Queensland will now see serial hoons’ vehicles sold or crushed sooner after the State Government passed the country’s toughest anti-hooning penalties on Tuesday night.

The new penalties will see people committing two serious hooning offences have their car confiscated indefinitely as part of changes to the Police Powers and Responsibilities (Motor Vehicle Impoundment) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2012.

Police Minister Jack Dempsey said Queenslanders were fed up with dangerous hooning on public roads and wanted the brakes put on the perpetrators.

“Hooning such as racing and driving recklessly in the suburbs is not only socially unacceptable, it is outright dangerous and places the lives of all road users at risk,” Mr Dempsey said.

“In the past we have even seen hoons lose control of their vehicles before ploughing into yards and houses injuring and, in some cases, taking the lives of innocent people.

“The community and the Government were sick and tired of hoons and these new penalties will see their cars off the road for 90 days for the first offence, and confiscated and sold or crushed if they commit a second hooning offence within a five year period.”

The two strikes approach will apply to those committing Type 1 offences which include:

Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle
Racing and speed trials on roads
Wilfully starting a motor vehicle or driving a motor vehicle in a way that makes unnecessary noise or smoke
Evade police

People can report local hooning issues by contacting their local police station or the Hoon Hotline on 13HOON (13 4666).

While the hooning laws have now been passed through State Parliament, they won’t come into effect for six months to allow sufficient time for logistics to be finalised and community education about the new penalties.