Hoons hit heights

By Kath Gannaway
TMU officers impounded two cars, one on the Melba Highway on Sunday in which the driver reached an estimated 235km/h, the other in Healesville where a car narrowly missed hitting several pedestrians and parked cars in the Coles car park on Saturday.
Police are still hunting for the 22-year-old driver of the XR8 Ford Falcon who led them on a 40-kilometre chase between Glenburn and Dixons Creek after he allegedly past the TMU car at more than 40 kilometres over the 100km/h limit.
The lights and sirens pursuit was called off when the car reached an estimated 235km/h, but was resumed when the car was intercepted by another police unit a short time later. The driver abandoned the car in Break Neck Road in Yarra Glen and escaped into bush after a five- minute chase.
A search of the area by the Air Wing and the Dog Squad failed to locate the driver, but police are looking forward to making his acquaintance when he calls to claim the car, which was impounded for 24 hours under the anti-hoon legislation.
Leading Senior Constable Wayne Reynolds from YRTMU investigated a number of reports from witnesses to the Healesville incident which happened in broad daylight around 2.15pm on Saturday.
Police said the man was seen speeding and driving in an unsafe manner in the car park. He had sped off fish-tailing the car and nearly hitting people and cars before speeding away.
Police, armed with eye-witness accounts, were able to go to the man’s address where he was interviewed. He will be charged on summons with a number of traffic offences including reckless conduct endangering persons and his car was impounded for 48 hours.
The incidents follow several weeks of increased hoon driving around the town, creating tension among residents and frustration for police.
Almost every intersection is tagged with new rubber and the Mail has received numerous reports from residents of Healesville and Badger Creek anxious about what they say is, again an increasing problem.
While most say they did not phone ‘000’ to report dangerous driving, LSC Reynolds said it was vital that residents reported offences.
“We can’t be everywhere, but if people stand up and come forward, tell us what they see and are prepared to follow it through, then we can do something,” he said.
“We can take these matters to court, but we are relying on their observations.”
He said the witnesses he spoke with in Healesville on Saturday were incensed at the dangerous driving around the town.
“I would be assuming that the rest of the people in town would be getting a big jack of it as well, dragging the reputation of the town down,” he added.
He said young people too had a role to play.
“It comes down to the driver’s responsibility, but others don’t have to go along with that sort of behaviour,” he said.
“They can take a stand and say ‘I don’t want to be part of this’.
“If more people did that, perhaps the attitudes may change a bit.”