Transport

What do The Beast, Rosie, Bluey and Dory all have in common? They have all made the list of the top 10 names young drivers give their cars, according to the RACQ.The results are from a survey of 16-24 year-old drivers.RACQ spokeswoman Lauren Ritchie said close to half of all people surveyed admitted to naming their cars.Women were found to be the most likely to personalise their ride.We're not surprised many drivers give their car a nickname"Many people have a special connection to their car, especially their first one," Ms Richie said."So we're not surprised many drivers give their car a nickname."Ms Ritchie said some of the names were very creative while other drives chose one to suit the car model or colour."If you love your car enough to name it, make sure you care enough to keep it clean, regularly serviced and topped up with fuel," Ms Ritchie said.What nickname have you given your car?1. Kermit2. The Beast3. Betty4. Getsy5. Rosie6. Suzy7. Bluey8. Bubble9. Bumblebee10. Dory

Operation Tabella, which encourages people to use tamper-resistant, one-way screws, will be launched by The Hills police in Kellyville next month. Commander of The Hills local area command, Superintendent Rob Critchlow, urged car owners to get involved and change to tamper-proof screws."The theft of numberplates is linked to other serious crimes such as robberies and frauds," he said."By using these clever screws, car owners can simply reduce a lot of crime."The free service will be conducted by police from The Hills police at Kellyville Plaza on Thursday, August 13, in the Woolworths carpark between 10am and 2pm. The Men's Shed will be putting on a barbecue.Police will install the tamper-proof screws if the registered owner is present on the day. They will also talk about car security and other safety issues.If your numberplates are stolen report it to the Police Assistance Line on 13 14 44.

Workers arrived at the Haymarket carpark in Myers St, Geelong on Monday to find the cost of parking for a whole day had increased from $9 to $9.40.A prominent sticker on ticket machines informed drivers of the price rise and the machines accepted $9.40, both in coins and on credit cards.However, the price rise is 20¢ more than the $9.20 figure predicted in the 2015-16 Geelong Council budget.The disparity appears to be the result of a typographical errorWhen News Corp Australia brought the discrepancy to the attention of the council, it investigated and later confirmed a mistake had been made."You are quite right. The correct fee for an all-day park at Haymarket should be $9.20," a spokesman said."The disparity appears to be the result of a typographical error."The software issue is being rectified and the machines will be reprogrammed to charge $9.20 all day. The City sincerely apologises for any inconvenience caused to members of the public."The daily weekday parking fee jumped from $7.50 to $9 a year ago, when free weekend parking was introduced under then-new mayor, Darryn Lyons.Weekday street parking also increased by 50¢ an hour last year, up from $2 to $2.50.Street parking rose again yesterday morning, to $2.60 an hour.Workers expressed frustration at the lack of notice about the parking fee increases, saying they had arrived at the Haymarket ticket machine with $9 in coins, to find a sticker on the machine stating the cost of a day ticket was now $9.40.All said they had seen or heard nothing about the price change before Monday morning.Jacob Marks, who drives into Geelong from Queenscliff every day to work as a cook at city vegan restaurant, Dolly's Sister, said he was lucky he had extra coins in his pocket when he parked at the Haymarket."I wasn't happy. At the very least, we should have had a bit of warning about it," Mr Marks said.He said he would rather pay for weekend parking to shop, than be slugged extra for weekday parking, so he could work.The council voted in April 2014 to permanently offer free, timed parking in the Geelong CBD on weekends, which was projected to cost $921,000 a year.A council spokesman said the fee increases "were advertised in line with public notification of the adoption of Council's budget in June 2015".All customers holding permits in council's off-street car parks were notified of the increase in writing, he said.

Drivers who dodge boom gates in Victoria will be fined up to $3033 for crossing the tracks at the wrong time.

Mr Sturgess — architect of the Independent Commission Against Corruption — is spearheading a taskforce to examine the future of the taxi and transport industry. He will report back in October with ways to deal with "unregulated" ride-sharing apps.UberX appeared in Sydney last year offering customers the option of booking a ride online with ordinary private car drivers. The state government has ruled it illegal because UberX drivers are not accredited under the Passenger Transport Act.The US-headquartered firm claimed in May it clocked-up 1 million bookings in its first year — but taxi drivers, who have lost business to the firm, have complained about the low regulatory burden UberX drivers face.Mr Constance announced yesterday the taskforce would look at competition in the taxi and transport industry, customer safety and the burden of taxi regulations."Cities around the world are grappling with these changes and in particular the introduction of unregulated ride-sharing apps," he said."If we want to see a strong future for the taxi industry and make services more attractive to customers, the next step is to look closely at regulations to ensure a more even playing field."There is a need to ensure an appropriate level of government-backed regulations to protect the public interestUberX drivers have to be aged 21 or over, undergo criminal and driving history background checks, own a 2006-model, four-door car or newer that has passed safety checks and hold insurance.Taxi drivers face a heavier regulatory burden — including insurance costs of about $13,000 a year, mandatory internal $3000 security cameras, $1300 initial licence fees, annual health and vehicle checks — and livery and signage costs.NSW Taxi Council CEO Roy Wakelin-King backed the Sturgess taskforce."History has shown the risk of market failure in deregulated taxi services is high and there is a need to ensure an appropriate level of government-backed regulations to protect the public interest," Mr Wakelin-King said."There is a strong sense of injustice among all members of the NSW taxi industry as a consequence of the current inequity facing taxi drivers, owners and operators. Unless the law is properly upheld, this situation will worsen."Uber also backed the taskforce and said it was a victory for "competition, consumers and choice".

