$150 un-roadworthy car fine

From April 1 police and Tauranga City Council parking wardens will be working together to check cars are up to scratch, and any that aren't face a $150 fine.

A police officer and Tauranga City Council parking officer check a car tyre for defects.

The upcoming TWIRL - tyres, windscreen, wipers and mirrors, indicators, rust and lights – initiative is a new set of checks police will be doing around the country aimed at improving vehicle safety.

The initiative supports the New Zealand Transport Agency's (NZTA) safety campaign to shift more responsibility onto motorists for their car's roadworthiness and less reliance on just having a warrant of fitness.

Western Bay of Plenty road policing manager Senior Sergeant Ian Campion says the focus is on making cars safer and educating drivers.

'Tyres will be one of the first things we'll be checking in the Western Bay of Plenty. Tyre condition and pressure are two things that can easily deteriorate between warrant of fitness safety checks and poor tyre quality has an extremely high potential to cause serious harm.

'Drivers with worn tyres may be given an infringement, even if they have a current warrant of fitness.”

Tauranga City Council's parking team leader Kevin Nally says parking officers have been trained to detect tyre defects and they'll be checking for a number of faults such as baldness, cracks and bubbles and issuing fines if required.

'We are supporting NZTA's national safety campaign by adding the ‘twirl' to the set of checks we currently make and worn or bald tyres may be liable for a $150 infringement per tyre.

'It's the driver's responsibility to maintain the vehicle and ensure it is in roadworthy condition at all times.”

TWIRL Checklist

It doesn't take long to give your car a quick safety check. Just give it a regular ‘twirl' and take it to an expert if anything is wrong.

Tyres

Check the tread depth. Minimum legal depth is 1.5mm but the more tread you have the better the grip and the safer you'll be.

Check the tyre pressure – correct levels are usually found on the inside door frame.

Look for cracks or bubbles in the sides.

Look for sharp objects stuck in the tyres.

Windscreen, wipers and mirrors

Check your wiper blades for wear and tear.

Clean your mirrors and windscreen outside and inside.

Get your windscreen fixed if it's chipped or cracked.

Check your windscreen washer fluid is full.

Indicators

Put your hazard lights on and walk around the car, checking all indicators are flashing.

Rust

Look for obvious areas of corrosion that can weaken the car's structure.

Lights

Check lenses are clean and not cracked or hazy.

Check your headlights, reversing lights and brake lights are working. Check your back lights by reversing close to a wall and looking at the reflection in your rear view mirror.

Visit www.nzta.govt.nz/checkyourcar for more information.

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49 comments

Why????????

Posted on 23-03-2014 14:52 | By xfiles

I strongly disagree with this. It's not fair on the driver if they have a warrant of witness ( which they get passed on a tyre that will last 6months) only for a bloody parking warden to say No its not here's a $150 fine. I think parking wardens abuse their power already and are up themselves and allowing to do more is JUST NOT THE ANSWER!!


Warrant of Fitness

Posted on 23-03-2014 15:43 | By Blessed

What on Earth is a Warrant for? and WHY did Govt change the time a WARRANT lasts,frm 6months to a Year if they were Concerned with Safety?? It should be as simple as impounding a car that has no warrant. Im All for Safety on our roads, But this seems like the obvious would be to take WOF checks back to every 6Months, Yes wear and tear happens, but most accidents are caused by Speed and Stupidity. a $150 instant Fine for worn tires? They should be given 7days to fix them before the Fine is issued.. Like u said, not everyone knows what to look for.


I agree with

Posted on 23-03-2014 17:15 | By Clover

xfiles and Blessed. Simon Bridges, have you nothing better to do than approve these wannabe's to dish out fines like this? I can see this causing some real headaches for council as well as unsuspecting motorists. This nanny state is becoming worse and worse


car fine

Posted on 23-03-2014 17:24 | By spikeredmires

This is surely to target those who have no WOF in the first place?? It's all to do with being safety conscious and there aint alot of it in NZ. Drive in Auckland and see the drivers there, wow


Little Hitlers

Posted on 23-03-2014 17:26 | By Booostn

since when did traffic wardens become vtnz inspectors. just another way for the council to make a buck.to become a certified wof issuer you have to sit several tests and exams and now they are giving that responsibility to those who are judgemental and power abusive enough already.even the police let u have 7 days to replace a tyre if they claim its unroadworthy and here we got a bunch of Nazis walking round with the ability to issues a $150 per tyre fine if they claim its unroadworthy. whos going to want to shop in downtown Tauranga now.certainly not me


This really is

Posted on 23-03-2014 17:45 | By tish

revenue gathering. It has nothing to do with safety.


