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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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 Posted - 28 Jun 2006 : 11:23:22 AM
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The nanny state strikes again!
For anyone who has been living a sheltered life for the last couple of months, and anyone from another state, there are a few laws that come into effect on July 1st that you might like to know about.
The state police now will have the power to confiscate your vehicle for certain driving offences. Excessive speeding (from memory that is defined as more than 25kph over the limit, or more than 130kph in a 110 zone), sustained loss of traction (there is no definition of 'sustained', some police may exploit this rule to mean ANY loss of traction), drag racing, reckless driving, drifting and burnouts.
The first time the car is confiscated it will be gone for 48 hours (either impounded or wheel-clamped at the owners home) at a cost of approximately $350 to the 'hoon' involved.
A second offence any time in three years will result in the car being impounded or wheel-clamped for 3 months (cost now will run into the thousands typically).
A third offence in three years will result in the car being confiscated (even if it isn't your car) and sold by the Police, they keep the money, you are left with nothing.
For a bit more of a read:
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,19611230%255E2862,00.html
It does not matter who owns the car, it is the driver who is responsible. Imagine having to face mummy and daddy and tell them that their car is going to be impounded for a few days!
I do not condone reckless driving, nor do I support stupid behaviour on the roads...but if the state police force is going to clamp down on such behaviour on the roads...I would like to see an area made available for these activities. After all...the state reaps a **** load of money from Traffic Infringment Notices, I'd like to see even a little of this money put into creating a 'burnout' arena for public use. A drag strip for public use (as opposed to the Calder drags), and a nice big open area for drifting. Would be cheap to do, and would keep 'hoons' in a more confined area. But that's just my 2 cents.
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Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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lolo
Fully Licenced
503 Posts
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Posted - 29 Jun 2006 : 01:40:13 AM
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| Im all for your 2 cents mate |
Marcus Rogulic R.I.P (1980-2007)
"The Good Die Young" |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 29 Jun 2006 : 5:11:10 PM
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I just can't see why, with all the money that they are making from speeding fines, that they can not manage to build at least one area where people can go to let off steam. Clearly doing it on the roads is dangerous and stupid, but why can't there be an area where those activities are allowed?
It would be nice to know WHY the won't build one. That's all. Because I think there would be a great deal of support for areas such as these. Allowing people to take their cars to an area where they CAN destroy a set of tyres. I see no good reason why these areas should not be provided. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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brenno
Learner
5 Posts
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Posted - 29 Jun 2006 : 8:35:08 PM
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| Eastern creek, is a drag strip that's legal. |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 29 Jun 2006 : 9:11:09 PM
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Yep...it's in NSW...that's a bit of a bummer.
We've got Calder park down here, with the legal off-street drags on Friday nights. But I'm talking about a public access skid pan, and a public access drag strip (not just once a week) and a burnout area. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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lolo
Fully Licenced
503 Posts
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Posted - 29 Jun 2006 : 9:39:41 PM
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Its probably got something to do with public liability... as in no insurance company would touch with a twenty mile pole and also remember that the current government seems to be all about revenue raising so they can have round the world trips on our money... why do you think there is so much propaganda out there stereotyping all of us (modified car owners) as hoons???
Community groups would all cry bloody murder, I can see the headlines..."Not in Our Neighbourhood" "Modified Car Owner Damages Accountants Feng Shui"
Deep down they all long to be one of us |
Marcus Rogulic R.I.P (1980-2007)
"The Good Die Young" |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 29 Jun 2006 : 10:03:23 PM
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I like the headline about the Fen Shui. LOL.
And I think that you're right with the insurance side of things. But the same thing happens at Calder park, as you drive in the gate, you acknowledge that any damage done to your vehicle while on the premises is not the fault of the venue or its managers. It's also included in almost every insurance policy (if you can be bothered reading the fine print) that the insurance policy does not cover certain 'events' such as track-racing venues and such.
As for the money that they don't want to miss out on...have it with a swipe card entry system say...
$5 for a single use,
$20 for three months access,
$50 for a whole year,
$100 lifetime access.
Just an idea. Have a boom gate that you need to swipe the card to get through, they can track who uses it and when. That way no insurance claims can be made for **** that goes wrong when 'inside'. Also...when signing up make it very clear that the State Government (or whoever is running it) accepts no responsibility for any damage done to vehicles, or any personal injury (or loss of income due to said injury), get a signature on the bottom of that!
