vote no

[Anonymous]

who hasnt been in a street race once or twice in their lifetime....

vote no..

http://smh.com.au/polls/national/form.html

[dazza015]

They already confiscate cars here in Qld

[RK]

Yes - 82%

wow. :shock:

[TRN-00N]

Yes wif wariks machine charade he beat me :( LoL

[Anonymous]

as said by GIANT on fast fours

"There have been over 3000 so far,

We definately have the numbers to skew the results.

I'm not FOR street racing but if the confiscation laws become tougher we will all lose out. BIG TIME.

Our public Perception is already pretty bad yet if these media outlets are now encouraging the Gov to take our cars away it will become more acceptable in the publics eye.

The driver is the one who should become the target not the car. I would be more in favour of chucking someone in Jail for 2 weeks rather than taking away the car.

I urge any enthusiast to VOTE NO in this poll regardless on waht you think of 'STREET RACERS' because in the PUBLICS EYE all of us enthusiasts who drive visually modified cars are STREET RACERS>"

[a_manda]

They already confiscate cars here in Qld

if you get caught in NSW they tow your car then and there on the spot and put it in compound for 3 months and you need a very good argument to get it out.

as well as losing your car i don't think it's monetarily justifiable you end up paying for each day your car is in compound, the tow fee, the court fees, the lawyer fees PLUS the fines on top of that.

street racing is for heroes, and the only hero i know is Superman and no one here is him :evil:

p.s - my vote is yes

[TRN-00N]

amanda so tru
strathfiled dis week the runs were on and a car lost control and injured 10 ppl it was serious... someone could of died...

if ur gonna race DER IS TRACKS FOR IT..... DAT WAY ITS SAFE AND U CAN STILL HAVE FUN.....

:D
I encourage ppl to stop using the streets and use proper places to run..
it could b ur family that could b killed due to someone racing round finking they are invincable

[RK]

I think what Don is trying to say is that the focus should be placed on the DRIVER and not the CAR. Because once the car is branded as 'bad' then all our AESTHETICALLY done up cars are also going to be branded as 'bad'. And we will suffer under the media influenced public eye.

[a_manda]

amanda so tru
strathfiled dis week the runs were on and a car lost control and injured 10 ppl it was serious... someone could of died...


yeh here's the article for that...

http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1260&storyid=2627648

a bit of light reading for you Don ;)

[a_manda]

I think what Don is trying to say is that the focus should be placed on the DRIVER and not the CAR. Because once the car is branded as 'bad' then all our AESTHETICALLY done up cars are also going to be branded as 'bad'. And we will suffer under the media influenced public eye.

yes, in hindsight that's understandable but what our argument is, is street racing should NOT be done at all :!:

then if street racing wasn't carried out illegally, no ones cars would be "branded" as bad ...

if you choose to street race, and break the law then you should suffer the additional consequences of losing your car as well.

[Anonymous]

this subject is up for much discussion so i will say this:

street racing is stupid and immature
but we have all broken the speed limit once in our lives and i can asy with confidence that 60% have tried to drag someone at some time of thier driving lives

to look and comprimise with both sides of the argument i think the penilty we have is rediculously out of hand but i dont think we should take it out all together.
i voted yes because i still think something needs to be done, but i do think the penelty needs to be changed to a less harsh one

[OPC]

my vote is NO... evryone knows i like a little run now & then...

[Anonymous]

nice, well to everyone that said yes

you have contributed to the downfall of all modified cars

ammunition for the government....

yes to jail time, huge fines, excess in insurance.... im all for tougher monetary and criminal penalties, but not the confiscation of the car.

oh, and next time u accidentally spin your tyres at the lights in the rain, or are "suspected" of racing, I hope you get your car towed away.

[Anonymous]

some quotes from fast gours forums

"The punishment needs to fit the crime, and losing $20k+ worth of personal property doesn't fit in this case.

Where's the oversight for this going to come from? To the people voting yes, are you going to be happy with a cop confiscating your car on the spot because they don't like something you've done? Remember, it's going to be your word against theirs.