Want to avoid TWIRL?

Posted on 23-03-2014 17:52 | By Accountable

If your car is unsafe and you don't want fined for not having a WOF or rego and you want to avoid TWIRL you can go and park in the Council owned parking buildings and you will not be inspected and fined. Apparently they don't want to upset their customers but to heck with everybody else's customers. This is another example of do as I say and not do as I do.


Really?

Posted on 23-03-2014 17:56 | By timor2011

So now parking wardens are wof inspectors now? They do not have the equipment or the training to make these decisions. A tyre may have been deemed acceptable for a wof I.e have the necessary 1.6mm tread depth required to pass a wof. Why did the government change the wof regs? To save the government money on the cost of its fleet?


Gone too far ...

Posted on 23-03-2014 18:45 | By Murray.Guy

Tauranga City Council ratepayers are now paying staff to carry out road side warrant of fitness checks. Councillor Steve Morris took delight in telling us recently how in 4 short months they have turned the Council around - Personally, I think it is 'upside down'! Millions wasted and staff further antagonising the community. A great way to enhance community perceptions of Council Staff. Skip all the rhetoric about supporting the New Zealand Transport Agency's (NZTA) safety campaign. This is revenue collecting from activities we DO NOT employ staff for! The staff are there to manage parking and related matters, NOT police!


wof

Posted on 23-03-2014 19:30 | By outback

are all the police and parking wardens qualified mechanics I think not


What's really happening here?

Posted on 23-03-2014 20:37 | By groutby

Look, these guys (the TCC traffic wardens) are doing a hell of a job now, ....why are they being asked to do yet more "revenue gathering" for the traffic department?....my understanding is that there is a definative $$(of fines) "split" between the TCC and Ministry of Transport in regard to fines issued by Councils. If this is the case, then can we know what this is to confirm this is in fact, revenue gathering for BOTH parties?...covert as it seems...road safety..???Hmmmm


xfiles n Boostn on the money..

Posted on 23-03-2014 22:20 | By awaroa

Surely there are some legalities involved. If a parking warden (parking warden... really!!!) can 'over-rule' or 'over-turn' a current WOF issued by a certified inspector, surely they need to be legally empowered to do so and also be required to undertake formal certification because essentially that's the equivalent authority that PARKING WARDENS have been given it seems.


Listen to the People!

Posted on 23-03-2014 22:30 | By Alex Wills

Why doesn't the Council and National Government listen to their constituents??!! The majority clearly don't want more nit picking from unqualified quota driven parking wardens. It's bad enough that they already issue grossly inappropriate fines for late payment of road tax (registration/vehicle license fees). We can see straight through the BS and see this for what it is, revenue gathering and more burden/harassment of the public.


Good to see Council getting tough with safety

Posted on 23-03-2014 23:00 | By Councillorwatch

Anyone who has had a relative or friend killed or injured by some person running around in a defective vehicle will applaud Council's actions. Of course it should be firstly a Police job, but as long as its no cost to ratepayers it's a suitable fit with parking monitoring. Hope any fines go towards reducing rates. Why should decent people who keep their vehicles legal see others get away with faulty cars? Not sure about Murray Guy's comment on Steve Morris and turning Council around. I mean who had years to turn Council around? It's important councillors who failed to get re-elected give the new ones a chance.


Courtroom Here We Come

Posted on 24-03-2014 08:20 | By Disappointed

Fortunately in this country we still have a justice system that requires expert testimony and fact rather than just supposition and conjecture. A day in the classroom with Mr Nally cannot make a parking warden a master of vehicle certification. Anyone issued such an infringement whilst displaying a current WOF should let the courts decide if there is any substance behind this revenue based bureaucracy.


