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Station operators say petrol prices of nearly $1.50 a litre are putting a huge strain on motorists and are leading to increased fuel theft.SA's Motor Trade Association deputy director Dennis Baldock estimated it would be costing operators as much as $7.1 million a year.“It certainly seems as the price of fuel increases the incidence of reported drive-offs increases,” he said.“I don't think it's the families doing this, I think it's the notorious offenders."“People who target certain sites, certain areas, who are up to all the tricks like dodgy number plates, stolen cars.”But he said operators were still reluctant to switch all their pumps to a pre-pay system.“It's still in use, but it's a bit off-putting for some motorists,” he said.“Motorists don't like it, so they don't particularly want to introduce it on a regular basis."“But it's a question of how much can they afford to lose - they might get to the point where it's better off losing a few customers and not having drive-offs.”In Victoria, record pump prices are being blamed for the rise of mum and dad petrol thieves, with fuel theft costing operators up to $300,000 a week.“When it first hit the $1.40-a-litre mark, we saw mums driving off with the kids in the car without paying,” Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce spokesman Terry Conroy said.He said some offenders were making a choice between paying for groceries or paying for petrol.What should be done to to stop you having to decide between groceries and petrol? Can you afford petrol these days? 

The State Government is preparing a Bill designed to stop motorists cheating the system and help police identify unlicensed drivers or drivers restricted by a learner or provisional licence.Drivers currently have 48 hours to present their licence to a police station, creating a loophole that can be exploited.RAA traffic and safety manager Rita Excell said drivers could give police a false name under the current system.“People can give false names so we appreciate there are problems with the system now,” she said.“Somebody supposed to be on their P-plates and they are not carrying their provisional licence, they could give someone else's name so there are ways to get around the system.”Only motorists on a restricted licence are now required to carry it with them.Road Safety Minister Carmel Zollo said concern about the rule had led to the proposed law change.She said the new law would prevent people from trying to “cheat the system” and protect other road users from people attempting to drive illegally.The tougher powers were recommended by the Road Safety Advisory Council and will be similar to those operating in NSW, Tasmania and New Zealand.Ms Zollo said Victoria and Queensland were considering similar laws.“It is about helping us reduce serious and repeat traffic offending in our state,” she said.Opposition Road Safety spokesman Stephen Wade attacked the move. “This proposal smacks of revenue raising - not road safety,” he said.“If we could get every one to carry their licence, not one life would be saved."“In the meantime, such a law would penalise law-abiding South Australians going about their daily lives. The onus is on the Government to show how this would help.”Ms Excell supported the Bill but said the Government should provide a phase-in period for motorists to ensure they were not unfairly penalised.The Bill is set to be introduced to Parliament later this year.Ms Zollo also revealed the state's worst drink drivers would be forced to install alcohol interlock devices to regain their licence under a Bill recently approved.The law will impact on people caught drink driving twice in five years or those who record an alcohol reading above 0.15.“Despite all the warnings some South Australians continue to risk their own lives and those of innocent members of the community by drink driving,” she said. “We want to get those people who can't be trusted to do the right thing off the road for longer."“Alcohol interlocks will make it impossible for them to start their car if they register a positive blood alcohol reading.”The drivers will be forced to have the device installed in their car for the same period of time that their licence was disqualified.Road Safety Advisory Council chairman Sir Eric Neal said the device would address behavioural issues as well as protecting other road users.“Preliminary figures from 2007 show nearly all those killed on our roads with a BAC above 0.05 were in fact over 0.15,” he said. Do you agree that the $100 licence crackdown is just another revenue-raising tactic? Do you have any alternative suggestions? 

