The number of hoons caught triples as polcie sieze 44 cars

THE number of cars seized in the Warrnambool area under tough anti-hoon legislation has almost tripled in the past year, according to police statistics. A total of 44 vehicles were impounded for at least 48 hours in the city and surrounding area during 2008, eclipsing the 15 seizures in 2007. Warrnambool recorded the sixth-highest number of vehicles impounded in 2008, behind Bendigo which was the state's hoon hot spot with 122 dangerous drivers losing their wheels there.Warrnambool's tally of impoundments came in behind Ballarat (53) and Geelong (48). In 2007, 43 cars were seized across the entire south-west region, which included Warrnambool, Hamilton, Portland and Colac. Across the region in 2007, Hamilton recorded the highest number of vehicle seizures at 17, followed by Colac (16), Warrnambool (15) and one at Portland. A police spokeswoman confirmed yesterday that the 44 vehicles seized in Warrnambool, according to figures released by Police Minister Bob Cameron, came as a result of hoon driving detected within a 40-kilometre radius of the CBD.Figures on the number of cars seized in Portland, Hamilton and Colac during 2008 were unavailable yesterday but would significantly increase the number of cars and motorcycles taken off the road across the south-west. Sergeant Wayne Marsh, of Portland police, said a Holden Commodore was impounded on Saturday night after its driver was seen doing a burn-out in the CBD. When he released the statistics Mr Cameron said most of those caught driving the 3190 vehicles seized across the state last year were aged between 18 and 25.Older hoons tended to be found behind the wheels of luxury cars. "Victorian roads aren't racetracks. Just because you own a fast car doesn't mean you can drive like Schumacher on our suburban streets," Mr Cameron said. Under the laws, introduced in July 2006, drivers who exceed the speed limit by more than 45kmh or engage in dangerous driving or street racing can lose their cars for 48 hours. Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Ken Lay said that with an increasing number of police being trained to use the anti-hoon legislation, there was nowhere left for motorists to hide. "Police across the state know where the hoons live and where they are going to commit these offences and are routinely targeting those spots," he said. In July, a P-plate driver became the first person in Warrnambool to lose his car, a Holden Commodore, for three months under anti-hoon laws after a series of offences.The young hoon's history included a 20 to 30-second burn-out, driving at 110kmh in a 60kmh zone and driving an unregistered car. More than 18 per cent of the vehicles seized across the state were travelling between 150 and 159kmh.The figures showed that Saturday night was the most common time for cars to be impounded. The Holden Commodore was the most common car to be taken off the road (918 cars), followed by Ford Falcons (231).Just over three per cent of drivers who lost their cars were female.