggestions that Fiat's distributorship arrangements in Australia currently held by Ateco Automotive, importers of Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Maserati, Citroen and Great Wall could be up for reassessment following the Fiat and Chrysler amalgamation. That joint venture is aimed giving Fiat greater distribution reach within the United States while Chrysler will win through access to Fiat's small car platforms."It is not an issue of any sort," Rowe says. "Nothing is going to change here. Neville (Ateco owner Neville Crichton) has the contract to import Fiat to Australia ... that's that."  Rowe says that news reports out of the United States that Chrysler Australia will import the Lancia Delta into Australia has fired the latest round of speculation."I think that where people have become confused is that they do not understand that it is not uncommon around the world for the same car to be sold as a different brand, even within the same market. Lancia, as a brand, will not come back to Australia ... rather the plan will likely be for a Lancia product to come to Australia as a Chrysler-badged product."Fiat 500CPrice: $28,990 (manual), $30,990 (automatic)Engine: 1.4L/4-cylinder 74kW/131NmTransmission: 5-speed manual, 5-speed DuaLogic automated manualEconomy: 6.3l/100km combined (supplied)Performance: 0-100km/h 10.5 seconds, top speed 182km/h