???

Posted on 24-03-2014 08:26 | By Capt_Kaveman

Check the tyre pressure - correct levels are usually found on the inside door frame. this is incorrect as it depends on the tyre and if they talk about safety then these stickers need to be removed


Ridiculous

Posted on 24-03-2014 09:20 | By Rik

I understatnd a car needs to be roadworthy and if not then yes a fine apply which is already the case no matter if you have a warrant of fitness or not. pretty much the new part is that parking wardens can do this and the stupid thing is that its $150 per tyre if caught out that could then be a total of $600 then it is revenue gathering as well.


...

Posted on 24-03-2014 09:22 | By ButtonSmasher

It's not what we're driving, it's how we are driving.


Council - Please clarify now!

Posted on 24-03-2014 09:36 | By SonnyJim

As wild guess, I would say the so called $150 fine comes with a 7 day warning? If not, the council shall erect signs all around the affected area advising motorists that parking their vehicles inside the zone could result in over $1000 in unroadworthiness fines.


How to get around this farce..

Posted on 24-03-2014 10:08 | By kiwi.tga

Another reason to avoid the CBD or any other area patrolled by wardens. It's my understanding that the entire amount of the fine stays in the councils pocket.I feel sorry for any business owner in the CBD, looks like bayfair is the place to go


What next!

Posted on 24-03-2014 11:16 | By Mary Faith

Just another reason to stay away from the CBD!


.

Posted on 24-03-2014 11:55 | By maccachic

Seems it is needed by the number of commentors who seem to think if they have a WOF there car is roadworthy untill they get their next WOF. The WOF times only changed for newer model vehicles.


complaining

Posted on 24-03-2014 14:11 | By whataplace

Simple way to not get a ticket, Have more than 2mm of tread on your tyres. 1.5mm for legal reasons, add another .5mm to be safe. Where is the problem? Any good driver should be checking tyres on there car often anyway. Whats the only thing sticking your car to the road? Your tyres, so why shouldn't parking wardens be able to issue fines? I can tell, when my cars tyres need replacing, and I haven't completed any special course on tyre maintenace...


Overit

Posted on 24-03-2014 14:37 | By overit

I have just this minute found this article, I cannot belive it. Where will beauracracy end? Perhaps the Parking Wardens should apply for the Police Force.


April Fools?

Posted on 24-03-2014 14:48 | By kailjohnson

This seems soo poorly thought out that I am one to ask. Is this an early april fools joke? Since when did parking wardens become experts on Vehicle Safety? This is atrocious... So much for nationals "Limited Government". Anyone have a petition whipped up?


time for Facebook petition ?

Posted on 24-03-2014 15:41 | By kiwi.tga

I wonder if an anti-council facebook page will spring up..


Courtroom Here We Come

Posted on 24-03-2014 16:14 | By drgoon

I agree, there is to much in this issue that is left to subjective speculation. How does a Parking Warden determine whether wiper blades comply or not. Will they be checking tyre pressure on all tyres if they look soft?? I always check my tyre pressures because to me the tyres look partially deflated but are in fact at the recommended pressure. Are we going to get an exorbitant fine for having 'dirty' mirrors, indicators and lights..... If I get an infringement notice I'm taking it to court for sure.


Give us a break

Posted on 24-03-2014 17:19 | By Taffy

Why can,t the council keep their sticky beaks out of things that are of no concern to them.If they want extra revenue do a proper job on the council staff restructure instead of the clatyons job that they done where,s the 45 jobs that were to go!!oh sorry they have now been reassigned to be extra parking wardens. Next they will get new uniforms fawn pants and jack boots the TCC gestapo just like the old MOT


