By XAVIER SMERDON
ILLEGAL motorbike and dirt bike riders are putting themselves and others in grave danger and they will be caught, according to police.
Leading Senior Constable Brad Hall from the State Highway Patrol’s Solo Unit was in Wyndham Vale last week to launch an ongoing operation against the illegal vehicles.
He said Wyndham had been identified as a hot spot for dangerous hoon activity by dirt bike riders, especially in areas that were designed for recreational use by the community.
“They are typically being ridden in parks where people are walking their dogs or pushing their prams and the last thing they want to see is someone flying past them on a dirt bike,” Ldg Sen Const Hall said.
“Wyndham has been identified as having a high level of road trauma.”
Late last month a 15-year-old boy was killed when he rode his unregistered dirt bike into a BMW sedan.
“That case highlights how dangerous these things are,” Ldg Sen Const Hall said.
“There we have a 15-year-old kid doing exactly what we’re talking about and now a family have got an empty chair at Christmas.
“A lot of people consider a pit bike or a dirt bike a toy but the fact is they are a motor vehicle.”
Ldg Sen Const Hall said Victoria Police received thousands of calls every year from concerned residents that had witnessed illegal motorbikes being driven dangerously.
“They create a real hazard for legitimate road users and what some people don’t realise is that if you allow someone to operate a bike like this knowing that they do not have a licence, then you are breaking the law too,” he said.
“The potential for disaster is quite high.”
Anyone that thinks they have witnessed illegal dirt bike activity should call 000 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