They think there is little likelihood of being pulled over and fined or losing points from their licence.PhD researcher Shari Walsh of Queensland University of Technology's school of psychology and counselling said her survey sampled 800 people at various times at a travel centre service station south of Brisbane.A total of 40 per cent admitted to using their phone at least once a day while driving and 46 per cent confessed to answering the phone while driving.Thirty-six per cent of drivers said they often dialled behind the wheel, 33 per cent said they read text messages and 18 per cent said they actually sent text messages while driving. People aged between 17 and 25 were among the worst offenders.But the saving grace for most drivers was that they tended to use their mobiles while stopped at traffic lights or stuck in traffic, rather than changing lanes at 100km/h.Older drivers tended to use their mobiles for work."We found that business people were more likely to use their phone than people driving for personal use," Ms Walsh said."The most commonly reported reason for people using their phone while driving was that they thought it was an effective way to use their phone, so they are using their time in the car that they believe would otherwise be unoccupied," she said."So it's not just that they feel disconnected but more about the fact that people think it's important to use their time and to hear what's going on."The study was funded by the Federal Government's Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB). 

It is the annual Christmas appeal that should not need to be made again in 2007: please slow down and make sure your family survives the holidays on our roads.The Daily Telegraph today joins NSW Police and motoring safety advocates in calling on all drivers to slow down this Christmas to help reduce the state's unacceptably high body count — 430 so far this year.With the backdrop of yesterday's horror crash near Narrabri, the state's top traffic policeman, Chief Superintendent John Hartley, said city drivers needed to accept their limitations and adapt to holiday driving.“Every year I give warnings to city people going to the country about the dangers of overtaking. What happened yesterday is a tragic example of an overtaking manoeuvre gone wrong,” he said.“People with multi-lane highways never overtake until that one or two-week period a year when they hit country roads and then are confronted with the choice of overtaking or sitting back and being patient.“I've seen cars in lines of traffic passing three or four cars at a time and still only getting to town a minute before those they passed. It's not worth the risk.”Chief-Supt Hartley was backed by NRMA president Alan Evans in calling on drivers across NSW to place the greatest importance on getting to their holiday destination rather than getting there within a certain time.“When you've spent most of your life at a top speed of 80km/h it's certainly a challenge to be passing on single lane highways doing in excess of 100km/h, so take the safety first approach,” Mr Evans said.He said he chose not to drive over the Christmas period wherever possible.“It's just too high a risk from my perspective because there are too many people on the road who are unfamiliar with the environment they're in,” Mr Evans said.

The majority of Australians admit to breaking the law whilst driving, with many saying they usually speed or exceed the speed limit to overtake another car, according to a carsguide.com.au survey.Nearly one in every ten respondents said they break the law every time they drive, with men (92%) more likely to break the law whilst driving than women (80%).Conducted by CoreData in partnership with carsguide.com.au, the national survey of 1387 respondents conducted this month also found:• 89 per cent of drivers admit to breaking the law whilst driving, with 85 per cent saying they usually speed and 72 percent exceed the speed limit to overtake another car• When it comes to breaking the law, 85 percent of drivers speed on the roads, followed by 57 per cent who talk on their mobile phones• Considerably more women (82%) deem speeding to be a serious offence that men do (49%)• Driving under the influence of alcohol is considered by nearly all of the respondents as the most serious driving offence• More than half of respondents admit that they slow down for a speed camera and then speed up once they are past it• 20 per cent of respondents have talked their way out of a fine, mostly by telling the truth (65%) or apologizing (40%), with 10% admitting to lying and 3% said they cried to get out of a fine• More men than women were able to talk their way out of a fine• Younger drivers (30 and under) are more likely to break the law every time they drive• If respondents could change a driving offence to make it no longer a crime, the majority would change parking restrictions, followed by speed limits• Less than 85 per cent of respondents are aware that the legal blood alcohol limit for drivers on a full license is 0.05• More than one third of respondents would drive unlicensed or with an expired license if they were confident they were not going to get caught• Over half of respondents (56 percent) feel that a greater police presence on the open road and inner city driving areas would add value to the community• Following-on from earlier research by Carsguide.com.au, road rage remains disturbingly common, with 87 percent of drivers witnessing road rage in another drive. Most of them saw the other driver shouting obscenities (80 per cent), sticking their finger up at someone (76 per cent) or tailgating another car (75 per cent)“The fact that the majority of our respondents admit to breaking the law while driving is a major issue”, carsguide.com.au editor, Alan Jones said. “Drivers seem to be aware they are breaking the law and can identify what these laws are, however continue to disobey the laws while on the road”.“More than 60 per cent of our respondents are in favour of decriminalising some common driving offences, however the rate of driving offences on our roads continues to increase and to endanger and end lives. I’m not surprised that there’s a constant battle to educate drivers and get them to respect and abide by road rules”.Surprised? Embarassed? Angry? Tell us what you think in the feedback section below...

