Police Q-Car anti-hoon campaign

[RallyMad]

the only thing with the camera idea is as rock-it said the laws are at the cops discretion and so you'd have to wait for your day in court. From what I have seen a lot of these cases are only just getting to court and aren't getting the punishments the government wants thus more police powers and that means the police can impound your car without you having any recourse. Fines are even worse.

Although I have a lot of respect for the job police do, there have been stories up here about the amount of people that a quiting the police force with I think is bloody scary. At the end of the day they are only doing what the government tells them to and the government is pushed by public opinion which unfortunately doesn't seem to think that mothers in four wheel drives that can't negotiate round abouts or give away properly are as much of a concern. Just ask most street machiners (old shcool stuff) and they'll tell you that they've seen this coming for years and are constantly trying to change public opinion (charity cruises etc) but most hard core cars are now garaged and never seen due to the new laws on hooning and defects (which are even harsher).

At the end of the day if you don't want to get in trouble don't street race or drive like a tool and the biggest advice I can give is that if you do get your day in court get an experienced solicitor.

[I8A4RE]

the only thing with the camera idea is as rock-it said the laws are at the cops discretion and so you'd have to wait for your day in court. From what I have seen a lot of these cases are only just getting to court and aren't getting the punishments the government wants thus more police powers and that means the police can impound your car without you having any recourse. Fines are even worse.

Although I have a lot of respect for the job police do, there have been stories up here about the amount of people that a quiting the police force with I think is bloody scary. At the end of the day they are only doing what the government tells them to and the government is pushed by public opinion which unfortunately doesn't seem to think that mothers in four wheel drives that can't negotiate round abouts or give away properly are as much of a concern. Just ask most street machiners (old shcool stuff) and they'll tell you that they've seen this coming for years and are constantly trying to change public opinion (charity cruises etc) but most hard core cars are now garaged and never seen due to the new laws on hooning and defects (which are even harsher).

At the end of the day if you don't want to get in trouble don't street race or drive like a tool and the biggest advice I can give is that if you do get your day in court get an experienced solicitor.

I agreed with you until the last paragraph. this is the point everyone is tryin to make, YOU DONT HAVE TO BE STREET RACING OR DRIVING LIKE A TOOL TO GET PULLED OVER, EVERYTIME A COP SEE'S MY CAR I GET PULLED OVER. SINCE I GOT MY CAR PAINTED I DONT STREET RACE AND DRIVE (99% OF TIME) LIKE A NANNA.

[SG]

maybe they just want a closer look at your car

SO TO THE GOVERMENT OF AUSTRALIA........... (...) GIVE US SOMEWHERE TO RACE, (...) F&^KEN (...)

dunno know about the Gold Coast but theres plenty of club racing events in WA, organised by some motorsport instucters/drivers with some time and patience......... theres like 4 or 5... some motorkhana, sprints, hillclimbs, circuit, etc i think there might be drift aswell (non competitive). you dont rely on the government for that sort of stuff... theyd have to pay people to organise it full time and tax payers would call it a waste of money cause its only for a minority of people

[I8A4RE]

dunno know about the Gold Coast but theres plenty of club racing events in WA, organised by some motorsport instucters/drivers with some time and patience.......

No theres nothing like that here. Nothing affordable or regular. this needs to be atleast twice a week.

you dont rely on the government for that sort of stuff... theyd have to pay people to organise it full time and tax payers would call it a waste of money cause its only for a minority of people

EDIT: you cant organise anything (especially like that) without the goverment come on wake up. It would be organised and arranged by a thrid party company but subsidise by the government . seriously have a think before you post eh and tax payers, most of us on this website fall into that catorgorie and would rather tax dolars be spent on getting ppl off the roadsand onto a track to race than just purchasing more speed cameras to fine ppl (look at the stats, hasnt improved anything bar increased revenue). Look at company vehicles, the GOVERNMENT has made a law that so that if a company vehicle gets photographed for speeding they have the option of paying double so that the driver doesnt recieve any demerit points (oh but speed kills). PURE F^%KEN REVENUE.