Remove their right to drive, sure.. and if they're complaining that taking a licence isn't enough of a deterrent, then they should be enforcing unlicenced driving more strictly."

"I only vote for confiscation of repeat offenders.

I've seen people busted at the runs & cars confiscated - you don't see them racing after the first offence, no one wants to lose their car.

Unfortunately the wrong cop can use it against a modified car owner if he's having a bad day"

[Anonymous]

oh, and about those 2 guys hitting the cops?
i have mates who were there, there is a story behind that

but i'll leave you guys to read the daily telegraph :wink:

[Anonymous]

thats what i am trying to say don, i think the punishment is way to harsh but SOMETHING does need to be done

[Anonymous]

nothing needs to be done

street racing has been around for yonks, people have died in the past. my uncle lost his mate in a street race when his alfa gtv lost it, countless reports of people injured, paralysed, etc.

its a fact of life, when there are cars, people will race them.

i dont support street racing, but you cant put an end to it.

the media has something to run with, and they're loving every second of it...

[Anonymous]

another quote

"You drive a modified car you are automatically labelled a HOON (NO MATTER WHAT)

The Public have a very low opinion of HOONS as seen with stupid polls such as this and media coverage.

The politicians realise this and see a good vote winner!

All of a sudden HOON LAWS become a lot TOUGHER coming up to the next election so the politicians can show JOE PUBLIC they ready to get tough on us and solve another problem. Poli's don't care, they have no moral concience they just do what gets them the most votes.

The tough new HOON laws will make it almost impossible for you to take your modified charade out of the driveway an drive without fear of being harrassed. You'll never be able to drive with %100 peace of mind thinking as long as you do the right thing you'll be OK.

It all starts and ends with public opinion and you have just contributed to ending yours and all of our enjoyment of cars."

[Anonymous]

people - try and keep arguments clean

no name calling, or the such, this thread is meant to provoke discussion.

leave insults, etc to pms.

keep it real guys 8)

[Dee]

something needs to be done about the driver of the drag racing car... not the car...

taking away someone's car for 48 hours isnt gonna stop them from racing ever again...

put them in jail for a while and make sure everyone in the jail thinks they are a rapist or murderer.... that'll make them think about it again..

thank god i have a girls car.. i like my cheap insurance :)

[ultim8DTM5]

Street Racing is not Drag Racing

What Don says is true- the punishment definately does not fit the crime, its as simple as that.

Sure it would act as a great deterrant, however it would be simple to go out and buy a $500 shitter from the trading post and drag up. Jail time would give people something more to think about.

Now if they were saying that people who have been convicted of drink driving should have their cars taken away, I'd be all for it.

Impounding is the best option, the current system works it just needs to be enforced and if the judiciary got on board, there wouldn't be a massive problem. Actually, there isn't a massive problem. How come we never heard of this til last night? Notice how the media are jumping on this? Do yourselves a favour, tune out of the news every once in a while.

Legislation which is reactive in nature generally is a poorly-executed response to the poorly-educated demands of the masses.

[~Kupu~]

yes seems to be the big winner
[web:1a7eadbb1c]http://smh.com.au/polls/national/voted.html[/web:1a7eadbb1c]

[Anonymous]

australian media and general concensus is retarded

alcohol is one of australia's biggest problems...

people label people hoons for driving a modified car.....

yet, every time i go for a cruise on a saturday night, their is in excess of 1000 people (has to be) getting tanked, falling all over the ground, acting stupid, running in front of cars, getting alcohol poisining, ambulances every 10 or so minutes.......

baaahh, i dont understand this mentality. grille me for having a red p-plate, but ignore australias growing alcohol problem...

idiots.

[thirteen]

why am i not surprised that this event happenned in south strathfield with a done up datsun, turbocharged and probably did not have upgraded brakes.

honestly around my area, there are lots of p platers.. and u hardly ever see a "street race" - but when u drive to areas like lakemba, strathfield, bankstown.. i always see them.

its the crowds, and the people that gather at these areas that are the typical stereotypes that the rest of us make fun of with their fulli sik cars. but when one goes down, we all go down.

i voted no.

