FuelWatcher

January 2004 Issue No.25

When you get an amber light, do you speed up or slow down?

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Hello FuelWatchers,

A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all. No doubt it wil be another interesting and busy year.

In this month’s editorial, we have chosen to focus on the risks of using your mobile phone whilst driving and the legal ramifications for motorist infringements.

Each Australian state and territory is adopting punishments in an attempt to bring an end to this common, but hazardous practice. There is however some variation in the severity of punishment between states and territories for the offence. NSW drivers caught using their mobiles while driving will be fined $226 and have three demerit points taken, while those committing a similar offence in the Northern Territory will be fined only $70.

Australia is not the only country that is introducing harsh punishments for those who speak directly into their mobile phones or text while behind the wheel. In the UK the penalty is a £30 fixed fine or up to £1,000 on conviction in court (£2,500 for drivers of goods vehicles, buses or coaches) and in Singapore those caught texting while driving face a fine of up to $1,000 and a six months jail term!

What are the punishments for using a mobile phone while driving in each Australian state or territory?

State or Territory	Fine and Demerit Points
QLD	$225 plus 3 demerit points
NSW	$226 plus 3 demerit points
ACT	$220 plus 3 demerit points
TAS	$110 plus 2 demerit points
VIC	$135 plus 3 demerit points
NT	$70 - There is no demerit system in NT
WA	$100 plus 1 demerit point
SA	$185 - There are no demerits for this offence
Source: The road traffic authorities in each state and territory.

What are the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving?
British research has found that talking on a mobile phone could effect drivers in a similar way to driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08. The research indicates that using a mobile phone while driving decreases a motorist’s ability to react to potentially hazardous road conditions, and that there are significant links between using a mobile phone behind the wheel and the increased risk of being involved in an accident. For more information on the UK studies, click here. Although the majority of drivers both in the UK and Australia consider it unacceptable to use a mobile phone while driving, a number of drivers admit to occasionally using their phones while driving.

What should motorists do?
The best thing for motorists to do is to keep both hands on the steering wheel, get to know your mobile phone and set up message bank so you can collect your messages when you are safely parked. Motorists could also use a “hands free” system; however there is some debate that this may also cause driver distraction.

FuelWatch certainly encourages members to adopt a responsible approach to using mobile phones whilst on the road.

Until next month,
Kind Regards,

Bernadette Murray
Marketing Manager
bmurray@fuelwatch.com.au

Damien Reid, our guest editor, with more fascinating news on the Fuel and Auto front.
Diesel VW Sets New Economy Record
A standard turbo-diesel Volkswagen Lupo has gone into the Guinness Book of World Records as the World’s Most Fuel Efficient Production Car after it travelled 4683 kilometres on just over 130 litres of fuel.
[Read more]

Motor Racing Formula To Save Fuel
Motor racing has traditionally been a test to find the fastest car and win at all costs, however an initiative by Queensland businessman, Ross Palmer will see race cars compete for efficiency and fuel consumption as well in 2004 as they tear around race tracks across the country.
[Read more]

New Car Reviews proudly supplied by News Limited.
Nissan's Maxima could set new records
Nissan is predicting double the sales for its new Maxima.
[Read more]

Volvo's intelligent package
Sven will it end? Those Swedes have launched yet another “bloody Volvo” with the unveiling today of the V50. Sticking with the company's new naming policy of using even numbers for sedans and odds for wagons, the V50 is the second half of Volvo's small-car renewal.
[Read more]

This month's winner is Peter, Burbong, NSW

"I drive a four wheel drive and I have noticed that there is a significant
effect on fuel consumption on long haul road runs depending upon the
aerodynamics of the vehicle. The roof rack and the nature of packing on rack
does have impact on the litres per kilometre figures. Aerodynamics have been
considered on long haul trucks and the like, however keep it mind when
throwing the kid's bike onto a rack etc, behind the vehicle bike racks do
save fuel, and loose tarps etc are detrimental to your pocket."

Congratulations, your $25 free fuel voucher is on the way!

Excellent Money Saving Tips!
Would you like to learn how to save money in areas other than fuel? The Simple Savings website and tips might be just what you are looking for. Simple Savings can teach you how to save $1,200 per year on your grocery bill. You can also learn how to find back to school bargains, reduce your cleaning bills and all kinds of things.

Here are some examples of the free information you will find on the Simple Savings website:
Tip: Big W - End of Jan sales
'Each year Big W have a back to school sale in the second last week of January with 25-50% off goods. You have to get in early (8am) and most of the good stuff goes on the first day of the sale." Ginny Avalos

Tip: Saving money on Parcel Post
"I've discovered that it isn't necessarily cheaper to pack a box and then post it by normal mail. It is sometimes cheaper to buy prepaid Parcel Post satchels or even Express Post satchels as these have a fixed price for delivery, including the cost of the satchel, to anywhere in Australia. For example, I mailed a package to Alice Springs from Perth. The weight was under 3 kilograms and it was going to cost $17.80. The same package if sent in a prepaid Express Post satchel cost only $9.30 - a saving of $8.50. Be aware of this when you post parcels and use the postal charges guide at your local Post Office to work out the cheapest method." Nicole Kermond

Simple Savings offer a free newsletter and stacks of free information on the site. They also have a paid member’s area. It is called the Savings Vault and it costs $27 per year to join. Fuelwatch has organised a special deal and Simple Savings are going to reduce the price from $27 to $22 ($5 saving) for the next three days. To read more free information or take advantage of the deal, click here.

The average, lowest and the highest prices for last month in each city were:

City	Average	Lowest	Highest
Adelaide	89.4	81.1	97.9
Brisbane	79.7	69.7	89.9
Melbourne	85.0	74.9	94.9
Perth	90.4	81.9	99.9
Sydney	86.0	78.7	98.9

The price leading service stations for each city last month were:

Brisbane

Service Station	Caltex
Address	Blunder Road
Suburb	Oxley
Average Price for month	74.3

Sydney

Service Station	Shell
Address	corner Taren Point Road & Parraweena Road
Suburb	Taren Point
Average Price for month	81.4

Melbourne

Service Station	Woolworths Plus Petrol
Address	corner Main Road & Souter Street
Suburb	Eltham
Average Price for month	82.9

Adelaide

Service Station	Mobil
Address	corner Peachey Road and Swallowcliffe Road
Suburb	Davoren Park
Average Price for month	86.2

Perth

Service Station	Gull
Address	Guildford Road
Suburb	Mt Lawley
Average Price for month	86.4

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FuelWatch is committed to helping Australian motorists get a better deal on fuel by providing them with free and easily accessible information on fuel prices.

© Copyright FuelWatch Pty Ltd 2004 - All rights reserved.

Reproduction of the whole or part of this email constitutes an infringement of copyright. All information published in this email is intended to be used for your personal use only and can not be used for commercial use without the prior written consent of FuelWatch Pty Ltd. For data sales enquiries please contact sales@fuelwatch.com.au