Drastic measures to punish hoons HOONS and speeding drivers will be slugged with some of Australia's toughest penalties - including vehicles being impounded for up to six months and a doubling of fines.
The WA Government is about to unveil a raft of drastic measures - including targeting drivers with passengers not wearing seatbelts and those driving while talking on hand-held mobile phones - designed to stop a repeat of last year's record 235 road deaths.
Under the proposed new laws, police will have powers to automatically impound vehicles involved in hooning offences for seven days for a first offence, and 28 days for second and subsequent offences - a dramatic increase on the current 48-hour period.
Police are still able to apply to the courts to impound vehicles for up to three months for a second offence, and potential confiscation for subsequent ones.
In both hoon and road-rage offences, courts will be able to impound vehicles for up to six months if a police application for confiscation is unsuccessful, an option not currently available.
Penalties will be heavily increased for drivers who speed by more than 20km/h.
This includes those driving light vehicles who speed by 30-39km/h getting a hefty $700 fine - double the current $350.
Drivers of heavy vehicles who speed by 30-39km/h will be fined $850, a huge increase on the current $500.
Drivers charged with reckless driving, which includes speeding by 45km/h or more, face $2000 fines for a first offence, double the current $1000.
They face a $3000 fine for a second offence and a $4000 fine for subsequent offences, up from $1200 and $2400, respectively.
Drivers will be fined for any passengers not wearing seatbelts, not only for those under 16 years of age.
A driver not wearing a seatbelt and who also has one unrestrained passenger, faces a $600 fine and six demerit points.
This rises to $900 and nine points for those transporting four or more unrestrained passengers.
Passengers over the age of 16 who don't wear seatbelts are still subject to $500 fines.
Those who drive while chatting on hand-held phones will get a $250 fine, more than double the current $100.
The definition of road-rage circumstances will also be changed to include incidents occurring in places other than a road, such as car parks, driveways and private property.
A WA Government insider said some of the measures, such as new speeding penalties, would be effective within a month.
Others, such as the new hoon laws, would require a change in legislation and would be introduced to State Parliament when it resumes later this month.
The source said the new measures were in direct response to last year's horror road toll and community outrage at the continued inexcusable behaviour of some drivers.
"When people get behind the wheel of a car, they have to take responsibility for their own actions,'' the source said.
"Most drivers in WA already abide by the law and have nothing to fear from these new penalties.
"However, there are still drivers who refuse to take the road safety message seriously, continue to flout the law and, in doing so, endanger the lives of themselves, their passengers and other road users every time they get behind the wheel.
"Those people are now going to face tougher penalties.''
The source said since the Government's anti-hoon laws came into effect in September 2004, about 1937 vehicles had been impounded.
And 27 drivers had been charged with a second hoon offence, while two drivers were charged a third time.
"The low numbers of second and third-time offences suggest the hoon laws are deterring repeat offences'' the source said.
