Reckless hoons causing trouble for all Gold Coast car enthusiasts

Hoons may be car enthusiasts – but not all car enthusiasts are hoons, writes Luke Mortimer.

• Gold Coast police put hoons on notice
• Fireworks fired at chopper during ‘outrageous’ Coast hoon meet

HOONS may be car enthusiasts – but not all car enthusiasts are hoons.

I reckon I speak for most of the Gold Coast motoring community when I denounce the behaviour of idiots treating city roads like their own circuits without a care in the world.

Recent coverage of meets and gatherings on the Coast have been damning.

Lunatics have been spotted aiming fireworks at police helicopters, pelting patrol cars with rocks, drifting and doing burnouts among crowds; a disaster waiting to happen.

Recent coverage of meets and gathering on the Coast have been damming for car enthusiasts, says Luke Mortimer.

I want to emphasise most enthusiasts are not out to antagonise police or endanger the public.

After attending the occasional car meet and engaging with the community online, I’m of the firm belief most are law abiding road users, more likely to baby their beloved modified rides than thrash the ever-living crap out of them for an expensive thrill.

Most of us appreciate the aesthetics of the automobile and the engineering ingenuity which has made the car a central part of Australian life.

If we do desire a spot of WOT (wide open throttle), we’ll generally take to private property, hit the drags or blow off steam at a proper track. Some of us find joy in tackling a windy backroad within the limits and our own capabilities.

There’s a debate to be had about whether speed limits should be revised in places – and I believe there’s a lack of affordable motoring facilities for enthusiasts on the Coast.

But dangerous driving only puts more negative attention on the community and pushes authorities to tighten road rules further. Most enthusiasts understand that, I’m sure, but tend to be stereotyped by some as careless louts acting on impulse and adrenaline.

A group of Gold Coast hoons calling themselves the "Mexican Hoon Cartel" have been terrorising suburban streets around the city.

Legal mods and hotted up cars do not make a hoon. Poor behaviour and a blatant disregard for other road users does indeed make a hoon, or even just a bad driver.

Please don’t tar us all with the same brush.

As one of our many vocal readers summed it up: “It’s always this crowd that actually destroy the car scene and ruin it for everyone else!”

“Sadly the law enforcement turn the attention now to every performance car on the road in an attempt to stamp it out, however, this isn’t the solution. Most car enthusiasts act responsibly.”

This fellow is on the money and his frustration is understandable.

No driver is perfect, but the reckless indifference shown by a minority over the weekend was simply not cool.

Let’s be real: anyone who throws projectiles at police is a criminal, whether you agree with laws officers are enforcing or not. One day you might need help from the same cop you’ve targeted.

I’d argue labelling these people “hoons” actually minimises their actions.

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