Anti-hoon laws are about making roads safer and reducing road trauma. They were introduced in Victoria in July 2006, and give police the power to impound, immobilise or permanently confiscate vehicles driven by people in a dangerous manner.
The anti-hoon laws provide that if police have reasonable grounds for believing a driver has committed a hoon-related offence, they have the power to seize that vehicle and impound or immobilise it for 30 days (increased from 48 hours in 2011). A vehicle may be impounded or immobilised, regardless of who owns it and whether the driver is the registered operator.
There are a number of offences that can render a vehicle liable to impoundment or immobilisation, and from 1 August 2015 if a person is found driving with a Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.10 or higher, their vehicle can be seized, even if it is their first BAC offence.
If a person is found guilty of three hoon-related offences inside three years, their vehicle can be permanently forfeited by the court. Upon such a court order being granted, these vehicles can then be disposed of in a manner determined by the Chief Commissioner of Police. If the forfeited vehicle is sold by the State of Victoria, the proceeds from the sale will be retained by the State of Victoria. Alternatively, the vehicle may be crushed or otherwise disposed of by police.
In addition to the seizure or forfeiture of the vehicle, if found guilty of a hoon driving offence, the courts can impose a fine of up to 240 penalty units (in excess of $28,000) and/or a period of imprisonment of up to two years. The driver will also incur any demerit points and/or license loss penalties applying to the underlying offence.
For more information on the anti-hoon laws and vehicle impoundment, please see the VicRoads website(opens in a new window).
Crime Stoppers Hoon Hotline
Reports of hoon driving help Victoria Police target repeat offenders and focus on specific locations.
If you know the identity of a hoon driver, have knowledge of hoon driving activity, or are able to provide a description of vehicles involved (make, model, colour, registration number) you can report this to Crime Stoppers without revealing your own identity.
Contact the Crime Stoppers Hoon Hotline on 1800 333 000 or report it online on the Crime Stoppers Victoria website(opens in a new window).
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