Absolutely Ridiculous

Posted on 24-03-2014 17:54 | By fabpuss

My older car has no problems passing its WOF and they write down 'left tyre' for example in comments and tell me if something is wearing and will need attention before my next WOF and I watch it and attend to it. I do not need a TCC parking officer to decide for me. I have had a chip in the windscreen ever since I purchased the car 5 years ago. It would seem that a keen TCC parking officer could penalise me for this although it always passes a WOF


mmmmm

Posted on 24-03-2014 18:14 | By stikz

as an inspector, I would advise all to read the back of the wof form. The wof inspection is for the car AT TIME OF INSPECTION. It is NOT stating that the vehicle is compliant for the next period. People need to understand wof inspections before posting on this or any public forum!! I don't like the new wof validity periods, From what I see every day 12 month wof's for people who think that the vehicle is warrantable for that period, are going to cause major problems. A tyre, or any other item, that is legal AT TIME OF INSPECTION, may only last a short time. We always advise people that this "item" is legal now, but is very close to replacement. It would seem that the govt. is pushing all motorists into a lower cost system, that is going to cost more in lives. sad


2

Posted on 24-03-2014 23:55 | By Capt_Kaveman

deaths are caused by they way people drive than the condition of thier cars 99.9% of all crashes are caused by driver error rather than a fault with the car


Revenue streams

Posted on 25-03-2014 00:23 | By tibs

I believe Council receive 50% of parking fines and if the matter goes to court and they win, then they get 90% of any fine issued by the court. It's not that long since our esteemed Mayor said that if parking wardens found two times wrong with a vehicle, they'd only ticket for one. Now the new council in wanting more money to play with is pushing the wardens further out into the suburbs. They do the Mount regularly on weekends and where there are no time limits they just check registration and WOF on every vehicle. I think this is only two steps away from the situation with Auckland Transport where the wardens are out in the wee small hours ticketing parking offences in residential suburbs. It's all about the money, with road safety as a covering excuse. And the Police keep on giving it to them.


agreed tibs

Posted on 25-03-2014 11:56 | By stikz

It is a revenue gathering system. I certainly hope it does not end up like Auckland.


Get Real

Posted on 25-03-2014 13:26 | By freedomkiwis

So...if it's going to go this way, then why the heck don't we make it like Australia, where our registration and warrant are all inclusive for 12 mths and in that time we are responsible for the maintenance of a roadworthy vehicle. This is just another revenue gathering exercise for the council. Lets face it, most councils debts are huge and what better way to pay them off than to penalise everyone some more.


Creeping

Posted on 25-03-2014 13:35 | By dendraver

I feel the TCC council is creeping deeper and deeper ... trying to squeeze every last penny they possibly can out of me. Screw you guys - which is exactly the same message TCC are giving its members with crap like this


Ignorant Comments

Posted on 26-03-2014 11:51 | By mutley

The responsibility to maintain the vehicle has always been on the driver especially tyre condition between WoF inspections. Car condition is a major contributor to accidents - there is plenty of research to prove that tyre tread depth should be 3mm not just the legal 1.5mm to work in the wet. If you don't want to be fined then put the $150 towards having proper tyres like a responsible motorist should. Wingers !!


Simple

Posted on 26-03-2014 14:27 | By graemec

Keep your car up to the required safe standard and you dont have to worry at all. I have to worry about the unsafe cars you guys drive so the council are helping road safety , so what if they make a few bucks. It will help keep rates down. They should invest in red light runner cameras as well and we wouldnt have to pay any rates.


GOOD!

Posted on 27-03-2014 18:20 | By vv

This is a good thing, I am happy to know if my car isnt safe, especially when im driving my kids around every day. I think a fine is a little over the top, maybe a warning then a fine would be a better way to approach it, most people (including myself) wouldnt know if our car was unsafe if it had a current wof


vv...where have you been?..

Posted on 28-03-2014 19:59 | By groutby

You cannot, simply cannot be serious when you say you are happy to have and instant fine, and accept it seemingly happily..if your car is not up to the standard "as expected by these unqualified well, people..!!" can you..?..We have (or more reasonably ..had) a very adequate (not perfect but adequate) vehicle testing regime every six months, and now this has changed and the money grabbing TCC heirachy see an opening to get yet more $$ and give the parking wardens a "mandate" to fine us for MAYBE having an issue with a tyre..or windscreen chip ...or any other reason maybe the warden sees fit to issue a "non negotiable" fine, this is madness...the death knell for Tauranga City Centre and all areas in the control (jackboots are compulsory!) of TCC wardens.