A string of thefts and vandalism attacks on custom cars in Tasmania has prompted a Hobart car club to start a public awareness campaign; to stop theft and encourage people to report car crime.

Hiding cameras in bushes is not an option to catch speeders in New South Wales, says Roads Minister Eric Roozendaal.The NSW Government believed the use of highly visible speed cameras was reducing deaths and injuries from car crashes, he said.It's been revealed that a 2005 Road Traffic Authority (RTA) report, obtained under freedom of information, recommended using hidden speed cameras as a way to catch offenders.“I will not support calls by the Opposition to hide cameras in bushes or letterboxes in trying to catch speeders,” said Roozendaal.“High visibility speed enforcement on our fixed cameras reduces fatalities and injuries by up to 90 per cent.”Victoria used covert cameras as a speeding deterrent but that would not happen in NSW, he said.“This is NSW and we are not about hiding cameras in bushes, or garbage bins or letterboxes to catch speeders.”The state's motoring association, NRMA Motoring and Services, backed Roozendaal.NRMA president Alan Evans said a police officer issuing a speeding fine immediately was the best deterrent to a speeding driver.“Nothing drives the message home harder than a motorist sitting in his vehicle on the side of the road while a patrol officer enforces the law, right there on the spot,” said Evans. 

Operation RAID (Remove Alcohol Impaired Drivers) will target motorists in southern and western NSW, as well as Victoria, South Australia and the ACT from 9am (AEDT) on Friday until 11.59pm on December 16.Senior Sergeant Mick Timms, NSW Southern Region Traffic Coordinator, said the operation would focus on drink-driving at a time of the year when alcohol made a major contribution to crashes.He said the combined road toll of the southern and western regions of NSW this year was more than 170."This means that next month, more than 170 families will be sitting down for their Christmas dinner with an empty chair at the table," Sgt Timms said.Over the past four years, Operation RAID officers in NSW have breath-tested more than 320,000 motorists and charged 1,400 people with drink driving and other offences.AAP

The NT has no speed limits on open roads and no demerit points, introduced in most states in 1969.This had led to fatalities, drink-driving and people running red lights, the NT Road Safety Taskforce report found.Launching the report in Darwin today, Chief Minister Clare Martin said its findings were "appalling and shocking"."We as territorians drink and drive, travel very fast, we take risks when we travel and we run red lights," she said.The NT has a road death toll three times the national average with one person killed and nine seriously injured every week.One in every 42 NT drivers is over the legal alcohol limit, compared to one in every 314 in Victoria, according to the report.Despite community opposition to the introduction of speed limits and demerit points, Ms Martin said she was prepared to make "tough decisions" and flagged implementing at least some of the report's 21 recommendations."We can't turn out back on the recommendations in this report," Ms Martin said."We do need to change the rules, we need to change the culture of that way territorians get in our cars and go on the roads."To curb the fatality rate, the report recommends a 110km/h default speed limit be imposed on open roads.It also recommends introducing a limited demerit points system with double fines for speeding and jumping red lights.Cabinet would consider the recommendations over the next few weeks, Ms Martin said.