Campaign against written-off vehicles returning intensifies

Written-off vehicles allowed back onto the roads present a potential death trap - or at least financial hardship - to unsuspecting motorists and the campaign for the states to outlaw the practice is intensifying.

The campaign to address written-off vehicles making their way back onto the road continues with various motor trades associations lobbying state governments to make changes.

The autobody repair industry wants to see repairable write-offs removed from the landscape, have then declared statutory write offs not allowed back on the road.

The Motor Traders Association of NSW has been campaigning for the past two years to have all vehicles that are written-off by insurance companies being declared statutory write-offs.

"This would have certain exclusions ? for example vintage or antique cars," MTA NSW chief executive James McCall said.

He said the main detractors of the proposal have been the auction houses and insurance companies.

Written off vehicles most often reappear because of one of the following reasons:

The written-off vehicle has been purchased by a 'back-yard' repairer who addresses the cosmetic damage to the vehicle but ignores much of the real issues with the vehicle and particularly the safety aspects caused by the accident. Consequently many of these vehicle are put back on the road in a very unsafe condition, risking the lives of unsuspecting consumers.

Re-birthing - thieves steal a vehicle and then legitimise that stolen vehicle by transferring the identity of a written-off vehicle to the vehicle they have stolen.

Every year there are some 13,000 of these vehicles that reappear on the roads in NSW, according to McCall.

"We believe that declaring these vehicles to be statutory write-offs would eliminate stolen vehicles as a substantial criminal activity in this state, overnight," he said.

"Secondly, because more of these vehicles would be repaired by insurance companies, using legitimate repairers, then the safety aspects would be addressed, much to the benefit NSW consumers.

"I have met with the Roads Minister, David Campbell and outlined our case to him.

"I received a very good hearing and feel we got our message across very strongly.

"I had previously met with the Police Minister, Tony Kelly, and am also confident of his backing on this very important issue."

Queensland is also working towards a similar solution with MTAQ principal policy director Richard Payne telling Australasian Paint & Panel the organisation had made a submission to the NSW RTA, discussion paper on the subject.

Payne said since the introduction of the Written Off Vehicle Register (WOVR), there had been a significant reduction in the re-birthing of stolen vehicles.

According to MTAQ information, in 2001 one in eight stolen passenger and light vehicles were not recovered, but by 2007 the equivalent rate was one in five.

In Queensland statutory written-off vehicles can be reused for purposes including: complete chassis; sections of monocoque bodies; motorcycle frames; and chassis parts as used in sectionalised repairs.

Payne said since the inception of the WOVR the majority of other jurisdictions have not allowed the re-use of statutory written-off chassis or sections containing the vehicle identification number.

Vehicles repaired in Queensland using statutory written-off chassis have been presented for registration in other jurisdictions and rgistration on these vehicles has been refused.

Payne said the future position in Queensland would be to ban the re-use of SWO.

"Banning such practices will bring Queensland into line with other jurisdictions," Payne said.

"A ban will commence following consultation and consideration of feedback received and a moratorium will allow time for SWO chassis purchased prior to implementation to be used in the repair of vehicles and registered."