Vic rules change for young drivers
March 22, 2009 by David Twomey
Citing what it somewhat facetiously calls an “outbreak of common sense” Mercedes-Benz has congratulated the Victorian Government on a decision that will change the types of cars young and probationary drivers are allowed to drive.
You’ll recall that we recently reported that following representations from Volkswagen Group Australia the New South Wales Road Traffic Authority (RTA) altered its ruling on probationary drivers in relation to the VW Golf VI’s new TSI engines, which use a turbocharger and a supercharger to produce more power and efficiency from their small capacity.
At the time we indicated that the Victorian authorities were also considering changes.
Those changes have now taken place and will allow young Victorian ‘P-Plate’ drivers access to some of the safest modern cars available in Australia today, many of which were previously deemed ‘High Performance Vehicles’ (HPVs) because they were fitted with a turbo- or supercharger.
Mercedes-Benz says the issue has been an important one for it as it has prevented many of its customers’ children from driving their cars, vehicles that, it says, are widely regarded as world-leading products in terms of safety.
The issue has been of similar importance to other European manufacturers and was highlighted by the recent release of the Golf VI, with its small capacity TSI engines, which use turbo- and supercharging to improve the performance and fuel efficiency.
Mercedes-Benz says cars such as the C200 Kompressor sedan, the most popular model in the company’s Australian catalogue, were deemed ‘high performance’ under the regulations due to the fitment of a supercharger to its 1.8-litre four-cylinder engine. This was despite the fact its maximum power output is 135kW.
There are similar arguments in favour of the VW Golf VI with its TSI engines.
It was argued the regulations denied young drivers access to important safety equipment such as Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), multiple airbags and advanced safety technologies.
The president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz Australia/Pacific, Mr Wolfgang D Schrempp and the managing director of Mercedes-Benz Cars in Australia, Mr Horst von Sanden, have jointly commended the Victorian Minister for Roads and Ports Tim Pallas for his leadership in implementing amended rules and arrangements for probationary drivers licence holders who drive such vehicles.
Mr Schrempp said: “In concert with the technical committee of The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) we presented our case that many low-boost turbocharged and supercharged vehicles did not pose a safety threat to young drivers.
“In fact the safety, fuel economy and emissions credentials of many previously banned vehicles were amongst the best in the world.
“We congratulate and commend minister Pallas for his progressive and logical approach to the very real issue of road trauma involving young drivers. His acknowledgement that some of the safest cars available will no longer be denied to young drivers at the most fragile time of their driving career is a significant advance of public policy “said Mr Schrempp.
Mr Pallas has announced that the new arrangements will allow Probationary Driver’s Licence holders to apply for exemptions to drive lower-performance turbocharged or supercharged cars.
The move brings Victoria into line with other Australian states, with VicRoads to continue to work with New South Wales and Queensland authorities to develop and maintain a consistent set of criteria.
VicRoads will facilitate exemption permits to be granted by letter, upon application, for the following vehicle types:
1. Turbocharged or Supercharged Vehicles with a power to weight ratio of less than 100kW per tonne;
2. Turbocharged or Supercharged Vehicles with a power to weight ratio between 100kW and 125kW per tonne and that are considered to be a family-type vehicle rather than a sports-type vehicle.
Mr von Sanden, said: ““We are very pleased that the Victorian Government has taken the very reasonable position of recognising that some turbocharged and supercharged vehicles that could not, in good conscience, be classified as HPVs will now be granted exemptions, and that true HPVs will continue to be banned for young and probationary drivers.”
The official press release on this matter from the office of the Victorian Minister for Roads and Ports can be found at http://www.premier.vic.gov.au/minister-for-roads-ports/new-fuel-efficient-vehicle-rules-for-young-drivers.html
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This is such a mess, i think the perfect way is to base on what’s allowed and what’s not allowed on kw/tonne and nm/tonne. May be say 125kw/tonne is the absolute limit regardless whether it’s a turbo or NA engine.
Good on them for changing the laws, but really it should have come in place when they introduced the new system.