I'd be happy to sign up for that. Unlimited access to a drift pan, or a drag strip for however long I've paid for? As Big Kev (R.I.P.) would have said...I'M EXCITED!
As for where to put it...industrial estates, simple. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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brenno
Learner
5 Posts
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Posted - 30 Jun 2006 : 09:14:23 AM
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| I must say, you do make a good point. I think we all need to protest lol. |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 30 Jun 2006 : 8:14:29 PM
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I'm actually considering putting together a letter to be sent to the relevant state politicians. See if I can get it accepted and sent by members representing as many of the various car-clubs around the state.
What do you reckon? |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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David
The Guru
334 Posts
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Posted - 01 Jul 2006 : 4:31:11 PM
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The only issue I see with the great proposal that you have mouce, is that what about the onlooker that maybe hit by someone that looses it? Who pays for their loss?
Also if you had a lifetime, yearly or even a monthly pass at the rate you propose, then no one would get on to do their stuff, as those people with the lifetime, yearly, or monthly pass would be hogging the venue... I am not saying that they should not be offering those, but a more realistic price would be something like this:
Single Use: $10.00
Monthly Use: $60.00
Yearly Use: $500.00
Liftime Use: $3000.00
That would deter the hogs from using it and give others a better chance at a turn. The people who could afford to purchase the lifetime would be way to busy to be hogging the area with work as they would obvoiusly be at work making so much, and the yearly is better value than the monthly, like the monthly is better value than the single use. That way the venue owner could afford to get public liability for the spectator so they will come and watch.
The venue owner could then have a cafe and make some money there, which would give a couple of people jobs.
I also agree an area like what you have said, would give the users that are branded "HOON" somewhere to go and get it off the street.. My 5 cents worth...  |
Cheers,
David |
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jetvn6
Starting in the driveway
2 Posts
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Posted - 02 Jul 2006 : 02:01:17 AM
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All great ideas. the government has to do something about making a skid pan ect. for these "hoons" there is calder park, but who wants to drive all the way out there when we could have a legit skid pan set up for public use? the government would have no trouble funding them, there could be 1 or 2 for each area, now thats a way to prevent hooning on the roads. i say start a petition and with alot of modified car owners signatues it hopefully would grab the governments attention
cheers
evan |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 02 Jul 2006 : 8:00:51 PM
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Okay Dave, fair point, I was just throwing it in as a bit of a rough guide, I can see that your figures are a bit more realistic. But the priciple is the same.
As for 'onlookers', fence it. People stand on the outside, cars go on the inside. No foot access to the skid-pan/drag strip. Cars only. If people want to watch, stand outside the fence.
*edit*
Just read in the paper that three cars have already been impounded, two for burnouts and one for excessive speeding. And the owners of the cars say that they are going to try running from the police in the future.
Does anyone really think that they can 'run' from the police. You might be able to outrun or out manouver one cop car, but there's choppers and radios. The easy solution is don't fu*k up in the first place and there's no need to run. Di*kheads! |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
Edited by - mouce on 02 Jul 2006 8:03:43 PM |
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lolo
Fully Licenced
503 Posts
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Posted - 02 Jul 2006 : 10:42:23 PM
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My problem is that theyre stereotyping hoons... A notice in the herald sun showed a modified VL commodore ie: rims and paintjob, being towed away... so it means that though i dont hoon around, im gonna be a target because my car is low and has ceptors..... also will the business executive doing 140 on the Eastern freeway in his company calais have his car impounded under the hoon laws? i dont think so.. he'll get a speeding fine and possible loss of licence.. get my drift???
Also what is the definition of a burnout?? I occasionally lose traction unintentionally, does this make me a hoon?? If my car looks stock the cops will put it down to inexperience, if my car looks good (modified) it will be a burnout.
