Thread: Punishment for road law breakers????

Originally Posted by It'sNotWorthComplaining!

If it makes all the Pro Hoons happy I was woken up just after midnight, after a car did a u turn in my drive way and then REDLINED the engine and did a burnout for a lenght of time at the end of my street.
They where later found to be hoon gate crashers that racked up to a neighbours house because there teenage kids had a couple of souped up cars and were visting the parents. The poeple concerned asked them to leave, but were forced to call in the police. The hoons decamped before the cops arrived of course.

But isnt that a failing of inadequate policing, not legislation. Would crushing these blokes cars make any difference if the cops can't catch them anyway?

Most responses I've seen are not in support of irrresponsible behavior, they are just pointing out that raising penalties does not necessarily fix the problem.

Regards,
Tote

Originally Posted by It'sNotWorthComplaining!

If it makes all the Pro Hoons happy I was woken up just after midnight, after a car did a u turn in my drive way and then REDLINED the engine and did a burnout for a lenght of time at the end of my street.
They where later found to be hoon gate crashers that racked up to a neighbours house because there teenage kids had a couple of souped up cars and were visting the parents. The poeple concerned asked them to leave, but were forced to call in the police. The hoons decamped before the cops arrived of course.

Of course it does not make me happy. These guys should be fined as appropriate and had they been caught or you had given a statement with the car rego they would likely have their car impounded. The main issue I make is increasing fines and crushing cars will not stop this type of activity and a one size fits all attitude will not work and many low level offenders will get caught in the crossfire.
I can actually remember when it was introduced the Commissioner of WA Police stating these laws would not be abused and only the most serious of offences would be dealt with under anti hoon legislation. Well we have all seen where that went.
No anti hoon legislation would have stopped the clown in the XR6 and yes if caught he should have been jailed, but there were many more factors than just so called hooning. Alcohol was involved as it is in most cases and we should be addressing this first. While I dont condone speeding or doing burnouts in a public place combined with alcohol or drugs it is much more likely to result in MVA. Lets take the first step and address the alcohol and drug drivers on our roads. Oh thats right, we wont because it is too hard and hoon legislation is relativelly easy because often there does not have to be any evidence. Allows the Police or members of the public to be judge, jury and executioner. Even a drunk driver gets to defend and be proven guilty.
Oh and there is a saying about people who live in glass houses. None of us are perfect and I would say all have done something they have regretted.

Originally Posted by slug_burner

Would this apply to a stolen car, like lets say your 90. Or when the parents say that it was taken without permission? It would be a difficult position for a parent to either have the car crushed or have their child charged for car theft!!

Why would that be a difficult question.
when my kids grow up and do somthing stupid like take my car and hoon in it then they will have to deal with the concerquences. so yes they would be charged with theft and be delt with according to the law.

Originally Posted by THE BOOGER

No doubt more marked cars will/would have an impact but what will deter them we have a large no of people just on this forum who say no to bigger fines crushing cars or gaol time all of which can be used now if the courts would ues the maximum penalties they could I think in most cases the existing laws should be used to the fullest extent if needed that includes some of the options some people find hard to exept remember it punishment as well as a deterent but if not used its neither

increasing the penalties wont achieve anything

increasing the possibility of getting caught..... well..... if you dont go fishing, you wont catch any fish, will you?

Originally Posted by Tote

If that young bloke had thought that he had a pretty good chance of actually being caught he might have reconsidered driving.

Doubt it. Just increases the risk of being caught and therefore the thrill when they aren't.

The threat of punishment is no deterrent (the murder rate in US states where there is capital punishment is no lower than in those where there is none), but having been punished there is hopefully a reluctance to being punished again. This is the only thing that might result in behaviour modification.

Alan

Maybe we need a rite of passage to adulthood/licence, so maybe when you apply for your licence you recieve on stroke of the singapore bamboo cane, then layed out clearly on the licence is how many strokes each offence is worth, speeding 10 km over - 2 stroke, drink driving - 15 strokes etc. Wouldnt that take the fun and hormones out of the youngins. Problem Half fixed I feel
cheers
blaze

Originally Posted by bblaze

Maybe we need a rite of passage to adulthood/licence, so maybe when you apply for your licence you recieve on stroke of the singapore bamboo cane, then layed out clearly on the licence is how many strokes each offence is worth, speeding 10 km over - 2 stroke, drink driving - 15 strokes etc. Wouldnt that take the fun and hormones out of the youngins. Problem Half fixed I feel
cheers
blaze

Nah. It'll be a mark of honour. "Gee you've had how many strokes?"

Originally Posted by disco2hse

The threat of punishment is no deterrent (the murder rate in US states where there is capital punishment is no lower than in those where there is none), but having been punished there is hopefully a reluctance to being punished again. This is the only thing that might result in behaviour modification.

Alan

Well, at least in those states in the US that you refer to which DO have capital punishment - I'd guess that, having been punished, there is hopefully a reluctance to being punished again.