SPSV Categorisation of defects

Walkaround - visual inspection

May 2008

Full version available in PDF (303 KB)

Preamble

The NZ Police (CVIU), Land Transport NZ, the NZ Taxi Federation have all been involved in the preparation of this inspection guide.

Section 115 of the Land Transport Act 1998 empowers enforcement officers to direct that a vehicle must not be used on a road. The following are guidelines to assist with the more consistent application of the section.

• This aid has been developed to assist enforcement officers in determining ‘in’ or ‘out’ of service criteria for vehicles found with defects at a roadside inspection.
• The pass/fail criteria diff ers from that applied to the vehicle at the time of certificate of fitness (CoF) inspections. The walk-around may not include physically climbing under a vehicle.
• It applies criteria, which will assist in consistency of application when assessing if a vehicle is safe to continue after a visual walk-around inspection.
• Depending on fault/s identified, and the particular circumstances, an out-of-service order may be issued, with the accompanying pink or green sticker, both requiring the issue of a new CoF. Under new legislation, an enforcement officer may issue a green (2) sticker with an instruction to repair or rectify the fault/s, to be carried out within a specified time. A new CoF is not required if a green (2) sticker is issued. Instead the operator must prove to the enforcement officer that faults have been rectified.
• Failure to comply with the instruction on an offence notice to repair or rectify the fault/s, and to notify the officer that the faults have been remedied, may result in prosecution.

Interpretation

*Loose – Visually or can be moved without the aid of a tool
*Codes – QP (Qualifies for Pink)
*Codes – QG (Qualified for Green)

Discretionary equipment

Due to the limited nature of this inspection, there may be faults or defects present in the vehicle apart from those listed on an inspection report. The NZ Police and Land Transport NZ do not accept liability for any fault or defect not detected by their officers in this inspection. If further faults or defects are identified at any subsequent inspection, then they must be rectified before the vehicle is returned to service. Any questions about an inspection should be directed to the enforcement officer (inspector) named on the inspection report.

Last updated: 22 May 2008