I believe too many of the details have been left unspoken, and the cops have too much leeway to act upon their prejudices.. as if canaries werent enough... My girlfriends uncle is the head of victoria police traffic for the western region and funnily enough he agrees with me on all of these points (then sgsin hes the car nut that got me onto the car club scene) |
Marcus Rogulic R.I.P (1980-2007)
"The Good Die Young" |
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lolo
Fully Licenced
503 Posts
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Posted - 02 Jul 2006 : 10:45:32 PM
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| Also about the controlled environment, safety laws mean the government will have to pay for at least one track official, CAMS, ANDRA whatever, a standby ambulance etc. and frankly I dont think theyre prepared to do that |
Marcus Rogulic R.I.P (1980-2007)
"The Good Die Young" |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 03 Jul 2006 : 12:06:16 PM
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You're right about how they sterotype people, but that's always happened. I think that's something we all accepted when we first purchased our commodores. If not, it was something that we very quickly came to realise.
Also...bad pun about getting your DRIFT...LOL. Don't know if it was intentional or not, but LOL.
The definition of a burnout under the new legislation is: any sustained intentional loss of traction from the driven wheels. The problem is that there is no definition of the word 'sustained' (not that I've come across anyway). So that's where the police are going to have a field day. Technically if you accelerate hard away from lights and the wheels chirp across the white line then they 'could' do you for that. You'd have to be really unlucky, but you could be done.
Like you, I also occasionally have a few traction problems (14" stockies in the wet is a bad mix) and I'm hell worried about what's going to happen, it's not uncommon for me to have a little slip if I have to take off from lights up hill in the wet. 'ceptors and wide sticky rubber are coming soon, but until then...I'm a tad worried.
I'd actually like to get a copy of the fully legislative document. I don't mind sifting through a few (hundred) pages of legalese. Anyone know where I can find one for download?
As to the track official: ANDRA would only be involved if it was actually setup for official times, and CAMS would only have to be involved if it was actually a competition wouldn't they? I can understand the need for there to be a 'supervisor' but I'm sure something could be worked out. Anyway...I reckon a venue such as a drift pan would make a small fortune. Maybe I should start one up somewhere, never have to work again :) Set up the skid pan, then set up a servo over the road, and a tyre joint next to the servo.
That would be a gold mine. Get a mate to start up a towing service and we're set.
You're right though, there are a few problems to overcome, but the idea seems solid. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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lolo
Fully Licenced
503 Posts
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Posted - 03 Jul 2006 : 9:54:34 PM
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| Lmao it would be a gold mine but youd need a gold mine to get insurance and my apologies for DRIFT but it was unintentional...only realised after id already posted.... also the towing service must be bad for the feng Shui lol sorry had to use that one again |
Marcus Rogulic R.I.P (1980-2007)
"The Good Die Young" |
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lolo
Fully Licenced
503 Posts
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Posted - 03 Jul 2006 : 10:03:36 PM
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I would also bet my car (and thats saying something) on the fact that whatever you do, the respective council or shire or whatever would find or pass some kind of town planning bylaw that would stop you doing it... they'll find a problem with your fence or your driveway or noise emission or pollution the list is endless
or they'll have an overpaid bludger stake the place out until they catch you doing something deemed illegal and then.....finito
proper righteous and decent (note the sarcasm) will find a way of doing it.... at least thats my skeptical yet I think realistic opinion |
Marcus Rogulic R.I.P (1980-2007)
"The Good Die Young" |
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Wooshy
Learner
6 Posts
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Posted - 19 Mar 2007 : 07:57:04 AM
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3 Speed Cameras on the South Eastern Freeway (Monash)
5 Speed Cameras on the Westgate Freeway
10 Speed Cameras on the Princes Freeway
18 Time Over Distance Cameras on the Western Ring Road
8 Time Over Distance Cameras on the Craigeburn Bypass
6 Speed Cameras on the Hume heading out of Melbourne
And those are the fixed cameras I have seen. Now the government has the balls to introduce this.. Remember if you do break traction like I did... Play dumb DO NOT under ANY circumstance say you are sorry or you MAY have. Just inform them the car must have done it and if they try the negligance line. just say I do not know I was driving along normally. They seriouslly do not have a leg to stand on if you play dumb |
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mouce
National Driver
1525 Posts
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Posted - 26 Mar 2007 : 6:08:56 PM
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Actually, ignorance is not a defence.
Also, re-birthing threads that are 9 months old, is a real no-no. So...THREAD LOCKED. |
Bite off more than you can chew, and chew like hell - Peter Brock (1945-2006) |
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