Victorian Police Force Holden VE SS Commodore
10 Apr, 2007
13 Comments 
When we previously mentioned the Victorian Police force got their hands on Chrysler’s 300C, the Victorian police media unit got a little annoyed as we tried to link the revenue raised from speeding tickets as the funding source for their 300C. So the propaganda unit has been working hard, and they’ve come out with this :
These Holden VE SS Commodores are named, SMART cars (Special Mobile Anti-Road Toll) and their aim is to be so visiable that you can’t help yourself but to obey the law.
Now Victoria police informed us that all revenue raised from infringement notices goes into road improvements and road safety.
If we sit down and think quietly for a few minutes, it becomes obvious that road safety, at least the kind that Victoria police knows of, involves more speed cameras and more patrol cars.
Dear Victorian motorists, you have paid for these cars, which will no nothing but raise more revenue.
Some of the SS Commodores are fitted with mobile data devices which allow police to access information including driver license details and persons of interest data. They also feature a range of modern technology to accommodate secure digital radios and mobile radar equipment.
As one of our readers pointed out in our Easter Road Toll article, driver attitude change starts with education. For all there expertise on law enforcement Police are not experts on Human behavior and as such know nothing about modifying people’s behavior.
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April 10th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Actually, I think that having a (highly?) visible police presence is a Good Thing, much better at actually policing the laws than speed cameras or any other form of revenue raising policing. Think about it, if you spot police, are you likely to do anything else but drive within the law?
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April 10th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Yeah good point Rob but its the same as speed cameras you slow down go past then speed up ! What about realistic metal cut outs on the side of the road for looks as im sure when your tooling down the hume doing 120 and the corner of your eye catches what looks like a cop will soon slow you down LOL….
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April 10th, 2007 at 4:48 pm
In all the years that the Victorian police had been using these high visibility cars, not once have I seen one on roads such as the Geelong freeway, the Ring Road or the Hume. These are the roads that I believe require a physical police presence, not the government’s cameras. A camera isn’t going to keep people left or stop erratic behaviour.
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April 10th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
Lol motorists dont only pay for the car but the lovely fuel bill a big V8 has. And I think the whole visibility thing is stupid, worrying about seeing a cop on the road means you do what? You take your eyes off the road, look in your rear vision mirror for extended periods etc. Its not a good thing, people looking for cop cars near them vs ppl keeping their eyes on the road. But it doesnt matter, they will use every excuse in the book to get their hands on cars they dont need (great eg was the Lotus in nsw… claimed to be used to help cops get cred with performance enthusiasts, but it wont and hasnt worked for the most part… particularly when cops have attitudes towards people who modfify their car!!)
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April 10th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
These cars are ok I think. I’d much rather see the police, policing. I think it would have a far more positive effect on peoples driving than 1,000,001 speed cameras ever could.
If it means driving cars that look like lollypops, so be it at least they are out there.
Now, if our various state governments would start spending some of their hard earned speed camera proceeds on properly educating drivers we might start to get somewhere.
I didn’t mind the Lotus police car or these V8’s. It makes it all a bit more interesting for the car enthusiast and hints that there may be a car enthusiast or two hidden in the ranks of the various highway patrols…and that has to be a good thing.
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April 10th, 2007 at 8:17 pm
Paul if you were doing 120 in a 110 zone and a cop pulled out you would shit yourself! so dont tell me you wouldnt look in your rear vision mirror ( as you should every 7 seconds anyway).. You know the cops use to hide but that would mean they would have to chase someone because the dip shit didnt notice them behind the same bush or bill board so they thought let people see us and no need for a chase it didnt achieve much. so now when people even see flashing lights down the road they slow down and it turns out to be a rubbish truck haaaaaaaaaaa but what are they scared of if they are driving within the limit ????? Hmmmmmmm
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April 10th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
280ZX I think you have mis-interpreted what I said, I wasnt talking about not looking in your rear vision mirror… I meant by having such a focus on speeding people are more worried about looking down at their speedo to make sure it isnt 2km/h over or looking in their rear vision mirror to OFTEN instead of focusing on the road! Im sure alot of people can relate to this, focusing on making sure they dont get caught instead of on the road… because they are doing 5km/h over the limit!
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April 10th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
as a truck driver on the Pacific Highway in N.S.W. 6 days a week / 40 years on the road/ I lament the dissapearance of Highway Patrol cars. you only have to look at the statistics of how many ‘braindeads’ are caught by the clearly marked speed cameras in this state to judge their worth. Put the cars and the unknown factor back. By the way as a volunteer in a Rescue Unit I have spent 19 years doing Road Crash Rescues.
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April 10th, 2007 at 10:13 pm
Disappearnace of highway patrol cars? Ummm I still see them in good numbers (shyteloads come double demerit time coincidentally). Nevertheless I dont see how they have any effect, catching 1 car out of 10,000+ that speeds… and as Ive alluded to previously the visibility factor if anything creates poorer driving habits as people aernt focusing entirely on the road.
The point Im trying to make n e way, is speeding as a major issue imo has been blown out of proportion, ESPECIALLY so on highways, they are the last place most people will ever crash - long, straight and relatively flat.
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April 11th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Quote: “The point Im trying to make n e way, is speeding as a major issue imo has been blown out of proportion, ESPECIALLY so on highways, they are the last place most people will ever crash - long, straight and relatively flat”
Actually that is a good point i agree that highways are the last place to crash but also speeding down built up areas your alot more likley to hit someone or something if something goes wrong compared with highways..
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April 11th, 2007 at 2:42 pm
With all the speed cameras and patrol cars collecting cash they are now finally able to afford some flash V8 Commodores, which they will use to raise more cash for whatever other car they want to upgrade to. I wouldn’t be surprised if we start seeing more HSV patrol car or even a Ferrari one day.
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April 13th, 2007 at 11:25 am
^
Lol
QUOTE = Actually that is a good point i agree that highways are the last place to crash but also speeding down built up areas your alot more likley to hit someone or something if something goes wrong compared with highways..
I agree in built up areas like where houses are… but like main roads I dont think there is a major issue. And personally I think to much emphasis is being placed on speeding rather then educating say pedestrians. Look at 40km/h zones in schools, Im all for it (although Im not sure why high schools need them…. by 12 years old and higher you should have enough self awareness not to run onto the road!), but how bout instead of blaming the cars for hitting a kid we blame the lack of education or parenting!! I know when I was young I never ran onto the road for any reason, because you were taught not to no matter what!
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November 12th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
The SMART Cars are purchased by the TAC (Vic Compulsorary Third Party Insurer) out of the premium money we pay every time we renew our rego.
The TAC supplies them with VERY strict conditions on how Victoria Police use these cars. They represent all that is wrong with the current Labour Government (addicted by fine revenue) that encourages such “contractual arrangements” between government departments.
All Hwy/Traffic cars should carry the same type of high visibility markings.
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