Fewer car checks

Press, 6 April 1989, Page 4

Fewer car checks

PA Wellington Vehicles up to six years old will need warrant of fitness inspections only once a year from January 1, 1990, the Minister of Transport, Mr Jeffries, said yesterday. Importers will have to pay $6 on each newly registered vehicle to cover the cost of a new vehicle safety standards system. The measures were part of an updating of vehicle regulations, he said. The change to warrant checks was made after evaluating the system of yearly inspections for vehicles up to three years old, introduced in December, 1985. “This showed that since that date there has been no increase in accident rates involving mechanical defects for vehicles in the one to three years age

group.” The new regulations would replace outdated and fragmented rules from the 19305.

Mr Jeffries said that since the 1930 s the number of countries New Zealand imported cars from had risen, so it was important that acceptable design standards were made clear.

The new system means that all vehicles first registered in New Zealand must comply with specified safety standards.

These standards would be developed with the vehicle industry and would be equivalent to those set in large manufacturing regions such as Japan or the United States.

The importer would be responsible for certifying its vehicles met the standards and would have to pay the $6 fee.