By Denise Deason
HOPPERS Crossing is equal second for the dubious title of hoon capital of Victoria.
The latest police figures show that under the anti-hoon legislation, which has been operating for nearly a year, 36 Hoppers Crossing residents have had their cars impounded for driving at excessive speeds.
Mill Park and Melton also had 36 cars impounded.
Topping the list for being the road menace hotspot was Bendigo, where 47 residents had their cars locked up by police.
The police statistics are collated from where the offender lives, based on postcodes, and not where the hoon act was committed.
On that basis, Wyndham can lay claim to the title of being the hoon capital municipality, as 23 Werribee residents had their cars impounded, which, combined with the Hoppers Crossing tally, makes a total of 59 – by far the highest number of any municipality in the state.
Sergeant Kevin Hickson, of Wyndham Traffic Management Unit, said police welcomed having the anti-hoon legislation at their disposal and it was extremely popular with the public.
“I don’t think we’d say we’re winning the battle against anti-social driving, but we’re certainly out there swinging,” he said.
“We’re seeing a trend towards excessive speed as being the biggest reason for car impoundment, rather than people doing burn-outs and spinning the wheels.
“I don’t know why. There are plenty of legal venues where people can go if they wish to drive fast.
“Speeds like this belong on race-tracks, not on our roads.
“People who drive at these speeds do not achieve anything.
“They endanger themselves and other road-users, and end up losing their vehicle for 48 hours and facing criminal charges.”
Under the anti-hoon legislation, drivers can have their cars impounded for 48 hours for a first offence, three months for a second and permanently for a third.
Wyndham police recently conducted a weekend operation to clamp down on speeding drivers and hoon behaviour.
Called Operation Day Two, it resulted in seven cars being impounded and 64 people caught committing a total of 123 traffic offences including excessive speed and dangerous driving.
An 18-year-old Werribee man had his mother’s Holden Club Sport seized after he was twice detected driving at high speeds on the Saturday night.
He was first spotted driving at 144 km/h in an 80 km/h zone near the Werribee Hospital and again detected driving at 153 km/h along the Princes Freeway.
On the Friday night, a motorcyclist reached speeds of 210 km/h as he led police on a pursuit that began on Old Geelong Rd in Hoppers Crossing about 11.30pm and continued for 25 minutes.
The Werribee man, in his 30s, was later apprehended after falling off his bike.
He has since been charged with more than 50 offences, including drug possession.
Police are also awaiting the results of a drug impairment test.
Another driver had his car impounded after being detected driving at 112 km/h along Sneydes Rd in Werribee, despite being in a 60 km/h zone.
Two cars were also impounded after drivers were caught drag racing and another two vehicles were seized when drivers were apprehended doing burn-outs.
Sergeant Hickson said these intensive operations to detect anti-social driving were conducted by police in Wyndham at least once a month.
“I’d like to point out it’s not all P-platers, whom everyone seems to blame,” he said.
“This young age group has many offenders, but there are quite a few people in their 30s and 40s who haven’t got the message to drive safely.”
State-wide, police recently impounded the 2000th car under the anti-hoon legislation.
The most commonly impounded vehicle is the Holden Commodore, followed by the Ford Falcon.
The vast majority of hoons are males, recording 98.3 per cent of the total number of offenders.