Mechanics tyre-d of unsafe cars

WITH many cars pulling out of his workshop unsafe to drive, a Rose City mechanic wants the power to pull an unroadworthy vehicle off the road like the police.

Kylie Atkinson from Eastside Tyre and Mechanical said it was rare for a car to pass a roadworthy first time round. Picture: Erin Smith

WITH many cars pulling out of his workshop unsafe to drive, a Rose City mechanic wants the power to pull an unroadworthy vehicle off the road like the police can.

B and K Motors proprietor Dave Kemp said an unroadworthy vehicle put everyone else on the road at risk.

"We see it a lot," Mr Kemp said.

"I think we should have the power to class a vehicle as defective, just like the police can."

Eastside Tyres and Mechanical owner Kylie Atkinson said by law mechanics did not have to report defective cars to the police and they did not have the power to stop customers taking their cars back on the road.

"You do get it quite a lot and you just have to hope that when you tell a customer what's wrong they'll fix it," she said.

"We do roadworthies here and you don't get a lot that fly through a roadworthy."

A Warwick police station spokesman said 15 defective cars had come through the station in the past 12 months.

Queensland vehicle owners are only required to have a roadworthy when selling their car.

In New South Wales vehicles have to be put through the test once a year.

But Mr Kemp said the NSW system was not perfect.

"It is a very quick check compared to the one we do," he said.

Mrs Atkinson said something needed to be done but it should not necessarily come back to the mechanic.

"It would put a lot of weight on the mechanic's shoulder if it was up to them to hold customers' cars," she said.

"Something should probably be done about it but it would be very hard to implement."

Mr Kemp said yearly checks in Queensland would help if the standard stayed the same.

"I think the cost should be incorporated into the registration somehow," he said.

Originally published as Mechanics tyre-d of unsafe cars