[Dee]

Street Racing is not Drag Racing

sorry.....

"something needs to be done about the driver of the racing car... not the car... "

[ultim8DTM5]

That wasn't directed at you, it was an opening to my post :P

[EGG80X]

Once again media has put a negative image on the modified car scene.........
seriously, the media like feeding the general public crap!!! bunch of sheep

But i am not a big fan of tightasses who modded to increase power and don't upgrade anything else..........

my rule is always mod suspensions and brakes before increasing the engine power output


There is a something i like to point out, its freaken dangerous driving a 500hp car on suburban streets........ be sensible

[Namus]

yeah same here gan-san mate....first thing i have done (apart from sound) is to upgrade wheels, brakes, and shocks/springs.....handling and safety b4 speed...

[Namus]

Here's something from the latest issue of Speed magazine:

Source: Speed; Issue #18 (Feb); Holeshot; pp. 2

1)-Roads don't kill people: Yes, there are some shocking pieces of road, some much worse than others. But without a human-controlled vehicle travelling over them, they're a mostly harmless physical entity

2)-Cars don't kill people: There are no particular types, brands and/or models of cars that inherently kill people, even really high-powered or acutely modified ones. Humans are the biggest variable in a motor vehicle's functionality and any inability to avoid accidents. Mechanical failure may occur, but the biggest basic principle is, remove the human factor and cars become motionless and, therefore, relatively harmless lumps of matter. Cars don't drive themselves. Not yet, anyway.

3)-Speed doesn't kill people: Sheer rate of motion is not the issue. Accidents do not suddenly occur at a particular rate of velocity for all cars controlled by all drivers. Speed is incidental to other accident factors, causes and circumstances.

4)-Being young is not a death sentence: For all the statistics thrown around, the great majority of car enthusiasts live to see the age of 30. Much of the world's professional motor racing fraternity is under 30-years old. Age is not the issue.

5)-Being inexperienced is not a death sentence: Some of the poorest steerers live to a ripe old age and avoid road or off-street fatality. Indeed, some of the world's greatest driving talents have been hurt, or worse, in organised motor sport events whose safety initiatives make public road motoring seem downright suicidal. Sure, the more experience anyone gets, the better, but you're not immune from accidents the minute your car control skills reach a certain level.

6)-What causes accidents? Poor mindset: Bad attitude, recklessness, overconfidence, feeling indestructable, call it what you will. But driving with a poor mindset will hurt or kill you and/or others, regardless of other circumstances. The world's most skilled driver would cause an accident in the most underpowered and "safest" car in his driveway given the wrong frame of mind. It's that painfully simple!

-Curt Dupriez, Editor

[Namus]

i agree with most of wat's written there....

[rjastra]

What causes accidents? Poor mindset: Bad attitude, recklessness, overconfidence, feeling indestructable

And Street Racing is......... bad attitude, recklessness etc etc.... confiscate the little f*ckers cars :)


I'm not FOR street racing but if the confiscation laws become tougher we will all lose out. BIG TIME.

Huh.... how exactly? As Pauline once said... "please explain"... maybe you dabble in street racing more than you let on.

[Anonymous]

That was a quote from fast fours.

But it gives undue power to HWP or the likes to conficate your cars.

It's your word against theres. If they're having a bad day, you're history.

P-Plater, modified car... cops LOVE THEM. Slim, slim chances of trying to prove yourself as innocent.

[WindeX]

australian media and general concensus is retarded

alcohol is one of australia's biggest problems...

people label people hoons for driving a modified car.....

yet, every time i go for a cruise on a saturday night, their is in excess of 1000 people (has to be) getting tanked, falling all over the ground, acting stupid, running in front of cars, getting alcohol poisining, ambulances every 10 or so minutes.......

baaahh, i dont understand this mentality. grille me for having a red p-plate, but ignore australias growing alcohol problem...


