‘Monstrously unsafe’: Loophole allows drivers to escape punishment for almost 54,000 traffic infringements
Bosses are protecting hooning workers from losing their licences, a new report from the Road Safety Camera Commission today has revealed.
According to the report, almost 54,000 infringements issued to company cars between July 2016 and June 2018 were not passed on to the person responsible, because the company failed to nominate a driver.
Of the fines worn by companies, 4280 infringements were significant enough to warrant an immediate loss of licence.
When a company fails to nominate a driver the business pays a larger $3000 fine, but no driver loses demerit points for the infringement.
A larger fine can be meted out to businesses who repeatedly refuse to nominate drivers, but it is rarely used.
Road Safety Camera Commissioner John Voyage said he’s “not altogether surprised” by the findings, but the numbers are “jaw dropping”.
“When you see, for example, 274 vehicles with five or more loss of licence events, it’s a behaviour which a small number of organisations are performing and which would seem to be unfair to the rest of us on the road, but also monstrously unsafe!” he told 3AW’s Nick McCallum.
“These are people who think that driving through a red light or speeding can simply be a matter of paying a fine and not copping the learning experience that the rest of us all cop when we get demerit points or even a loss of licence.”
Transport Matters MP Rod Barton said companies should be stopped from running hoon protection rackets.
“If they’re paying a speeding fine … that’s just protecting hoon behaviour and they shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it!,” he told 3AW’s Tony Jones, filling in for Neil Mitchell.
“They should be held responsible. Road safety is a serious matter and we need to get hoons off the road.”
Premier Daniel Andrews has promised to close the loophole.
One option being considered by the Premier would lead to company car registrations being suspended until the driver of the vehicle is identified.
Press PLAY below for more from Road Safety Camera Commissioner John Voyage.
Press PLAY below for more from Rob Barton.