Adelaide 'hoon laws' questioned

[prydey]

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/h...-1226081669456

Have hoon-car laws misfired

Cars impounded by police are generally not the high-performance vehicles associated with hooning.

THE sale of 68 cars under anti-hoon laws has raised an average of just $564 a vehicle.

Court Administration Authority figures obtained by The Advertiser reveal the sale of the 68 forfeited cars under the 2007 Clamping, Impounding and Forfeiture Act has raised a total of $38,389.80 after the agent's commission for handling the sale is deducted.

The laws were introduced to target high-performing, hotted-up vehicles and tackle hoons and repeat dangerous drivers.

Lawyer Paul Simionato from D'angelo Kavanagh - who has represented a number of drivers charged with hoon offences - said the relatively small amount raised serious questions about whether the correct types of cars were being targeted.

"It's just ludicrous," Mr Simionato said.

"This was meant to get high-performing vehicles, but what is it achieving?

"When one looks at the maths, you get $560-odd each for tying up all the resources of the state. The economics are not good."

Family First MLC Robert Brokenshire said it showed that rather than confiscating and selling cars, the government should be focusing on targeting hoon driver's licences.

"The Rann Government made great fanfare about these laws targeting drivers' "prize possessions" but it seems hoon driving is only occurring in bombs that, if sold or crushed, doesn't worry the hoon driver," Mr Brokenshire said.

"The better deterrent is to target hoon drivers' licences rather than crushing their car. The Advertiser understands the forfeiture and sale of expensively modified cars has been complicated as many are partly "owned" by finance companies who have provided loans to their owners.

But Attorney-General John Rau yesterday hit back, saying the Government didn't "seize, crush or sell hoons' cars to make money."

"The Government's only concern is to get dangerous drivers and their vehicles off the road," Mr Rau said.

"Hoons kill and injure people, with incalculable consequences of pain, suffering and loss. In light of this human cost, it is ridiculous to suggest that the return per hoon vehicle is too small," he said.

to me, targeting high performance cars is discrimination. what this shows is that the majority of people that are caught 'hooning' aren't the ones the big knobs thought they were. the ones with the high performance cars are the ones that actually care about them and don't drive like tossers (there's always a few that do).

now that they aren't catching these high performance cars, they think the laws aren't working. talk about discriminatory.

it shows that what many have thought is actually correct. drive your modified/high performance car on the street, and you will be targetted even if you drive like miss daisy.