Record number of cars impounded in Victoria

POLICE are confiscating hoons’ cars across Victoria at a rate of 18 a day. These Melbourne areas are our worst.

The number of cars impounded in Victoria has double in the past five years.

HOONS’ cars in Victoria are being confiscated by police at a rate of 18 a day, with more nabbed in the Melbourne’s northwestern and southeastern suburbs than anywhere else.

A record number of hoon drivers were caught last year with 6815 vehicles impounded for offences including driving while suspended, excessive speeding, drink or drug driving and evading police.

Victoria Police figures released to Leader News show impoundments in 2016 were up by more than 1200 on the previous year and have more than doubled in the past five years.

Hume had the most cars impounded with 494.

Industrial areas of Campbellfield have been marred by hoon events. Picture: Josie Hayden

The municipality, which covers northwestern suburbs including Broadmeadows, has been marred by illegal hoon events in recent years within the industrial areas of Campbellfield, Somerton and Tullamarine.

Neighbouring Brimbank, which covers St Albans, had the second most impoundments (395).

Most impounded cars are eventually returned to their owners. Police did not have the figures for the number of hoon cars permanently removed from the driver or crushed last year.

Victoria Police road policing command assistant commissioner John Fitzgerald said he wasn’t surprised by the rise in impoundments given the increased use of automatic numberplate recognition technology and continuing “alarming” risky behaviour by motorists.

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He said police usually only received short notice of organised illegal hoon events forcing them into being reactive.

Other areas with high numbers of impoundments include Frankston (316), Mornington Peninsula (295), Dandenong (275), Wyndham (270), and Moreland (267).

Since 2006 police in Victoria have had the power to impound a hoon’s vehicle for 30 days.

Driving while disqualified or suspended remained the highest offence, resulting in 2534 cars being confiscated followed by drink driving, speeding over 45km/h and unlicensed driving.

Men aged 31 and over had the highest rate of impoundments with 2689 last year.

Then Opposition Leader Ted Baillieu in 2010 launching the Liberals’ Hoon policy at a Dandenong car crushing plant.

Mr Fitzgerald said dangerous driving was having devastating and deadly consequences on our roads. Victoria had a horror road toll last year with 291 deaths.

Australian Road Safety Foundation chief executive Russell White said police couldn’t just arrest their way out of the hoon problem.

Mr White said there was too much complacency on the roads and there needed to be more and ongoing education for drivers.

“There needs to be harsh penalties and the hoons laws are working,” he said.

“Enforcement plays a crucial role but it has to be balanced out by education and making drivers more aware of the crash risks and the innocent lives that get caught up in foolhardy behaviour.”