A Little Concerned

Posted on 28-03-2014 20:11 | By TGAborn&bred

If there was a little note on my windscreen warning me about a flat tyre I was unaware of - that would be fine, a $150 fine would not be fine. Especially if some kids are going around letting air out of tyres... possibly recieving a TCC commission $$ per fine issued? or do the wardens get the commission? whats next?


Pink Sticker instead

Posted on 29-03-2014 07:42 | By MrGPz

It appears that a ticket will be issued for obviously bald or unsafe tyres. It would probably be safer to contact the police to "pink sticker" the vehicle. This would remove an obviously unsafe vehicle from the roads, instead of letting them continue on their way, $150 dollars lighter, and less money to purchase a new tyre. The police are also better equiped to deal with irate drivers than parking wardens.


CBD no way...

Posted on 29-03-2014 15:33 | By drgoon

I for one will be staying out of the CBD. You watch, this is just the beginning. TCC will add to this in a linear way to increase revenue where possible. This is not about safety, it is purely and simply about collecting revenue. If they want revenue collection why don't they put cameras on all controlled intersections in town. That way all you lot who run red lights, yes... you lot reading the comments here, will get fined probably 3 times every day. This city has got to be the worst for ignoring red lights.


Overit

Posted on 29-03-2014 18:49 | By overit

The issue for me is employing another Parking Warden. Are we not cutting back to keep Rates down. I am with Catherine Stewart.


Theodorus

Posted on 29-03-2014 22:24 | By Theodorus

The saying is that little knowledge is dangerous and the proper knowledge of a parking warden of car and tyre safety requirement is doubtful and can not be relaid on.And an instant fine is heartless and just ripping people off


Fair is Fair

Posted on 01-04-2014 13:38 | By dbhannah

Let me say first, my car is always warranted and is always roadworthy. However! When I go to get a WOF, sometimes my lights aren't as bright as they should be, so the lovely guys clean them for me, sometimes my tyres are okay, but they let me know to get them changed within the next 2000kms (which will be before my next warrant) and sometimes they fill my wiper blade reservoir because it's empty! At no stage do I get a FAIL for my WOF or a fine, or a need to correct these things and come back. The lovely guys are helpful and always give excellent service, I am comfortable with them having had the required level of training and knowledge to be able to provide a beneficial service to me as a consumer. to be continued...


Fair is Fair prt2

Posted on 01-04-2014 13:39 | By dbhannah

So now let's look at the parking warden. Is the TCC providing them with the correct training? Will they have a certification badge they will display, I know my WOF place has to! How much will this cost the rate payer to have all of the parking wardens up-skilled, and there can be no question that they will need this training! I mean not every and all mechanics are able to offer a WOF, so there must be additional certification to be obtained for this privilege They certainly can't have that level of certification already otherwise they would be employed doing WOFs not walking around the streets. So tell me, if I have a parking warden NOT issue me with a ticket because my car is at a WOF level, do I need to go and get a WOF or can the parking warden issue me one please?


A fine will not save a life, EVER

Posted on 01-04-2014 21:36 | By faust01

Issuing a fine for $150 will not save ANYONES life. EVER. how ever 2 week compliance allows the problem tyre to be fixed.


Common Now!

Posted on 08-04-2014 21:22 | By Raewyn

I am a law abiding citizen and if I have a warrant on my car would assume it to be legal, however if my tyre's should wear down quicker than expected prior to next WOF I think a warning to correct the Situation rather than a instant fine would be much fairer.


Indicators

Posted on 21-04-2014 16:18 | By Papamoaner

No mention yet about LED indicators on many late model cars that are hard to see on roundabouts due to poor beam angle and brightness. These cars should not have a WOF. LTNZ should be held culpable for accidents caused by poor indicators while they are tolerating a dysfunctional WOF inspection standard with respect to indicators. Performance should be measured properly, not just a mechanic's go-nogo eyeball assessment.


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