Why the new Road Vehicle Standards Act should be tougher
Not all caravan builders and importers will have to comply with more stringent new regulations introduced this yearCOMMENT
The Federal Government’s Vehicle Safety Standards branch has recognised the problems in the caravan industry, and is introducing the new Road Vehicle Standards Act in July this year. This replaces the Motor Vehicle Standards Act, which has been in force since 1989.
Some time back, the Motor Vehicle Certification Scheme was replaced by the Road Vehicle Certification Scheme.
The government simply had to take action in lieu of the continuing completely unacceptable flow of complaints to the various regulatory authorities - Fair Trading/Consumer Affairs/ACCC/VSS - as well as to Federal and State MPs.
Sadly, the new regulations will certainly not guarantee that all future caravans will be fully-compliant, fit-for-purpose and of acceptable quality.
That's because the new safety and quality regulations will not apply to all manufacturers and importers. This is a worry as some companies that produce caravans in small numbers (less than five of a particular make and model a year) will be exempt from having to meet the requirements of the new laws.
These companies that will not be subject to the same level of government scrutiny of the new laws, are often newcomers to the market, and often lack the necessary resources and experience that are essential to manufacture safe and high-quality caravans. They can also lack the expected professional after-sales service and repair facilities across the country.
It has long been a concern that there are too many new manufacturers and importers competing in a very limited, and highly-competitive, market.
Vehicle Safety Standards will allow the non-exempt larger caravan companies a lengthy 'phase-in' period to 'get up to speed' with the new requirements, so it may well be that the intended benefits of the new laws will not become apparent for up to one year after their introduction.
Unfortunately for the current owners of defective non-compliant caravans, there are no retrospective provisions in the new Act, hence they will still be forced to continue to pursue rectification action against the dealers (suppliers) who sold them their vehicles.
Despite the good intentions of the Australian Consumer Law to protect customers who bought unsatisfactory, or even unsafe products, it's well known that getting some suppliers to honour their responsibilities can be difficult; and in some cases, time-consuming, stressful and expensive.
With 'self-certification' still permitted for the smaller caravan companies – combined with the lack of acceptable regulatory auditing of businesses and auditing of vehicles – it's still not possible for prospective buyers to have complete confidence in the design, manufacturing, compliance, safety and quality of all new caravans.
When someone buys a new car or truck, there's no need for them to know all about the Australian Design Rules (ADRs) and other regulatory requirements, because Vehicle Safety Standards (VSS) would have approved the manufacturer’s compliance submission and quality program.
At long last, the affected caravan manufacturers will be required by law to have their evidence of compliance with VSB1 approved, and have their caravan or camper-trailer models independently inspected, and if completely satisfactory, approved for marketing in Australia.
Most caravan manufacturers or importers in Australia will also be required to have a professional quality-assurance program in place, requiring strict attention to the sourcing, storage, usage, and inspection of all components (and assembly operations of components) that affect the compliance with VSB1, and the safety of the vehicles.
These caravan and camper-trailer manufacturers will essentially have to provide proof of their competence and commitment to continually produce acceptable vehicles; as is required by manufacturers of motor vehicles and large (over 4500kg ATM rating) trailers. This is equivalent to being subjected to SUTI (Single Uniform Type Inspections) and CoP (Conformity of Production) audits.
It will certainly be an onerous task for many of the 100-plus caravan and camper trailer manufacturers and importers in Australia, but definitely a long overdue and essential one.
One can only hope that the new Act and regulations will be successful in significantly improving the overall level of compliance, safety and quality of caravans sold in Australia in the future. If only the new requirements could be made applicable to all caravans and camper-trailers...
For those seeking more information about the changes, click on the links below.
ROVER (Road Vehicle Regulator)
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