Mandurah Police have called for the community to report hoon drivers saying they "rely heavily" on the public, after almost 50 Falcon residents met to air their concerns on the anti-social issue recently.
The community meeting, held by Dawesville MP Zak Kirkup on June 1, was in response to the public's concerns about speeding and dangerous driving on Mercedes Avenue and fears for their personal safety if a car was to lose control.
Mandurah District Police Senior Sergeant Darren Hart said hoon offences included driving more than 45 kilometres per hour above the speed limit, racing another vehicles, doing 'burnouts' or driving recklessly.
If we stand united in not accepting this behaviour on our roads we'll achieve a change in attitude that makes all of us and our families safer.
- Mandurah District Senior Sergeant Darren Hart
"Hoon driving is taken very seriously by police and the courts - it's generally behaviour that most people consider to be unacceptable and puts the lives of anyone in the vicinity at significant risk," he said.
Senior Sergeant Hart said hooning can be challenging for police to detect and prosecute, with offences occurring in short timeframes.
"Police utilise a variety of enforcement tools but we rely heavily on the public to report hoon driving," he said.
Any one of us could lose a loved one as a result of a dangerous driver.
- Mandurah District Senior Sergeant Darren Hart
"With the prevalence of dash cameras, many people capture footage of hoon or other dangerous driving and that can be very helpful to police in addressing the problem.
"Some people are reluctant to report incidents to police because they don't want to get involved but we all use the roads and any one of us could lose a loved one as a result of a dangerous driver.
"If we stand united in not accepting this behaviour on our roads we'll achieve a change in attitude that makes all of us and our families safer."
Senior Sergeant Hart said most hoon drivers will automatically have their vehicle impounded, facing towage and storage costs.
It was great seeing so many people, I think it's an indication of how willing we are to work together to solve what is a very real problem across Mercedes Avenue and Falcon more broadly.
- Dawesville MP Zak Kirkup
"Offences of this nature attract hefty fines and long licence suspensions and repeat offenders risk having their car crushed," he said.
Mr Kirkup said Mandurah police do an "exceptional job" in protecting the community, but they must be made aware of the prevailing issues.
"Essentially what was most important is that people knew they had to report to police what's happening on their street," he said.
"Until this meeting, Mandurah police simply didn't have any data that showed speeding vehicles were an issue on Mercedes Avenue.
"From there we discussed street design changes, getting a traffic study and working with the Road Safety Council to see what more we can do in the medium to longer term.
"It was great seeing so many people, I think it's an indication of how willing we are to work together to solve what is a very real problem across Mercedes Avenue and Falcon more broadly."
To report a hoon driving offence, visit the WA Police website and fill in the traffic complaint form. Alternatively call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Carla Hildebrandt
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
