Leading Senior Constable Peter Henderson, from the Cardinia Highway Patrol, expects to see a drop in the number of hoons.
By Melissa Meehan
POLICE are flabbergasted that three of the first five hoon drivers nabbed under Victoria’s tough new hoon laws were caught in or were from Cardinia.
The new laws, introduced last Friday, mean police can impound hoon vehicles for 30 days for a first offence, a large increase on the previous 48 hours.
A 39-year-old man from Beaconsfield was intercepted on the Princes Highway in Narre Warren doing 152km/h in an 80km/h zone at 9.45pm on Friday night – less than 24 hours after the laws were brought in.
Soon after a 19-year-old P-plater making the move from Queensland to Victoria was clocked doing 190km/h on the Pakenham Bypass near Tynong.
In Oakleigh, a burn-out left more than just rubber on the road for a 19-year-old female from Maryknoll – her keys were left with a tow truck when she was caught in the early hours of Saturday morning along Warrigal Road.
Cardinia Highway Patrol’s (CHIPS) Leading Senior Constable Peter Henderson said he believed the extra penalties would see fewer people hooning in the area.
“Once people have the idea of the consequences they will see from their actions I believe there will be a marked improvement,” Leading Sen Const Henderson said.
“I think it’s unbelievable that people are still hooning, even faced with having their cars impounded for 30 days.”
He said drivers should also be made aware that new things had been added to the term “hooning” under the new law.
“Besides burn-outs and excessive speeding, you will have your car impounded if you overload the vehicle with passengers or have passengers in the ute compartment,” he said.
“Hopefully we will see a marked improvement.”
On top of losing their vehicle, hoon drivers must also foot the bill of the cost of towing their vehicle into an impound yard and storing it.
Since the introduction of the new laws this has grown from $430 to $855, plus fines from police and demerit points issued.
