Police bash hoon drivers

[mcnews]

Originally Posted by Auslandau

Easy to sit in judgement based on 30 seconds of video with no sound with no idea on how long these blokes may have been a problem for the town. A few very good clips behind the ear may have been the only way to deal with them after a few years of public harassment. I have known enough blokes in my time that deserve this and more ...... whether it is right or wrong depends of course on your tolerance of these type of people.

Hoon laws mean they will lose licence etc. and if not first offence quite likely to be given at least public service orders etc. The penalties are stiff and by and large even the minimums are stiff for first offence, let alone third offence.

--- The following is police statement

From 1 July, 2011 police will have the power to immediately impound hoon vehicles for 30 days, a significant increase on the current two day period.

Repeat offenders will also face court where they risk losing their vehicle for a further three months, with a minimum 45 days, or having their vehicle seized permanently.

The news gets worse for dangerous drivers, with the range of hoon offences also increasing to include repeat drink, drug and unlicensed driving, as well as overloading a vehicle with passengers.

Since hoon laws were introduced in 2006:

Police have impounded more than 14,500 vehicles.
About 96 per cent of hoon offenders are male.
About 41 per cent of hoon offenders are aged 18 to 21; 24 per cent are aged 22 to 25; almost 13 per cent are aged 26 to 29.
The 30 to 39 year old age group are the fastest growing group for hoon offenders, increasing from 11 per cent of offenders is 2006 to 17 per cent of offenders in 2011.
More than 45 per cent of hoon offenders are full licensed drivers, with probationary drivers making up 38 per cent of offenders.
Excessive speed is the most common offence (5474 offences), followed by improper use of a motor vehicle (5013 offences).