Hmmmmm, I am not sure you can use that as an argument, it seems to be a nasty thing about the car scene is that whenever they are getting media bashed, they turn on people who do different things with their night time, especialy those who choose to drink. I am not sure of the facts, but I am pretty sure that the death toll due to alcohol, was a fair bit smaller than the road toll. In melbourne one of the rather busier streets on a friday and saturday night happens to be busy mostly because of the people crusing up and down it.
I like to drive my car, but I also like to go out and have a few drinks, and I know for a fact that I am much more dangerous to the general public when I am behind the wheel, than when I am "tanked", so no wonder that the government is trying to protect everyone from dangerous drivers.

As for the deterant factor, I reckon that it is a good idea, as my last understanding went, it was something like this, first offence they take your car for a month or something, then second its 3 months, and third your car is confiscated and sold.
You dont just put a person in jail for owning a prohibited weapon, you take it off them too!

[Namus]

i agree with the stance of taking it off them.....but with regards to the alcohol problem, if u weren't drunk in the first place....u drink the alcohol first BEFORE u get in to drive....

Australia does have a growing alcohol problem, like Windex i'm unsure of figures with relation to a comparison between the road and alcohol-related death tolls, but Australia has a problem.....there's very much a "let's drink for the sake of drinking" and "let's drink til we get completely F***ED" attitude here....specially with kids and teenagers, however adults set the example to start with so......

in case ur wondering, no, i don't drink, never have and never will

[WindeX]

Yeah I do agree with you on the drink driving problem, its ****ed, a mates dad was killed recently when a drunk driver had a head on with him. Drink driving is godamn stupid, however I love to drink, its one of my favorite passtimes, wether out or at a mates place.
I have a few friends who dont drink also(good on you, its your choice), and they always looked at it very negativly, however after many arguments/discussions with them they have realised that the majority of people who drink don't have the aforementioned attitudes to drinking. Some nights I like to get messy, but usualy that is at house parties, which have little or no effect on everyone else.
Most nights I goto the pub, but usualy I drive so it is a quiet affair, but I dont see anything wrong with that, alot of people play sport/bingo and whatever. However pokies, now that IS an issue.

[Namus]

yeah unlike most of those ppl who don't drink (i'm sure we all know at least one) i DON'T look down negatively on ppl who drink; as with my choice NOT to drink i respect ur choice TO drink....however, i don't like how ppl drink uncontrollably and don't stop when they know they have had enough or are just about at their limits....no, not alcoholics; just 'normal' ppl who "drink to get F***ED"...sometimes it's at house parties (i.e. no1 is driving home; we all crash here 2nite) which i can get over.....a lot of time it's not though....

my sincerest condolensces to ur friend as well....

[Mr Cali]

I've been sitting back and reading this topic unfold, it's a very interesting one and one that you're either fo or against and nothing in between.

I can understand why people are saying let them take the cars, too bad. There are far too many street racing going on these days, and they are very unorganised. Yes I have attended a few, but only to watch not participate.

I can see Autumn Acid's point on this aswell. If tougher legislation comes out, the Police will have much greater power. Now in a fantasy world these laws would be great, but lets face it if the Cop has it in for you, he'll throw the book at you.
As an owner of a highly modded car, I would be classified a hoon. What ever I do will be scutinised by them. I have been told by some poloce mates is that they all have their fetishes, some like to bust people for driving in transit lanes, some like to pick on people with their hats on backwards but alot of them love to pick on modified cars, regardless if they are doing anything wrong.

Here's a tru story which happened recently.
in the last Hot4s cruise to Terrigal, a friend of mine was driving a highly modded car. Nothing illegal on it though, everything has been engineered. He pulled out of a petrol station near Terrigal and had his revs higher then normal but did not spin the wheels. A cop car was a bout 50m down the rd heard the exhaust saw his car and pulled him over. He asked what he did wrong, the officer said nothing, we want to go over your car. My mate then jump out of the car withh all his engineering certificates (admittedly a dumb thing to do) and waved them at the cop, "saying everything is legit, I have all certificates for it" The officer was pissed that he couldnt get him for anything so let him go, but before he did he said "you better watch out, we'll get you one way or another, you won't be able to drive anywhere without running into us" On the way home he was pulled over in Parramatta, again for no apparent reason. All the cop said was, "You're the smart ass that was pulled over in Terrigal arent you, we all know your car, you better watch out"
He has hardly driven his car since, too scared that they'll do something to him.

