From July 1, the Baillieu Government has introduced a tougher set of laws to discourage hoon driving. First-time offenders will lose their cars for 30 days rather than 48 hours. Second-time offenders will lose their cars for a minimum of 30 days, and if the offence is bad enough, can lose them permanently. Third-time offenders again face a 30-day seizure and can have their cars crushed or stripped of parts.
The hoon laws will also be expanded to encompass vehicle overloading, after a learner driver was caught with nine people in his car last April, and as from 2012 Victorian hoons will be forced to complete safe driving education programs. There is nothing astray about the harsh penalties but hoon-happy traffic cops should curb their enthusiasm and go after the real hooning, not small time tyre chirpers or minor infringers. With no right of appeal by the driver, the Police have the power to confiscate cars at will and do it through their personal discriminatory interpretations on what each individual officer deems to be anti-social road behavior or not.
The police should utilise their anti-hoon powers more carefully, 30 days confiscation for a small incident not endangering life, is a little bit ‘Police State’ stuff. We wouldn’t need hoon laws if our current driver licencing system was tougher. It’s far too easy and inexpensive for the lowest common denominator to obtain a local drivers’ licence. For instance how many of our drivers can handle an emergency skid in wet conditions? Our RTA people should take a trip to observe first hand at the German driver education programs and their driving ability at higher speeds. It’s much safer than our put-you-to-sleep, automatic-cruise, over-drive 100kph speed limit that produces drowsy and distracted drivers.
Perhaps the police should also seriously consider confiscating cars for the following: Mobile phone/texting while driving, going 10 kph under the limit, applying make-up behind the wheel, fiddling with CD, radio or navigator while in motion, excessive stereo and sub woofer volume, modified cars without RTA engineering approval, use of non-standard blue indicator, pin or head lights, rusted panels, worn tyres/brakes, noisy turbocharger relief valves, things that dangle from the front mirror, and drivers who cannot park their vehicle efficiently or quickly enough. Plenty of those at the shopping centres to keep lots of cops happy.