Victoria Police is issuing a stern warning to hoon drivers to avoid Melbourne's south this summer, following a two-night operation that saw 150 hoon vehicles identified and almost 120 defect notices issued in a crackdown in St Kilda and Prahran last weekend.
Over two nights, Prahran Highway Patrol pulled over 150 vehicles suspected of being illegally modified and inspected them for defects alongside Department of Transport and Planning mechanics.
The highly visible road safety operation was conducted during the evenings of Friday 17 and Saturday 18 October near The Esplanade and Chapel Street.
There, police identified and deterred alleged illegal hoon activity in the area, as well as getting drug and alcohol impaired drivers and unroadworthy cars off the road.
The operation resulted in:
- 150 vehicles inspected
- 117 defects issued, including for oversized tyres, vehicles being raised too high, vehicles being lowered too much, and air suspension without certificates
- 25 Penalty Infringement Notices (PINs) issued for unsafe/unroadworthy vehicles
- 11 vehicles, including some motorbikes, were towed for having major defects
- Two alleged drink drivers caught
- One drug driver caught
- Two drivers caught behind the wheel while suspended or unlicenced.
Police will continue to target hoons and run highly visible operations to ensure road safety, with a reminder that this can be anytime, anywhere.
Quotes attributable to Prahran Highway Patrol Senior Sergeant Adam Dowling:
"Hoon activity generally gears up during the warmer months, and our message to those drivers is: don't bother - especially in St Kilda and Prahran.
"We have ongoing operations across the southeastern suburbs where we are pulling defective vehicles off the road and issuing infringement notices.
"Modifying your vehicle can be costly, and having to pay a fine on top of fixing your car after it is found to be defective will cost you even more in the long run.
"Defective vehicles are not fit to be driven on our roads and unnecessarily put lives in danger, and Victoria Police continues to warn motorists there is zero tolerance for anyone who puts innocent road users in harm's way."