I love modified cars, this is why I'm spending so much money in doing it up. But I dont want to be harrassed by cops just because I have a nice car. fair enuff if I was doing something wrong but not in the real world.

[WindeX]

The culture of drink driving is dieing but there are still some disturbing trends, I know a few people who would have a drink or two then drive on the P's(down here you gotta be 0.0) and if they show that sort of disreguard for it then I can only wonder what they will be like on their full licences.

[Namus]

yeah agree with Mr Cali; this is a very interesting topic.....

nowadays if u a bigger set of wheels or exhaust (if u have a loud exhaust u are just asking for trouble; i have no sympathy for these ppl) u are classified as a 'hoon'....i have no engine mods at this point and only have an exhaust tip.....but beacuse i have bigger wheels etc i get looked at differently to say ur standard SS Commy or XR6T, which would obviously whip my ass with more power, but cause i have these things, i'm a hoon.....?

oh, and NEVA wave certificates at an officer....i have a family friend in the Traffic division up here....U will look like a smart-ass at best....be warned...

[ultim8DTM5]

With Police, I still believe you don't attract unwanted attention unless you warrant it.

I'd say 75% of defects given is out of direct result of the attitude of the driver.

Be courteous, don't be a smartarse and the majority of the time you'll be ok. It is the minority of police officers who have an axe to grind become the generalisation. Just like how the minority of dickhead hoons in modified cars give the rest of us a bad name.

As for your mate Tai perhaps he should log a harrassment report at the local station. If it gets beyond a joke do something about it.

[Mr Cali]

I guess that brings up another point, why do we need to suck up to the Police just to avoid the threat that they can swing their power against us. Introducing tougher laws will exagerate this even more.

[woody]

Wow alot of debate about this and i appreciate why. i'm in two minds.. i'd like to see an end to these shonky street racers that give us all a bad name but i'd hate for the government to pass a bill that would allow some cop the ability to take my car on a whim.

However I'd also like to see the government try and do something constructive to resolve the problem. You're never gonna stop people from wanting to race... especially the younger people who we seem to be discussing more and more (that's not to say there aren't any ageing hoons out there, I know there are) but couldn't the government setup a program to allow these people the opportunity to run their cars in a safe environment.

I know of one instance (East Anglia in the UK) where local council provided council land and the proper supervision to local people because of a similar issue. It was a fenland area and hence had many windy roads and lots of new and old drivers who liked to race around them, unfortunatley it being a fenland area the majority of these roads run alongside rivers.. after a few accidents and a couple of deaths the local council got behind a program where these drivers were able to go to a block of council land and race cars on a purpose built track under the supervision of officials with St Johns ambulance on hand to deal with any probs. Not only did it help - it literally wiped out accidents realted to racing in the area.

I like the rest of you don't want to lose my car however I would like to see tougher penalties such as jail time for instances such as those reported recently.

in my opinion VOTE NO. If you say yes you're opening a door that will be very difficult to close later on.


I'm not proposing

[Namus]

oh yeah definately mate, i completely agree with this stupid poll (yet another one) vote 'no' for certain...and yeah if u are being harrassed just look at the badge and take his name (a mental note; not written) and then report them later....u'll probably just end up giving up tho...they put u thru so much s*** that u end up getting that frustrated that it's beyond stupid....

[EGG80X]

Cars dont kill people

People kill people

[EGG80X]

With Police, I still believe you don't attract unwanted attention unless you warrant it.

I'd say 75% of defects given is out of direct result of the attitude of the driver.

Be courteous, don't be a smartarse and the majority of the time you'll be ok. It is the minority of police officers who have an axe to grind become the generalisation. Just like how the minority of **moderated** hoons in modified cars give the rest of us a bad name.

As for your mate Tai perhaps he should log a harrassment report at the local station. If it gets beyond a joke do something about it.

reverse the situation, u would like some one treat u the same way