Re International Driving Permits: I contacted Budget in the US as I have a car booked there next month. They replied that there is definitely no requirement for an IDP and my local licence is fine. I used Avis over there in 2012 and it was the same with them.

Close to 30 motorists will claim compensation after their cars were left broken down beside a busy Sydney motorway yesterday after filling up with Caltex fuel contaminated with water.

At present, Victorian drivers who have been involved in an accident but do not require medical care can refuse a blood test.The proposed new law follows a crash in Docklands last year in which IT designer Tien Le was killed.Motorist Aaron Sandner ran a red light in his ute, and police officers at the crash scene found 50 grams of the drug ice in his car.But the uninjured Sandner refused a blood test, and so police were unable to assess what drugs were in his system.It is clear that there is a loophole that needs to be closedIn December, Sandner, 30, was jailed for 39 months over the crash, which also injured Ms Le's partner.Introducing the Bill in state Parliament yesterday, Police Minister Wade Noonan said it would improve road safety."For people like the families of the couple involved in the tragic crash in Docklands in early 2014, it is clear that there is a loophole that needs to be closed," he said."The Bill will allow police to request a blood sample from persons in charge of motor vehicles that have been involved in an accident causing serious injury or a fatality."Police need to be able to make this request to obtain evidence of drug impairment or influence, so they can hold people properly accountable for their actions on our roads."Mr Noonan said the Victorian government's Ice Action Plan included funding for police to take more drug-affected drivers off the roads.

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

Owners of luxury European models and are up to four times as likely to be caught breaking the law compared to Japanese or Korean makes.Analysis of SAPOL and Transport Department figures shows Mercedes drivers are by far the worst in the state, recording 0.824 fines per vehicle in 2014/15.This compares to the least-fined of the large manufacturers, Isuzu with only 0.186 fines per car.Experts at a loss to explain the bias against luxury cars, and police have denied they give the drivers special treatment.Some of the more expensive vehicles are capable of extremely rapid accelerationIt is the first time the figures have become available because of a Weatherill Government reform called "open data", in which government departments are forced to release large amounts of information on their websites.RAA Senior Manager Road Safety, Charles Mountain said the nature of luxury cars, rather than driver behaviour may be to blame."Modern vehicles, particularly some of the more expensive vehicles are capable of extremely rapid acceleration and insulate the driver to such an extent that it may mask a driver's perception of speed," he said."Irrespective of the vehicle being driven, whether it be a luxury import or a reasonably priced runabout, it is important for their safety and that of other road users that they drive to the conditions and abide by the prevailing speed limits on the roads on which they are travelling."The type of vehicle doesn't determine if police take action, it is based on the nature of the offendingWhen asked a series of questions about the issue, SAPOL issued a one line response: "The type of vehicle doesn't determine if police take action, it is based on the nature of the offending".While Holden drivers amassed the most fines in 2014/15 with 72,847 there are 239,804 Holdens on the road.In comparison, Mercedes drivers were hit 13,157 times for only 15,959 registered vehicles.Only two non-luxury brands were in the top ten and six in the top 20 fined-per-registered-car for 2014/15.Other than Holden, which was the eighth most fined vehicle on the road, none of the large-volume, inexpensive makes is in the top 25 of most fined vehicles.There are some exceptions however, with the low-volume Dodge and Proton makes ranking second and third, Ferrari ranking thirty fourth and Jaguar thirty eighth.One of the cheapest vehicles on the road, the Chinese Great Wall is ranked highly at sixteenth.(Make - fines per car - total fines)1 Mercedes - 0.824 - 13,157 2 Dodge - 0.377 - 3183 Proton - 0.356 - 2684 Renault - 0.350 - 11495 Saab - 0.346 - 3886 Range Rover - 0.345 - 3517 Audi - 0.326 - 20748 Holden - 0.316 - 72,8479 Mini - 0.313 - 33110 Fiat - 0.309 - 31011 Daewoo - 0.305 - 147512 Jeep - 0.313 - 227013 Lexus - 0.293 - 95114 SsangYong - 0.289 - 21415 BMW - 0.284 - 503216 Great Wall - 0.284 - 290