The risks of car modifications: metro police take action in Durban

METRO police are clamping down on drivers who have modified their cars due to an increase in the number of road accidents.

Boysie Zungu, spokesperson for Durban Metro Police, was commenting after a recent incident where the owner of a VW Golf 7 had his licence disc suspended over alleged illegal modifications.

The alleged violations included the suspension being lowered, the car had black tint applied on the windscreen, and the rear lamps were tinted black.

At the time, Zungu said the owner would have to renew his licence disc and take the car through the testing process again.

"Basically, he needs to get that COR certificate before he can drive again," Zungu had said. He said the car was no longer road worthy and that these modifications compromised road safety and were against the law.

"If a car is modified, it needs to be taken for an inspection in order to comply with South African National Standards (SANS)."

Zungu said it was a daily occurrence for metro police to come across a lowered vehicle, with mostly youth as the offenders.

“When a vehicle is modified, it must be taken for a test and it must comply with SANS standard. A vehicle cannot be altered if it changes the description or the changes made does not describe the vehicle. For example, converting an LDV into a breakdown vehicle. The suspension cannot be lowered without confirmation from the manufacturer as there are certain specifications that must be met.

“This is a growing problem. Almost every day we come across a number of vehicles that have been dropped. We have decided to take serious steps against this, as it is causing an increase in the number of accidents.

"When a vehicle is dropped and it loads goods or people, the tyres easily burst as they touch the body of the vehicle causing it to overheat. This leads to tyre burst,” Zungu said.

He said owners of cars that modified their vehicles to the point of it being illegal, were not fined but their licence disc would be suspended.

“In terms of National Road Traffic Act (NRTA), we don’t fine but we suspend all vehicles which are illegally modified. In the case of tinted windows, we fine vehicles as per the NRTA."

Layton Beard, the spokesperson for the Automobile Association of South Africa, said every car was sent through a rigorous inspection before it was sold to the public.

"All of the safety features are made according to the parts specifications. That entire ispection process is controlled by the National Regulation for Compulsory Standard."

Beard said one should not alter one's car's performance to the point of it becoming a safety risk.

“Generally, you would classify modifications in two ways: aesthetic and performance. When it comes to looks alone, I don’t think law enforcement is that strict. Modifications can range from having usual stickers on the car, fancy paintwork, and upgraded or aftermarket wheels. Sometimes guys put spoilers on the boot. From my perspective, these types of alterations do not affect the car's functionality.

“When it comes to performance, then it becomes a problem and a risk. Putting nitrous oxide in your car is a problem. Dropping the car to the ground is a problem. Changing the induction pressure of the engine can be problematic. All of these affect the car's performance and ultimately, go against the manufacturer's standards.

"For example, a lot of people change the seats in their cars. This directly impacts vehicle safety. Once these seats change, the seatbelt falls below the safety standard because the seat and belt are different. Some people also have tiny steering wheels and they don’t have airbags that deploy in the event of an accident."

Beard said regardless of the risk involved, the law was still vague when it came to modifying cars.

"There are no specifics about what is and what isn’t allowed. It is a big grey area. You can be stopped by a police officer with zero tolerance for these things, or someone who is also a fan and lets you off with a warning."

A traffic officer, who spoke to the POST, said getting pulled over by the police in a modified car could go either good or bad, depending on the officer's knowledge.

The source said modified cars were a “huge problem” for police in KwaZulu-Natal, with VW being the car of choice for transgressors. Most of the offenders, he said, were aged between 19 and 25.

“There is a limit to everything and a lot of these guys go over the limit. For instance, if you buy your car from a dealership, that car is brake tested at 1 200kg on 14 inch wheels. If you upgrade to 17 or 18 inch wheels, you start adding weight to the car. The brakes are no longer approved because the car is now 1 300kg. The braking system is the most important safety feature. If you compromise that, you put others at risk.

“I think aesthetic modifications are acceptable. But when you start adjusting the performance then that is a problem. Racing your car and burning your tyres on the street damages infrastructure and puts lives at risk, so performance upgrades in the eyes of the law are unacceptable."

He added: “It also depends on the cop that pulls you over. A low car is easy to spot and you can tell if the suspension has been modified or not. Someone without knowledge of a car cannot spot an engine upgrade. Older cars, yes. If you open the bonnet, you will see what's going on. But these new cars are completely covered, so you don’t know what is going on in the engine bay. As police, we are clamping down harder on modified cars."

The source said it was not just men, but young women who were also modifying their cars.

Fines for modifications, said the source, ranged from R500 to R1 500, depending on the transgression.

"Excessively modified cars have their licence discs suspended."

Kas Moodley, of KZN Motor Racing, who has been organising drag racing events in KwaZulu-Natal for more than a decade, said while he agreed with authorities on some aspects of car modifications, cars could be modified if they were done by professionals.

“This will largely depend on the driver and his knowledge of cars. In the legal drag scene, people who modify their cars know that if you have a fast engine, you need better brakes. People who race on the streets don’t behave the same way. They take chances."

THE POST