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ROAD SAFETY ACT 1986 - SCHEDULE 6

Schedule 6—Criteria for classification of
statutory write-off—Light motor vehicles

Section 16BA

        1     Definitions

In this Schedule—

excessive fire damage has the meaning given in clause 14;

excessive stripping damage has the meaning given in clause 16;

excessive structural damage has the meaning given in clause 5;

excessive water damage has the meaning given in clause 15;

"statutory write-off" means a vehicle that is a statutory write-off within the meaning of clause 4.

        2     Application of Technical Guide

    (1)     A person who, in accordance with this Schedule, is assessing whether an area of a vehicle has been fractured, cut, cracked or buckled or is folded over onto itself must make that assessment based on the relevant diagrams contained in the Technical Guide.

    (2)     In this clause, "Technical Guide" means the "Damage Assessment Criteria for the Classification of Statutory Write-Offs" approved by Austroads Ltd ABN 16 245 787 323 from time to time.

        3     Prescribed structural areas

For the purposes of this Schedule, the structural areas of a vehicle are—

        (a)     the roof;

        (b)     each of the pillars;

        (c)     the floor pan;

        (d)     the firewall;

        (e)     as applicable—

Sch. 6 item 3(e)(i) amended by No. 5/2016 s. 38(2).

              (i)     each of the longitudinal structural rails; or

              (ii)     the chassis;

        (f)     the vehicle suspension;

        (g)     mechanical components;

        (h)     the supplementary restraint systems.

        4     Statutory write-off

A light motor vehicle is a statutory write-off if it is written off and has been assessed, in accordance with this Schedule, as having—

        (a)     excessive structural damage; or

        (b)     excessive fire damage; or

        (c)     excessive water damage; or

        (d)     excessive stripping damage.

        5     Excessive structural damage

    (1)     A vehicle has excessive structural damage if three indicators are found in the vehicle.

    (2)     In this Schedule, "indicator "means—

        (a)     excessive damage in a structural area, determined in accordance with this Schedule;

        (b)     deployment or activation of a supplementary restraint, determined in accordance with clause 13.

    (3)     For the purpose of calculating the number of structural areas which have been damaged—

        (a)     excessive damage to separate pillars or to separate longitudinal structural rail or chassis is to be counted as a separate indicator;

        (b)     each different and separate area of excessive damage to the floor pan or firewall is to be counted as a separate indicator;

        (c)     each incidence of excessive damage to a suspension station is to be counted as a separate indicator if clause 11(2)(a) applies;

        (d)     excessive damage to any part of the roof is to be counted as a single indicator;

        (e)     excessive damage to any or all of the mechanical components specified in clause 12 is to be counted as a single indicator;

        (f)     deployment or activation of any or all of the supplementary restraints specified in clause 13 is to be counted as a single indicator.

Examples

A vehicle has excessive damage in two pillars and in the roof. The vehicle is a statutory write-off.

A vehicle has excessive damage in two longitudinal structural rails and the front right suspension mount is damaged. The vehicle is a statutory write-off.

        6     Damage to the roof

The roof of a vehicle has excessive damage if it has been loaded so that an individual structural element or member—

        (a)     has been structurally—

              (i)     fractured; or

              (ii)     cut; or

              (iii)     cracked; or

              (iv)     buckled; or

        (b)     is folded over onto itself.

Note

A cut includes the situation where the roof has been cut by emergency services to permit occupant extraction.

        7     Damage to the pillars

A pillar of a vehicle has excessive damage if it has been loaded so that an individual structural element or member—

        (a)     has been structurally—

              (i)     fractured; or

              (ii)     cut; or

              (iii)     cracked; or

              (iv)     buckled; or

        (b)     is folded over onto itself.

        8     Damage to the floor pan

    (1)     For the purposes of this Schedule, the "floor pan "of a vehicle

        (a)     includes the inner sill panel where the panel attaches to the floor pan;

        (b)     does not include—

              (i)     the outer sill rocker (rocker panel); or

              (ii)     the internal stiffener; or

              (iii)     the braces between the inner and outer panels.

    (2)     The floor pan of a vehicle has excessive damage if it has been loaded so that an individual structural element or member—

        (a)     has been structurally—

              (i)     fractured; or

              (ii)     cut; or

              (iii)     cracked; or

              (iv)     buckled; or

        (b)     is folded over onto itself.

        9     Damage to the firewall

    (1)     A vehicle has excessive damage to its firewall if the firewall has been loaded so that an individual structural or member element—

        (a)     has been structurally—

              (i)     fractured; or

              (ii)     cut; or

              (iii)     cracked; or

              (iv)     buckled; or

        (b)     is folded over onto itself.

        10     Damage to the longitudinal structural rails or chassis

    (1)     For the purposes of this Schedule, the longitudinal structural rails or chassis do not include a deformable end plate that has been designed to be removed and replaced.

    (2)     A longitudinal structural rail or chassis of a vehicle has excessive damage if it has been loaded so that an individual structural or member element—

        (a)     has been structurally—

              (i)     fractured; or

              (ii)     cut; or

              (iii)     cracked; or

              (iv)     buckled; or

        (b)     is folded over onto itself.

    (3)     If both longitudinal rails of a vehicle are damaged to the extent that they both require Original Equipment Manufacture replacement, that damage must be counted as excessive damage to three areas.

        11     Damage to the suspension

    (1)     The suspension of a vehicle has excessive damage if there is collision-induced damage to a suspension mount to the chassis or body.

    (2)     In assessing damage to the suspension—

        (a)     if an independent suspension unit is damaged, so that its mount to the chassis or body is damaged, each station is one area of excessive damage;

        (b)     if a live axle is damaged, so that a mount to the chassis or body is damaged, the suspension of the vehicle must be counted as one area of excessive damage for each axle.

        12     Damage to mechanical components

The mechanical components of a vehicle have excessive damage if collision-induced damage has caused one or more of the following to be cracked, deformed or broken—

        (a)     the engine block;

        (b)     the transmission case;

        (c)     the differential case;

        (d)     the axle housing.

        13     Deployment or activation of supplementary restraints

For the purpose of this Schedule, there has been deployment or activation of a supplementary restraint if—

        (a)     there has been deployment of an airbag (whether frontal, side or curtain) within the vehicle occupant cabin; or

        (b)     there has been activation of a seatbelt pre‑tensioner.

        14     Excessive fire damage

A vehicle has excessive fire damage if—

        (a)     as a result of fire, paint on the vehicle (whether internal or external) has blistered on any three of—

              (i)     the roof;

              (ii)     a pillar;

              (iii)     the floor pan;

              (iv)     the firewall;

              (v)     longitudinal structural rails or chassis; or

        (b)     as a result of fire—

              (i)     the vehicle has sustained a combination of exterior and interior fire damage; and

              (ii)     the vehicle has suffered damage to the extent that it is written off.

        15     Excessive water damage

A vehicle has excessive water damage if the internal cabin of the vehicle has been inundated with water (irrespective of whether the water is fresh, brackish or salt water) to a level above the level of the inner door sill.

        16     Excessive vehicle stripping damage

A vehicle has excessive stripping damage if—

        (a)     it has been stripped of interior or exterior parts, panels and components such as wheels, bonnet, guards, doors, boot lid or interior parts; or

        (b)     by reason of that stripping it is written off.

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