Im likin the way victoria n nsw think, n queensland should do the same thing, ASAP!!!!! like u cant have one of those turbo n supercharged golfs, but U can have a 195kw falcon, that with higher premium fuel is over 200kws with more the 400nm? what the? How stupid is the government with these rules. The answer is still more compulsary driver education, teach us younger drivers how to get out of bad situations, not put more n more restrictions on us, I mean, U can still do burnouts, drift n go 200km/h in a falcon or commodore. Enforce the 1s that u had b4 u put the crap laws in
No matter what car is being driven, a stupid young driver would ultimately kill himself in it, say, a Toyota Camry (with GT wing, huge exhaust, 19 inch bling bling wheels and 500 stickers on them).
how do you work out their power to weight ratios?
I’m a P plater and I drive a 2008 Lancer VRX, it has all the latest safety equipment with 5 star ancap rating yet somehow manages to go without a supercharger or turbocharger.
I doubt this was really a big issue, how many P platers can afford these cars and since there are cheaper cars out there that come with this safety equipment (Japanese cars for example) how imperative was it that we needed such a policy.
When I saw the headline I got my hopes up.. thinking I could go trade mine in for a rallyart tomorrow. Foolish I know, hahah.
Anything is safer than driving a $500 shitbox. It ain’t the muscle under the bonnet its the brains behind the wheel.
only victoria! wtf!? bring in into qld too! i think we should go through a test to see if we can handle a high power/ performance vehicle. cause for real my driving confidence is so high.
i overtook a dude in a 60 zone and he sped up and i ended up doing over 100 to overtake him and he followed me to where i was going and i pretty much lost him through a few round abouts. and i was in a slower car.
but f**k it if someone offers me to drive something with a crap load of torque and power (hopefully the cl65 black series benz) i’ll drive it, f**k the p plates i’ll go without them.
whoever changed the dirivng rules is stupid, so is anna bligh
These P plate laws are the direct result of a bunch of retards that are trying to justify their jobs as they sit in an office all day with no real world experience. The same goes for NSW. When I was a P plater I wasn’t allowed to drive my father’s truck because it has a V8, a V8 that produces less power than the V6 in my Commodore ute, his truck also weighs about a tonne more than my ute and has less gears – ie the Commodore is alot faster and would be alot easier to wrap around a power pole, but no the Truck gets banned because some idiot has just gone through the list of all vehicles sold in Australia and ticked the banned box next to any thing with a super or turbo charger, or more than 6 cylinders – regardless of the type of vehicle in question.
Heres an Idea why dont the government bodies in charge of these idiotic laws employ people that are car people an who know what different cars can and can’t do.
At the end of the day education is the key – put the P platers in the drivers seat and get them to drive (on a closed road as part of a class) above the speed limit and get them to stop suddenly (perhaps throw a crash test dummy out infront of the car). Being in the situation and seeing how much longer it takes to stop a car that is travelling at exess speed should make them think twice. All cars will break the speed limit wheather they are deemed to be high performance or not and I bet the C200 from this article would be one of the quickest on the list to come to a stop.
Educating drivers how to drive and how to handle a vehicle is an area where state and federal money is better spent!
Comments from obviously retarded P plate drivers frighten me….
Not to mention questions like “how do you work out power to weight ratios?”
125kw per ton is seriously too much. That means a P plater can’t drive a Golf GTI (because it’s a “sports” purpose) but they can drive a Jetta with the same engine/transmission, but with smaller tyres and softer suspension, because it’s not a “sports” car.
But it is good that the numnuts in Spring St are looking at the issue and allowing exemptions.
Does it mean that if a P plater goes to the trouble of getting an exemption, and then gets caught hooning, the penalty will double? It should.
I think that 100kw is a bit too small. I thought something like 115kw was more suitable. And it should be that that is the maximum limit, whether that is a family car or not. 120kw/t is getting very powerful ie. VW-R32, 2008 WRX.
Also they really need to get of their ass’s and change the whole system and apply this to EVERY car, be it NA, Turbo…
And for those who say it will make it more confusing, the system is already used with motorbikes.
Lastly just a side note, I am really over the “saftey” issue to justify some of these cars. Sorry but that is just utter crap.
Just because you 7 airbags and esp (that can be switched off) doesn’t mean the car is unable to be driven foolishly and not end up wraped around a pole.
