NRMA Motoring & Services’ specialists can give you the answers you need to make life on the road smoother.
| Q I have just seen a car with both front seat headrests removed. Is it legal to remove headrests? |
A Headrests, or head restraints as they are technically known, are a vital safety feature of any modern vehicle. They protect occupants from severe whiplash in the event of a crash. Removing head restraints that are fitted as standard makes a vehicle defective in the eyes of the law and driving without them could result in a fine of $243 and three demerit points. |
| Q As leaded fuel is no longer available, we use an additive for those engines that require leaded fuel. Does the additive make fuel unsuitable or damaging to catalytic converters, or can petrol with the additive be used in modern unleaded vehicles? |
A Additive manufacturers advise on the suitability of their product for cars fitted with catalytic convertors. Valvemaster, manufacturer of a lead substitute additive, warns against using its product in cars fitted with catalytic convertors. It says, “The use of Valvemaster in cars fitted with catalytic converters should be avoided as the catalyst may be damaged (although its performance will not be seriously affected by a single inadvertent fuelling with fuel containing Valvemaster).” |
| Q My son had his licence suspended for five months in Western Australia. Can he drive in the other states? |
A Licence cancellations and suspensions are nationally recognised, and your son will not be able to drive in any other state or territory with a suspended WA licence. |
| Q I have been driving for over 47 years and grew up with cars that had white/ yellow beam headlights. In the 1960s and 1970s, headlights that diverted from this colour (eg white/ blue) were illegal.
Nowadays, it seems more cars on the roads – usually the more exotic and imported varieties – have the white/blue headlight beams. When you encounter such a vehicle at night, even on low beam, its headlights dazzle you with their glare. On high beam they are even worse and this has obvious implications for driver safety. Are such beams are legal? And if so, what are the advantages (if any) of the white/ blue beam? |
A The design rules for vehicles sold in Australia are progressively being changed to follow those in Europe, which allow the HID/ Xenon headlight as original equipment on new models. However, these lights must have a self-levelling and cleaning feature to compensate for changes in vehicle load and to prevent light scatter due to dirty lenses – characteristic of the HID light. Any retro-fit must comply with these rules. There are some after-market products that claim to be ADR approved but have brightness and an appearance that may not be legal. These include some kits and globes of varying wattages and colours – including blue. The main advantage of the HID/Xenon light is that it’s around three times brighter than halogen (and similar to natural daylight). NRMA is receiving an occasional complaint from Members about the glare these headlights cause. The discomfort the ‘blue light’ causes for some oncoming motorists appears to be physiological, and certain individuals seem particularly sensitive to this type of light. HID/Xenon lights offer greater vision of the road at night (especially for older drivers who are an increasing proportion of the population), so they are arguably better than halogen headlights. HID/ Xenon lights have been fitted to selected imported prestige and local cars in Australia for some time with no evidence that they cause a safety problem. These lights have also been in use overseas for many years and NRMA is not aware of any reported safety risks. |
Open Road e-zine December 2008
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February e-zine 2009
