"Modified Vehicles are not a crime"

To:  South Australian Police Department

If you feel the South Australia police have gone too far with singling out the youth for having nice cars, please read the below and sign the petition in support. I will forward the petition to appropriate authorities at a later date. Please feel free to add any comments when you sign the petition but remember this petition is not to verbally harass the police department but to simply state facts where you have been or felt harassed by the way the SA police have dealt with modified vehicles.

Defectable cars should be those that have rust holes or blowing smoke. The youth of today may like to make their cars look impressive by modifying them, but if it gets them off the streets from taking drugs and fighting, let it be for crying out loud.

I have never known a mag wheel that is 1 inch to big for SA road standards, fly off and kill someone? And I have never known someone to die from not having enough water in the windscreen wiper bottle? And when was the last time someone died from having a tinted window a shade too dark? All of the above are cases where myself or my friends have been pulled over for no reason but to be defected. We were not speeding, or breaking the law, but we had pride in our cars, and that, apparently is a crime in SA.

I recently bought a car from NSW and it had a modified engine, and yes it was a Japanese imported car. Instead of the standard identy check that is required when buying a car from interstate, I was required to go through a “application to modify a vehicle” which involved a full inspection of my vehicle. I failed the inspection because I did not have measurements marked on my wheels, and because my brakes needed to be upgraded. This car, has been registered as is, in NSW before, with no hassles. As soon as it came to SA, it was not approved. I have spoken to 5 different engineers who have looked at the engine, and commented that the brakes are sufficient, and regencies request is enormously over-sized.

When I went to Queensland recently, my friends car got broken into, I was in absolute shock when I saw a police officer dusting for finger prints when there was only $500 worth of stuff taken. I had $3000 worth of stuff stolen from my car, and the SA cops didn’t give a hoot! If they don’t make money out of it, then why bother! To the youth, SA police no longer are a crime fighting organization, they are a money making scam. What we were once meant to believe was someone we could trust and run to when in trouble, are now someone who we have to avoid in case we are singled out and picked on.

Whilst I do feel sorry for the Australian market as it is not living up to the same standards as other countries when it comes to making cars, it is NOT fair to defect Japanese imported vehicles just because of this. I do think that there are more Japanese imported vehicles defected that there is Holdens. Why? Because the government does not make any money when we buy Japanese vehicles compared to what it does when we buy Australian delivered vehicles. Let me tell you this, most of the time when I am out driving on the streets, and some loser goes through a red light, or is doing 110km in a 50 zone, it’s a commodore driver. When I have been to Regency, and I have a couple times for having a nice car, I have never, ever, seen a Holden there.

I recently read an article in the newspaper that stated Adelaide Police will be targeting “drivers with their seats too far back” and “P-platers”, now if that isn’t stereotyping then what is.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The "Modified Vehicles are not a crime" Petition to South Australian Police Department was created by and written by Melissa Kluge.  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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