Sergeant Trevor Poulton said more cars were being impounded since the new hoon laws had taken effect. 72592
By Charlene Gatt
AT LEAST 18 cars have been impounded by Footscray police since new hoon laws came into effect four months ago.
Footscray’s Traffic Management Unit (TMU) has impounded 40 cars between 1 January and 30 September, with 18 of those impounded since the new legislation took effect on 1 July.
Sergeant Trevor Poulton from the TMU told Star last week that the bulk of offenders were caught driving while disqualified, while many were caught for speeding or improper use of a motor vehicle.
From 1 July, police have had the power to immediately impound hoon vehicles for 30 days, a significant increase on the previous two-day period.
Repeat offenders also have to face court, where they risk losing their vehicle for a further three months or having their vehicle seized permanently.
The range of hoon offences has also increased to include repeat drink, drug and unlicensed driving, as well as overloading a vehicle with passengers.
Sgt Poulton said the changes meant police were seizing more cars than ever before.
Despite this, the City of Maribyrnong’s figures barely rate next to neighbouring municipality Brimbank, which is one of the top five areas in the state for hooning.
“A lot of the traffic here is transit … we’re so close to the city that traffic tends to be predominantly to and from work in Melbourne, or the other side of town,” Sgt Poulton said.
“When you get to Brimbank, it’s a larger municipality, so their youngsters tend to stay within the municipality to misbehave, there are more areas for them to do it, and Maribyrnong’s so small – there’s not a lot of places to go that aren’t populated.”
“We have more time to target particular offences than some of the other TMUs.”
Footscray TMU helps out other municipalities in traffic blitzes and also concentrates on their known unlicensed and disqualified drivers.
Sgt Poulton said Sunshine Rd and Ashley St, Buckley St and Ballarat Rd, and Gordon St were accident hot spots.