And also all those air bags in you’re car are not going to help the passengers of the car you have just crashed into.
There are plenty of car’s that are less powerful and just as safe, ie The new impreza range, new fiesta, the C4.
This is stupid. It should depend on power to weight ratio, OR how much power the engine puts out. NOT what type of engine it is.
I’d say this has less to do with road safety and more to do with saving Holden. Isn’t the new Cruz running a little 1.4 Turbo? Remember, the government doesn’t care about road safety – only revenue rasing. Power to Weight is the correct method but that would stop buyers from buying locally made cars – thus the non-sensical complicated turbo + power to weight + forms + admin fees + stand on your head and count to three method.
I just can’t believe Mercedes make a car with only 135Kw !!!
Stupid comment Horse!!
Agree with Hjalle – power to weight should apply with any type of engine along with annual roadworthies.
This super or turbocharger rules are nonsense. The law is too lax, reluctant, maybe even naive about cars. P-platers can drive diesels, which includes the upcoming BMW 330d, faster than a lot of petrol cars. VW’s 1.4-litre super/turbocharged engine is designed for economy and not raw performance, yet youngsters cannot drive it.
There really has to be changes. Just because you’re driving fast doesn’t mean you’re dangerous. How many times do we have to reiterate that German autobahns see less deaths than our strictly speed-limited roads? It’s about sheer training and discipline that determines safety on the streets, apart from driver aids like airbags, stability control and what-have-you. A hoon in a Tiida can be much more of a hazard than a responsible driver in a Godzilla.
From a person that just got their car impounded for a freaking week due to a couple bursts of speed (to 120km/h in a 50 zone…yeah i know but it was a 4 lane, road with plenty of room) and lack of knowledge that the police sported unmarked Nissan Patrols, this isnt gonna work.
First of all, my prelude VTEC NA has 142kw of power. Plenty to make the wheels spin and have a thrill, then eventually get caught. Doesn’t matter about the car, bigger/faster is better in a young adults eyes. Not to mention if you get a quiet exhaust system, it is easy to hide a NA engine. Especially with the new mivec, vtec, whatever-tec technologies they have.
Lets also take a financial look at this. Pay vs Free. You would take the “free” option whether its food, drinks, cars, etc. Many of us just feel that hooning in the streets anytime you feel like it gives us freedom and control. Given there are idiots out there, many of us get kicks out of driving/drifting our cars fast. The alternative would be drugs or alcohol as a recreational past time. Personally i love driving but i told the cops that took away my car that there is no local venue. Im in perth, so theres motorplex, ahg driving course and barbagello racedays. Ok, motorplex, every wednesday for $40 you may pull off 3-4 drags. Alternative is to go on the freeway at 12-2am in the morning to hit the top speed.
Ahg driving sessions is around 3-4 hours long for around $55. Given it is the most favourable, there is the issue of wear and tear. Hoons usually have a burst here and there while at a race track, you pretty much warp your brake rotors and give the clutch a good work out. Still inconvenient that its not here and now but personally i would be interested in it if i had the money. Im $800 short now due double yammy. $400 fine, $400 tow…..*sigh*
Next is barbegallo raceway, if they ever have a street race day >.>.
Really, if you want hooning to stop, or to be more correct become almost non-extistant, the gov’t needs to provide a free venue. If I added up the cost of the fines and savings on not going to these events, i would probably come out even for the 2 years i’ve had my license (only had one $75 before this). Just the thing that sucks is the whole reckless driving tab against my name but hey, i wouldnt want it any other way. The 2 years of solo street racing/drifiting was fun and I arent stupid enough to do it where there was an imminent risk of crashing/losing control.
Just that there is one last major problem. Laws shouldnt provoke a person to cause a more serious fine. Since next time i get caught, my car faces 1 month impoundment, im gonna give the cops the slip pretty much. Better to get away than go through this shit. I could easily outpace any car the police have due to my street racing skills. So the question would be, “how much more recreational past-times for young adults can the gov’t/police suck out of it till start taking extreme measures?”
Sorry about long post >.> I got caught and need to rant. As the saying goes “sh!t happens”.