By EMILY WHEELER
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Dubbo police have confiscated more than 15 motor vehicles this year because the drivers were engaging in burnouts and/or street racing offences.
Confiscated cars are held for 90 days costing the owner a total $1440 holding-yard fee on top of a towing fee of more than $200 and that doesn't include the on-the-spot fine issued by police for the offence.
For a second offence the vehicle is taken from the owner and forfeited to the Crown to be eventually put up for public auction, but owners won't see a cent.
Orana Highway Patrol supervisor Sergeant Jason Bush said street racing and burnouts, described as "antisocial driving behaviour", had been an ongoing issue in the city.
Dubbo MP Dawn Fardell said she was aware of the occurrences of illegal street racing, labelling Boundary Road and Macquarie Street as popular racing spots.
Mrs Fardell said there should be a longer period of disqualification for offenders and the money from the confiscated vehicles sold should go to victims of crime.
Currently, the money from auctioned cars goes to the Crown.
Orana Highway Patrol officer Senior Constable Shane Smith clarified what a burnout actually is.
"It's an offence where there is a sustained loss of traction".
The excess of 15 vehicles confiscated by police were for first-time offenders, with one vehicle permanently confiscated from a repeat offender.
"We occasionally receive complaints from residential areas , but more predominantly in industrial areas," Sgt Bush said. "The legislation has been put into place to discourage the act of anti-social driving behaviour, but our biggest concern is for the consequences of the offence."
Sgt Bush referred to the most recent street racing incident in Sydney where an elderly couple was killed, stirring up allegations that current penalties aren't tough enough.
Opposition Roads spokesman Duncan Gay has called for the state government to be "more proactive in deterring these hoons from risking their lives and the lives of innocent people on the road".
"That means tougher laws but it also means more resources to enforce laws-including more highway patrol police," Mr Gay said.
emily.wheeler@ruralpress.com
BREAKOUT BOX:
* Police can issue drivers an on-the-spot fine infringement notice of $500 for a burnout offence and lose three demerit points.
* Car owners caught engaging in speed racing and/or burnout offences can have their vehicle confiscated for 90 days and are forced to pay $16 per day for that period.
* Police are authorised to issue drivers on-the-spot fines of $250 for noise complaints, i.e if the car stereo is too loud, and drivers can also lose two demerit points.