Vic: More Hoon Cars Locked Up, Police Getting Tough Over Summer

Another six vehicles have been impounded in Victoria this week for 30 days, following a raid on hoon activities in Oakleigh, between Princes Highway and Warrigal Road.

The action follows news that more than 1000 cars were impounded in the first three month's of the state's tough new hoon laws.

Police say that 46 penalty notices were issued during the operation, with three drivers losing their licenses for speeding.

"We will continue saturation policing of the Princes Highway and surrounding areas in the lead up to Christmas to ensure community and road safety is maintained," Senior Sergeant Andrew Stamper said.

Darebin traffic blitz nets drink drivers

Operation Boags nabbed 14 drink-drivers in Darebin this week, with two booze buses on St Georges Road conducting random breath and drug testing.

The force's Automated Number Plate Recognition system was also used during the operation, scanning 4087 vehicles.

Some 24 vehicles were detected as unregistered, and six drivers were found to be suspended. A further eight were found to be driving unlicensed.

Police cracking down over Summer

Victoria police will be blitzing Victorian roads over the coming months, with the Summer Stay road enforcement campaign operating from November 18 to January 8.

Motorists can expect to be breath-tested, speed-checked and monitored by police throughout the next 52 days – 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

“Over the seven weeks we will be running a large scale, state-wide road enforcement campaign,” Head of Road Policing Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe said.

“We are targeting speed, we are targeting distracted drivers and we are targeting drink and drug drivers.

The launch of the Summer Stay follows a horror two weeks on the state's roads, with 16 fatalities taking the toll up to 246 - just five short of 251 for the same period last year.

Three separate operations will be conducted as part of Summer Stay. These include:

• Operation RAID (Remove All Impaired Drivers) – A state-wide and cross-border operation with New South Wales and South Australia which has a focus on alcohol and drug affected drivers.
• Operation Aegis XI – State-wide operation with focus on alcohol, drugs, speed, fatigue and distraction.
• Operation Crossroads - a nation-wide operation running throughout the critical Christmas week, with particular focus on holiday driving.

Victoria Police’s state-level resources will play a critical role in Summer Stay.

• The 100-member strong State Highway Patrol will be working in high-risk road trauma Police Service Areas.
• Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems will be operating across the state scanning number plates to detect unlicensed drivers.
• Mobile speed cameras will be operating at high-risk locations across the summer.
• The Road Policing Drug and Alcohol Section (RPDAS) will be conducting large-scale drug and alcohol testing.
• The Operations Response Unit will focus on catching drink drivers on back roads and side streets who may be avoiding booze buses.