Are car meets illegal in Australia?

Whether you've watched various iterations of car movies, or seen a group of motoring enthusiasts hanging around late at night somewhere, chances are you're familiar with car meets.

If not, a car meet is generally just a collection of cars, and their owners, in one place – allowing drivers to showcase their unique, modified or classic cars and connect with other like-minded people in their area.

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Whether it’s at an underground car park, a private property or a community hub, car meets have been around for as long as there have been car enthusiasts.

Though car meets don't usually end in illegal street racing as they do in pop culture (cough, Fast & Furious, cough), a collection of modified cars in one area could attract unwanted attention from various authorities. Which got us thinking, are car meets illegal in Australia?

To find out, we put this question to police around Australia.

No, car meets are not illegal in Australia – as long as drivers and spectators adhere to state-appropriate road and traffic laws and don’t engage in public disturbances.

However, proceed with caution, because drivers involved in any car meet that fail to abide by the road rules could face significant penalties in every Australian state or territory.

While there are no state-specific regulations for car meets, road authorities warned drivers partaking in car meets to adhere to road laws and to make sure motor enthusiasts aren’t engaging in hooning or dangerous behaviour.

‘Hooning’ generally refers to car enthusiasts partaking in illegal racing, reckless speeding and driving, burnouts, and in more extreme cases police chases.

A Victoria Police spokesperson confirmed car meets are not criminalised, but drivers could still be fined for antisocial behind-the-wheel behaviour – at car meets and beyond.

Earlier this year, Victoria Police implemented a unique method of preventing hoon behaviour. By sending out vehicle defect inspection invites to suspected individuals known for hoon activities, Victoria Police were able to inspect the vehicles and found almost half of the cars did not meet road expectations.

In the Australian Capital Territory, car meets aren't illegal, but police still keep a close watch on some events to prevent hoon behaviour.

“Car meets or group gatherings are not illegal in the ACT; however, such meets often see participants engage in behaviour that is illegal such as burn-outs, street racing and hooning," said Officer-in-Charge of ACT Road Policing, Mark Richardson.

"While police are happy for car enthusiasts to enjoy their hobby in groups, illegal activity will not be tolerated, particularly on public roadways."

Western Australia Police echoed a similar sentiment: “Car meet-ups are not unlawful as long as they are taking place somewhere that is safe and not causing a hazard to other road users.

"A zero-tolerance approach is taken to any unlawful and anti-social driver behaviour that puts road users, including pedestrians, at risk and anyone engaging in unlawful behaviour can expect swift action from the police.”

The WA Police spokesperson said while most car meet drivers and spectators in WA generally “conduct themselves in a safe and lawful manner and have little or no interaction with the police … it is car clubs who engage in unlawful and antisocial road user behaviour that are targeted by police".

While the distinction between car meets and car clubs can be murky as they are often the same thing, in recent months WA has seen a rise in hoons infiltrating established car clubs, prompting a police crackdown.

“We’ve built rapport with these clubs, but the odd few are coming along and ruining it for them,” WA Police Senior Constable Giles Foster told Perth Now in July 2022.

A New South Wales Police spokesperson told Drive that while there are no specific regulations for car meets in the state, drivers engaging in the obstruction of road and traffic laws like hooning will be charged and fined accordingly.

In Queensland, car meets are also "not illegal, as long as people are conforming with appropriate traffic laws," a Queensland Police spokesperson confirmed.

A Tasmania Police spokesperson told Drive: “There’s no issue or specific laws for car meets. We have various legislation in relation to public order, blocking roads and noise regulations.

"If there was to be an issue [relating to those laws] we use those legislations on a case-by-case basis.”

A South Australia Police spokesperson told Drive that while car meets are not illegal in South Australia, participating spectators and motorists must conform to private property parking legislation.

"There is hooning legislation and specific charges to street drag racing, which we have used previously," an NT Police, Fire and Emergency Services spokesperson explained.

While there are no state-specific penalties for car meet-ups, motorists engaging in hooning and reckless driving behaviour will be charged and fined accordingly.

Hooning offences in NSW include speed, street and drag racing, and aggravated burnouts – fines for each offence include a maximum court-imposed fine of $3300 for first-time offences, with any subsequent offences potentially receiving nine months' imprisonment and a 12-month disqualification of licence if convicted.

Police pursuits and driving at dangerous speeds also fall under the NSW hoon offences and penalties. Drivers who fail to adhere to police pursuit requests are charged with a maximum penalty of three years' imprisonment and a three-year licence disqualification period.

In Victoria, drivers who are caught hooning may have their vehicle impounded for 30 days, any following hooning offences can extend to vehicle immobilisation and forfeit of the car as well as incur a maximum of 240 penalty units ($46,080), loss of demerit points and/or licence disqualification and/or two years' imprisonment.

In the ACT, "burnouts and street racing offences can attract fines of up to $3200 as well as automatic licence disqualifications (three months for first offence, 12 months for repeat offenders), while criminal charges can also apply for hoon driving. ACT Police also have new powers that allow for the seizure of vehicles engaged in such behaviour,” ACT Policing's Mr Richardson told Drive.

Earlier this year, Queensland announced some of Australia’s strictest anti-hooning laws, which will see drivers and spectators of ‘hooning events’ fined up to $6000, while those behind the wheel can be charged with up to a year in prison, a loss of licence and/or have their car confiscated and destroyed.

According to the Department of Infrastructure and Transport South Australia, hooning in SA can result in a $1250 fine, a licence disqualification, vehicle impound, as well as imprisonment depending on the severity of the offence.

In WA, drivers who engage in hooning behaviour on the roads can be charged with reckless driving and speeding, which both incur a maximum of 120 penalty units ($6000), licence disqualification for at least six months and/or nine months' imprisonment for first offences.

Second offences are charged with a maximum of 240 penalty units ($12,000), licence disqualification of at least a year, and/or nine months' imprisonment. Third offences can attract a maximum of 240 penalty units ($12,000), permanent licence disqualification, and/or 12 months' imprisonment – according to Section 60 of the Road Traffic Act 1974 (WA).

In Tasmania, hooning behaviour and penalties are present in the Traffic Act 1925. According to Section 32 of the Traffic Act 1925, reckless driving can invoke a maximum of 20 penalty units ($3900) and/or imprisonment for two years.

Any subsequent offences can result in a maximum of 40 penalty units ($7800) and/or four years' imprisonment.

In the Northern Territory, the first hooning offence can lead to a driver’s vehicle being impounded for up to 48 hours and incur a $220 fine and three demerit points.

For a second hooning offence within a two-year period in the NT, authorities can impound a driver’s vehicle between three and six months, as well as additional fines and periods of imprisonment depending on the severity of the offence.

For a third hooning offence, NT authorities can forfeit or dispose of the accused driver’s vehicle and can incur additional fines and extended imprisonment.