[Supplanter]

Drunken ramblings

Err, yeah what he said

[gort]

to catch hoons,

What's a hoon

[SG]

I8AFRE...i dont know any club level events here in WA that has involved the governement in some way. they are events held off road on private property so they dont need council approval, and they charge the competitors just enough to cover the cost of hiring what ever they need to hire... (timing eqipment, cones, cams officials). some are held in the car park of sport grounds/stadiums, and some are held at a driver education center, purpose race tracks, etc.
they have websites, you sign up for the weekend its on, turn up, pay cash, sign forms, race, go home, its all miniumim work required by everyone. no government involvement. if there is it would be through the rules of the CAMS regulations only so that everything is under control in all the high speed events and that all 'caution' is taken. they enforce helmets and the scrutineering of cars etc and basically nothing else... the big Targa road rallies are something completely different...

i said we're a minority because its like 0.5% of australians that want to drive on race tracks for fun (if that)........

[Supplanter]

to catch hoons,

What's a hoon

It is Australian for a speeding idiot driver... think Chav but in a bigger car than a Punto

[mr-charisma]

I tend to agree with SG on a few points.. there are a bunch of opportunities to go to the track & get the need to go "racing" out of your system .. track days, drift nights etc ... I agree with you Simon about there needing to be more regular events & they do need to be made cheaper..

I do think the Govt' would be far better off spending a portion of the tax dollars on providing a time & a place for this kind of thing instead of buying new speed cameras or hotted up ricelines to catch people out
It would help reduce the amount of people doing it illegally, but I don't really the Gov't will ever take any of the responsibility for it.. it's always just going to get put back on the individual. It's always going to be their stance that the individual shouldn't have been doing it, & it's always going to be the individual thats going to pay for it - whether it be a fine / jailtime / car impounded etc ... they don't care, it's all revenue for them & what do they care if another "street racer" is off the roads.. even if they're just an enthusiast & not a "hoon" - they don't make that distinction.

I don't know of many people driving expensive import cars that would want to risk trashing their cars in a street race .. most of the time its idiots in shitbox holdens / fords that don't give a sh*t if they crash them cause if they do they can just go get a new one for next to nothing.

IMO the Gov't should be spending a shitload more money on driver education .. As I've commented on before, I think that the new learner driver scheme that they've brought in is complete bullshit... instead of restrictions on high powered vehicles, curfews & restrictions on amount of passengers etc .. it should be a requirement for all Learner drivers to get a certain amount of track time to drive high powered cars, it should be mandatory to have a few Advanced Driver Courses & high speed driving training.. It's a sad thing that most often the first time people lose control of their car is the last time. if people were taught how to control an out of control car before they get into a potentially deadly situation then a lot of the fatal accidents would be avoided..

Still doesn't solve the problem of all the other idiots on the road - mother in 4wd's & truckies who can't stay within their lanes / don't know how to use a roundabout, check for cars before changing lanes, actual "hoons", TAILGATERS!
Cops who drive like idiots because they know that nothing will happen to them.. i have no idea about any sort of 'training program' to stop people from doing things that are just plain STUPID.
After all, we all know that it's stupidity rather than going a few K's over that causes most of the accidents on the roads.. Theres some European countries with no speed limits that have a lower road toll than Australia, because people just don't do stupid sh*t when they're going 200 kph on the Autobarn. i think it was in Amsterdam that they don't even have traffic signs, the only signs they have are for pedestrians & cyclists, the only road rules are to give way to pedestrians & avoid dangerous situations, and most people manage to drive responsibly.

The only thing that I can think of to stop it, is to actually have more cops on the road, patrolling the streets etc, having a campaign against people doing stupid things while driving - finding people for things like failing to indicate when changing lanes, failing to check for cars before changing lanes, using roundabouts incorrectly, driving too slow!, going slow / staying in the far right & middle (fast) lanes when they're not overtaking, swerving in & out of traffic, big fines for people who cause accidents..

