HUNDREDS of hoons have had their cars impounded by police across the north-west in the past year.
Melton’s Leading Senior Constable Allan Edwards said that in the year to June 30, Caroline Springs police impounded 32 cars, a third of Melton’s total of 97.
In Brimbank, Sunshine police impounded 173 cars, while Keilor Downs officers seized 118.
Leading Senior Constable Edwards said a large proportion of drivers who had their cars impounded had been disqualified, were repeat offenders or had been caught speeding or doing burnouts.
“Hoon laws which came into effect last July have seen a slight increase in impoundments because there are harsher penalties for repeat offenders,” he said.
“But hoons are difficult to catch because [their actions] can be so sporadic and over within a matter of seconds.”
The new laws allow police to impound vehicles for 30 days for a first offence – a time advanced from 48 hours.
Second-time offenders can lose their car for up to three months. Repeat offenders or those caught for extreme speeding [70km/h above the limit] can have their car destroyed.
Leading Senior Constable Edwards said the problem was escalating, with hoon drivers using social media to connect with each other.
A Transport Accident Commission report released at the end of last month found that almost 40 per cent of young male P-platers viewed speed zones as guides rather than the maximum they were allowed to travel.
Leading Senior Constable Edwards said the results of the report were not surprising.
“I’ve been called to incidents in Brimbank where there have been 40-50 cars in one place,” he said.
“As soon as police arrive they attempt to speed off. The majority of the offenders are young men showing off in their cars.”
Brimbank’s Sergeant Rodney Stein said hoon driving remained a concern but police were actively tackling the problem.
“Brimbank continues to [have] among the highest number of offenders in the state,” he said.
“We continue to conduct operations to catch these drivers and regularly get information from Crime Stoppers to identify and target repeat offenders.”
To report hoon behaviour, phone 1800333000.
