Queensland police impound 20,000+ cars in 8 years (anti-hoon laws)

By Alborz Fallah | June 16th, 2010

Queensland doesn’t like hoons. A report released last week shows that Queensland police have impounded 20,336 cars (as of 10/05/10) since the introduction of anti-hoon laws some eight years ago.

Initially the anti-hoon laws targeted drivers caught street racing, conducting a burnout or “time trials”. Three years ago the rules were changed to allow the confiscation of unregistered or uninsured vehicles as well as vehicles belonging to those driving unlicensed or while disqualified.

If you drink and drive and register three times over the limit, your car will also be confiscated. First offence will see the car impounded for 48 hours, up to three months for the second offence and permanently for the third.

“Reckless driving in our community will not be tolerated. If you don’t follow the rules we will get you off the road,” Police Minister Neil Roberts said in a statement.

“Our tough laws hit the offenders where it hurts by taking away their vehicles and protects the community by getting these irresponsible drivers off Queensland roads.“

Unfortunately little has been done by the QLD State government to provide ‘hoons’ with an affordable option to express their passion in a safe place.

In Western Australia a Lamborghini was recently impounded under the state’s anti-hoon laws when a mechanic was caught ‘excessively speeding’. In Victoria police confiscate around 10 cars per day, whilst NSW Government can use cars confiscated under anti-hoon laws for crash testing!

Make sure you read our article: Anti-Hoon Laws – Road Safety or Political Vote Winner?

There is an interesting research conducted by Armstrong, Kerry A. and Steinhardt, Dale A. from the Queensland University of Technology called “Understanding street racing and ‘hoon’ culture: An exploratory investigation of perceptions and experiences” which is worth a read.

Lox

Idiots will be idiots but surely there should be more places for people to get their hoon on legally.

Jester

I completely agree – after a track day I don’t feel any urge to do 250-280km/h on public roads any more. If we allow people a place to practise and express their desires, be it burnouts, 1/4mile, flat track racing etc, governments should ensure those places are available. Currently they are not available, track are old and short in bad condition – it sucks when some sections of public roads are safer than some race tracks in Aus. I would love to see some other group of people being banned from doing what they love – imagine banning sky-diving or playing musical instruments – then others would understand how car lovers feel with this nazi attacks on our hobbies.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1435885244 Yani Hendriawan

so if you get hooning for the first time how long is it impounded for? and how do you get it out of the impound lot?
http://caradvice Rant

Governments dealing with the symptom rather than the cause.

The biggest problem for me is how the Government sets you up to be a criminal.

Here in Qld if you have a parking fine unpaid or walking a dog without a lease they can and will suspend your license.

Sometimes some people will move house and not know that this has occurred.This is no defense in the eyes of the law.

Now instead of being given the opportunity to pay a outstanding fine immediately or within say 24 hours etc..they will charge you with unlicensed driving and impound your car.

I thought governments were there to serve the people..however if you look at every current or previous government of a “working families” flavor they have introduced so many nanny and draconian laws that they will invade and control your life with no thought given to due process.

Be warned..your democratic rights are becoming non existence.

And don’t get me started on the proposed internet filter on a national level
Save it for the track

Not sure about Qld driver licences, but NSW licences have it clearly marked on teh back that ‘change of address must be notified within 14 days’. I find it very strange how some people don’t seem to place a high priority on changing teh address of something important like a driver licence. Of course some people don’t want to be able to receive mail from Government bodies or banks or other parties they may owe money to. It’s personal responsibility, your licence, your obligation to notify authority of change of address. Of course moving house is not a defence, what about having your mail re-directed?? I highly doubt that suspension of a driver licence in Qld occurs quickly after not paying a parking fine or some other fine. In NSW fine default suspensions are a fairly lengthy process. 1. receive initial fine, have 21 days to pay. 2. if not paid receive reminder which gives another 21 days. 3. if still not paid receive notice that driver licence will be suspended on particular date (usually 14-21 days from date of notice) 4. if still unpaid after all that, Suspended. So from initially receiveing a fine through to a Suspension takes about two months. Plenty of time in which to have made proper notification of change of address, and of course most people don’t forget when they have actually gotten a fine. For most it’s not an everyday occurrence.
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I believe that tehre are actually quite a deal more motorsport type activities out there than most realise, with motorkhana and rallying very popular and accessible, but of course most “hoons” couldn’t handle that sort of thing, which usually involves more skill than doing a burnout or driving fast in a straight line.

http://CARADVICE Rant

Totally agree with your synopsis and the process is similar here.

Where my concern is that why upgrade a genuine lack of knowing into the higher grade of offense of driving unlicensed.

People should take personal responsibility and do the right thing but we know this is not the case sometimes.

However isn’t the key in all of this to get the fine paid.

Why does a individual who has not payed a council fine of say $3o for a non related driving matter immediately receive the serious offense of unlicensed driving(and face court proceedings)be fingerprinted and have there car impounded.

Is this not disproportionate in a liberal democratic society?

Surely to save time of the police and courts and give due process to people..shouldn’t we allow a individual to cough up there and then and have the matter resolved immediately.

Joe Papez

I think everyone has completely forgotten the main point that is intrinsically WRONG with the anti-hoon laws.

How can the Police, or anyone else for that matter, confiscate your vehicle based on an ALLEGED infringement. Particularly for just speed related infringements, and based on how inaccurate the speed detection devices are, how are they able to take your vehicle before it has been proven in a court of law. Do the Police have a makeshift courtroom by the side of the road where they can be judge, jury and executioner? As far as I know the law, the offence must be proven in a court of competent jurisdiction and then action can be taken by confiscating the vehicle.

Now I don’t have a problem with confiscation once the courts have PROVEN the offence, but how have they been able to get away with this?? As far as I know constitutional law still superseeds Parlimentary law and constitutional law states any offence MUST be proven in court.

Can someone with more legal knowledge than me answer this and why we are letting them do this? I don’t support reckless behavior either but this just seems wrong
Ben xr6

Hoon is the biggest buzz word since terrorist!

Its easier to convict people for something that does not have a proper meaning. Whats the difference between someone driving stupidly in a school zone and someone who does 10 k’s over on a freeway? According to the government nothing both are hoons.

If they want to fix the problem get this “hoon behavior” off the streets and on the track.
Save it for the track

I laugh at all these perceptions and stories of “…how inaccurate speed detection devices are…”.
Radar can have errors but when used correctly is extremely accurate. NSW guidelines are stricter than other states. LIDAR, well that’s another beast altogether and is the most accurate of speed detection devices when used correctly. It is less prone to operator error and again in NSW is subject specific guidelines which are lacking in other states (most notibly Victoria). The main problem I face when stopping speeding motorists is that they really don’t think they were speeding, and in actual fact when they have seen me, start to lift off their accelerator and start to brake AND THEN look at their speedo, they are probably no longer speeding, of course I have already observed them speeding, made an estimation and conducted a valid check of their speed, all before they spot me. In many, many cases the offence we stop people for is committed several hundred metres further back up the road than where they are stopped or where they spot the POlice. I particularly enjoy those that come to see the video, and point out landmarks on the side of the road, the relative distances, time travelled etc. and even taking the speed detection device out of the equation, the simple maths does the job. Funnily enough all such speed/distance calculations turn out pretty close to the speed indicated on the radar or lidar, so they are hardly inaccurate when used correctly. On another note, in NSW we have the power to suspend driver licences on the spot for certain speeding offences, but we have less reasons to confiscate vehicles than other states.