Another good idea would be to spend more money on traffic cameras, especially on the highway & run a program where you can dob someone in for driving like an idiot, give an exact time / date / place & description of the driver / numberplate etc so that they can check through the video records & send fines out to people who are caught doing stupid sh*t .. wouldn't help with speeding, but if people knew that they were always being watched & could be fined at any time for doing stupid sh*t, then they would think twice about doing it.

[manofwood]

I noticed something with your last comment mr charisma, and that is:

RULES WERE MADE TO BE BROKEN (according to Australia)

Europeans have very minimal rules, and very minimal accidents as such.
We have rules falling out of our arses and people keep crashing, bleeding, dying etc all the time. Everybody keeps pushing the limits of their vehicles and the law, until they learn the hard way, like the S15 and the Rex learnt this weekend on the M5/ Hume highway ramp in Liverpool.

[mr-charisma]

true. but I think the thing that is more prevalent is that people break the rules because they don't get stuck with the consequences of their actions here like they do in other countries.

The only thing people have to worry about while they're driving here is whether they get booked for speeding. Everything else is fair game - it is very rare that I see cops pull people over for any of the other illegal things that happen every day on the roads. 90% of the time, its young kids in import cars that I see pulled over & other stupid things like driving in the T2 / T3 lanes with only 1 person in the car (yeah - that's a real danger to society!)

Anything that doesn't make them lots of money real quick they don't really care about. If they were really serious about reducing the amount of fatalities on the roads they wouldn't only be targeting speeding & drink driving.

[I8A4RE]

Good points both of you...... But can we keep post to 1 page per person just kidding.

SG: mate your missing my point, what i am saying is "what they (the GOVERNMENT) are doing now ISNT WORKING, so lets act like intelligent human beings and (the government) start trying things to find something that does instead of just revenue grabs".

I8AFRE...i dont know any club level events here in WA that has involved the governement in some way

NO cause you didnt see all the behind scences stuff, there will be little or no government particaption now but i hope you dont believe that some guy just woke one morning and said im gonna hold car races and drags for the street racers . Theres liability insurance and permits etc this would of taken months of planning (with government). If you dont believe me, you try and organise one without being arrested or heavily fined without organising it through the goverment. You cant just do watever want cause its private property. Mate you even need a F^&ken permit to put up a fence around your own house.

[BorepYano]

i like to point out that I am the prime canadate for everything the target for...

young asian male driving a red imported sports car that drives a lot during the witching hr

[I8A4RE]

Ha ha, when you got done for seeding that day, they actually caught me first but i just pointed at you and they took off after ya

[SG]

the things you find on google .... i was just searching the net trying to find out if you can infact wake up one day and start a racing event on private property and found some city council meetings/minutes, which are about recreational feasibility studies.... netball courts, soccer grounds, motorsport. they're obviously thinking about it. not just sitting back counting the pennies from speeders....

Ballarat Motorsport Complex Stage 2 Feasibility Study, Sinclair Knight Merz, 2003

The Stage 2 Feasibility Study report for a Ballarat Motorsport Complex provides an overview of the
development of motorsports and the motorsport industry in Victoria; the position of Ballarat
regarding its appropriateness for supporting a motorsports project; the detailed characteristics of the
proposed complex, its use, management and market capacity, and an assessment of the economic
impact of such an initiative

http://ballarat.vic.gov.au/library/scri ... 0(pdf).pdf
goes on to say drag strip would cost 2m, circuit 13m, and funding would have to come from external sources, and then they weigh up revenue saying its profittable as they stroke their chin... only a short document though, just a couple of paragraphs..........

but i think they're thinking is "well we've got a drag strip, its in the publics hands now to use it...job done"

[jonowong]

i like to point out that I am the prime canadate for everything the target for...

young asian male driving a red imported sports car that drives a lot during the witching hr

you think YOUR the target

[RallyMad]

I agreed with you until the last paragraph. this is the point everyone is tryin to make, YOU DONT HAVE TO BE STREET RACING OR DRIVING LIKE A TOOL TO GET PULLED OVER, EVERYTIME A COP SEE'S MY CAR I GET PULLED OVER. SINCE I GOT MY CAR PAINTED I DONT STREET RACE AND DRIVE (99% OF TIME) LIKE A NANNA.

