There are some things you can only truly appreciate once you get to use them for yourself – unfortunately for me an example of such is the Service NSW app for residents and drivers in New South Wales and your ability to do so much within a simple app.
Earlier in the year while enjoying the fantastic little Suzuki Vitara I took my youngest Son up to Mount Panorama for his first real-life glimpse of motorsport. What a buzz. Sadly, on the Bells Line of Road on the way home I may have overcooked things right in front of a speed camera 🙁
I don’t even remember being close to speeding, so receiving a speeding fine was quite a shock to me!
Making a positive out of a negative was easy when I noticed this flyer inside the envelope:
You What? “Managing your Fines at your Fingertips”? Who’s getting that many fines that you need an app for that?
Well, Turns out there are a few things that would once have required a letter to be sent or require a visit to your local motor-registry to get happening.
The most interesting to me was the ability to simply click “My Fines” and see any outstanding fines listed against your name (and Driver’s Licence).
Once I clicked there, I was surprised to see my speeding fine listed – perhaps more surprising was the fact that I could – with one tap view the actual photos taken by the Speed Camera in question.
Years ago you’d have to send off a letter and I think even pay a small fee to have the original photos from the Speed Camera posted to you, or you’d have to make an appointment to view the photos at the Motor Registry.
Bingo, there they are right on my phone. I can view them – even save them to my phone’s camera roll.
I was blown away by the quality, and while I never questioned the fine itself, I wasn’t too surprised to see the brake lights on showing I was on the anchors:)
If course you can then pay the fine within the app also.
Other features include:
My Demerit Points: With a single click (and accepting the terms and conditions) you can view quickly the number of demerit points you have against your licence. Not part of GameCentre fortunately:)
My Licence: Shows your licence information including Licence Number, registered address and expiry date for which you can set a reminder in the App as well as updating your address and contact info.
Renew Rego: Utilising the information on your rego renewal notice you can go through the process of renewing and paying for your car rego each year.
Free Rego Check: Enter any licence plate to check if it has a valid registration. This is ideal in small accidents. Carry the app, enter the rego details and confirm the CTP insurer before you drive away and simply trust that you’ve been given all the right info.
Pretty decent range of services for NSW drivers, worth installing. Available for Android and iOS.
Not the most expensive review I’ve done, but costly nonetheless – keep your eye on the speedo folks.
