Taking the next step in tackling boy racers

Boy racers will face serious consequences for anti-social and intimidating driving under tough new laws, