Caught on Camera

Fighting a traffic fine in court starts the moment you’re pulled over by the police (if in fact you get pulled over – these days unexpected penalty notices often arrive by post). At the roadside, whatever you say can have a significant bearing on what happens in court. It’s stressful, and you’re likely to feel out of your depth. But you need to get your ‘game face’ on because…

In many states anyone stopped by the highway patrol will be videotaped and the conversation will be recorded. Everything will be recorded and – potentially – subject later to scrutiny in court.

Admissions

Sgt Bill Lewis (not his real name) has been a Highway Patrol officer with the Victorian Police for 12 years. He says many drivers torpedo themselves in the legal sense virtually as soon as they speak

The major airbag no-nos: driving with your arms diagonally across the steering wheel, and passengers with their feet up on the dash. Clarke: “Being in the wrong position spoils the deployment of the airbag, and it can hurt you – if you’re twisted sideways, the pre-tensioner could break your collarbone. An airbag could break your arm, or your ankles if your feet are up on the dash. Worse, because you’ve spoiled its deployment, then it can’t protect you properly. Seat covers and dash mats that aren’t designed for airbags can ruin the deployment, too.”

Greg, a police prosecutor in NSW, who declined to be identified, said: “This still catches people out. They think, ‘I’m on private property, the road rules don’t apply’. They’re wrong. Say you’ve had a few drinks at the pub. You think: ‘I’ll get a cab, but first I’ll move my car down the back of the carpark, where it’ll be safer.’ The cops show up; you’re driving in the carpark. They breath-test you; you’re over the limit. You get arrested for drink driving. Legally, it’s a slam-dunk.”

This is the background briefing on ethanol in Australia as an automotive fuel

WHAT IS IT?

Ethanol, a.k.a. ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol or drinking alcohol, is the second most common alcohol – a clear, colourless, volatile liquid. It’s the same stuff as in beer, wine and spirits, although the not-for-human-consumption stuff is ‘denatured’ by adding ‘bittering’ agents like denatorium benzoate and/or toxic chemicals like methanol and naptha – making it unpalatable and/or deadly.

CHEMISTRY 101

Ethanol is two carbon atoms, six hydrogens and an oxygen, all joined at the hip. It’s most commonly produced by fermentation of molasses, waste wheat starch or sorghum – where yeast eats sugary compounds in a balmy climate, excreting ethanol and CO2. Ethanol kills the yeast when the concentration gets to 15 per cent – not coincidentally the upper limit for beer and wine. Beyond that, you need to

There’s been a lot of controversy, but ethanol in petrol is here to stay. Holden will have E85-compatible engines here very soon in an attempt to get fuel companies to supply even higher ethanol blends than are currently available. Amid all the anti-ethanol hysteria and fuel-company hype, not very much has ever really been explained about the key differences between the two fuels.

NOT FOR EVERY CAR

Most cars can run E10 – a 10 per cent blend of ethanol in petrol. To check compatibility with your car, contact the manufacturer. Ethanol doesn’t destroy engines, but it can eat into the materials used in incompatible fuel systems (sealers and linings; that kind of thing) and the byproducts of that corrosion can block fuel injectors, which can be costly.

WHAT’S ETHANOL?

It’s a basic alcohol, the same stuff as in beer, wine and spirits. It can be made by fermentation of a variety of different energy-dense foods. In Australia, the majority of ethanol is produced from