Fair enough Simon didn't really get that, although it does prove your car stands out j/k sorry.

Yeah I'm not trying to say that everyone that gets pulled over and raped deserves it in fact it is usually the people that deserve it that don't get caught but the rest of us are stuck because some tools decide the street is their race track.

I just feel I ahve to say something about the club motorsport side of things as well, for the past 6 years on and off I have been apart of CAMS clubs that organise motorsport activites as an official and have seen first hand the problems these clubs face. It is very hard to find somewhere to compete that is available now days (mostly people buy houses in these areas then winge about the noise, dust etc and shut racing down). A couple of years ago some may remember insurance cost skyrocketed and nearly killed off some sports, club level motorsport being one of these. Now the costs have come down a little but it costs a lot of organise an event and these costs have to be passed to competitors, more competitors and the costs are lower but as with all things like this (even most cruises) you'll only get half of the people turning up that say they will so therefore the clubs have to raise entry fees to survive. It's a viscous cycle.

Agreed Simon, you'd think they'd try something different but it doesn't seem to be happening fast enough despite the pressure from auto clubs around the country.

[mr-charisma]

It is very hard to find somewhere to compete that is available now days (mostly people buy houses in these areas then winge about the noise, dust etc and shut racing down).

That is something that absolutely sh*ts me... its happened to the race track near my place .. they should never have gotten council approval in the first place to build residential areas near a racetrack .. and people knew there was a racetrack there when they bought the place, they should have no right to shut it down because of complaints.. you buy a house near an airport & they don't shut down the Airport.. you buy a house near a sewage plant, or an abbatoire & they don't shut those down..

[RallyMad]

agreed mate agreed. Wouldn't be lakeside that you live near by any chance? Keep your ear to the ground it is being revived if so.
http://www.lakesideraceway.com/

Up in Rocky we used to use an unused baseball field for motorkhana's etc khanacrosses and that sort of stuff, the council liked it and gave us a lease to use the land for cheap and it was made available for juniour development programs and defensive driver training, then some people from away from town bought the houses in the area cause it was cheap (on a flood plain) and winged about the noise and dust. When I last checked it was still being used but only occassionaly and required a water track every hour or so to run around the track and keep the dust down, cost the club and in my opinion what a waste of water, the funny thing was council wasn't happy about it either but they had to be seen to be doing something about the complaints.

Agreed, even people that do have something to say about airport development just seem to be ignored.

[I8A4RE]

the things you find on google .... i was just searching the net trying to find out if you can infact wake up one day and start a racing event on private property and found some city council meetings/minutes, which are about recreational feasibility studies.... netball courts, soccer grounds, motorsport. they're obviously thinking about it. not just sitting back counting the pennies from speeders....

Ballarat Motorsport Complex Stage 2 Feasibility Study, Sinclair Knight Merz, 2003

The Stage 2 Feasibility Study report for a Ballarat Motorsport Complex provides an overview of the
development of motorsports and the motorsport industry in Victoria; the position of Ballarat
regarding its appropriateness for supporting a motorsports project; the detailed characteristics of the
proposed complex, its use, management and market capacity, and an assessment of the economic
impact of such an initiative

http://ballarat.vic.gov.au/library/scri ... 0(pdf).pdf
goes on to say drag strip would cost 2m, circuit 13m, and funding would have to come from external sources, and then they weigh up revenue saying its profittable as they stroke their chin... only a short document though, just a couple of paragraphs..........

but i think they're thinking is "well we've got a drag strip, its in the publics hands now to use it...job done"

Thanks for proving my point

Problem with this article is its the ballart council (vic i think). Not here in qld Up here to fix any problem just fine th f&*k out of it till it goes away

Couldnt agree more rally mad and mr charisma