Tyre terrors

By Jade Lawton
CARDINIA Highway Patrol launched a two-pronged operation in local railway car parks yesterday.
In an effort to reduce theft from motor cars and improve the quality of cars on our roads, police inspected every car parked in railway car parks, including Pakenham, Beaconsfield, and rural stations.
Leading Senior Constable Peter Henderson said about one in 15 to 20 cars were found to be defective under the inaugural ‘Operation Railroad.’
“We are doing this for two reasons – checking the roadworthiness of vehicles, to make it safer in the Cardinia Police Service Area, and to increase visibility in railway car parks, to reduce theft of cars, theft from cars and criminal damage,” he said.
“We strongly encourage motorists, when going to car parks, to make sure you lock the vehicle and place valuables out of sight, preferably in the boot.”
“Cars parked at the train station are often a secondary vehicle, but they still need to be roadworthy, and you have to get away from that mindset of it’s just used to sit in the car park all day,” he said.
Police arrived at Pakenham railway station just before 9am before checking parked cars for cracked windscreens, bald tyres and broken headlights.
Defect notices taped to windscreens were accompanied by a list of instructions, helpfully tucked under the windscreen wiper.
In most cases, the car needed to be presented to VicRoads within seven days with a roadworthy certificate.
Leading Sen Const Henderson said motorists should pay particular attention to tyres, which were the most common defect on the day.
“You need 1.5ml around the circumference of the tyre. They have wear bars on them, and when you get to the wear bar, they need to be replaced.”
The operation will most likely return next winter.