Does this mean motorbikes can be impounded for doing 45 over ? Not that I do those kind of things
Hoons, be warned: three strikes and parents lose car
Jason Dowling, State Politics
June 18, 2006
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PARENTS of hoon drivers could have the family car wheel-clamped in the backyard for three months or even lose it forever, under tough new anti-hoon laws that will come into effect within a fortnight.
The first that parents may know of the loss of the car is when police knock on the door, under tough new provisions that allow the impounding of cars up to 10 days after an offence.
Police Minister Tim Holding has also revealed that hoons would be targeted by Melbourne's extensive speed camera and closed-circuit television camera networks to help police identify vehicles to be impounded.
The laws will take effect in the early hours of Saturday, July 1, and the Police Minister said there would be no cooling-off period. "Anyone who gets caught under these new laws only has themselves to to blame," Mr Holding said.
Under the anti-hoon laws, which went through State Parliament in November, police will have the power to impound a vehicle for 48 hours for a first offence, three months for a second offence and seize the vehicle permanently for a third offence.
Mr Holding said a vehicle impounded for 48 hours would cost about $350 to have returned, while a three-month impounding could cost more than $1000. Towing costs would be added.
Vehicles could either be impounded immediately or have a wheel clamp applied at the offender's home.
The powerful new laws will not only target hoon activity such as doughnuts, burnouts and drag racing, they will also affect speeding motorists. Anyone caught doing 45kmh over the speed limit, or 145kmh or above in a 110 kmh zone, could also lose their car.
The Police Minister warned that the speeding side of the laws would affect many Victorians.
"Excessive speed, that is a big one and that is one where the police-discretion issue will work quite significantly because obviously a lot of people get caught travelling 45 kmh over the speed limit by police," he said.
But Mr Holding warned that the Parliament expected police to take a tough stance.
"We would expect police would impound vehicles in a high proportion of cases," he said.
He described the power to impound motor vehicles as "draconian" but said the community supported tougher action against hoons.
"I get a lot of letters from members of the public who are very concerned about hooning in their local community, dangerous driving and hooning, in particular, and I think giving police this extra power to be able to, in a sense, hit hoons where it hurts by taking their cars off them will be a very welcome measure," he said.
Motorists caught after July 1 repeatedly driving while disqualified also face losing their vehicles.
Mr Holding conceded that the harsh laws could affect families. "Young people should be given every opportunity to learn to drive responsibly, so having access to their parents' cars, where appropriate, is a good thing," he said. "However, parents and young drivers need to clearly get the message that driving is a privilege and not a right and if you drive in a grossly irresponsible way … you not only risk being charged but also losing your car," he said.
Later this week the Government will launch an advertising campaign on radio and in newspapers warning of the start of the new laws.
Opposition police spokesman Kim Wells said the laws had taken too long to arrive. "It is Liberal Party policy, now it is being implemented we think it will make Victorian roads safer."
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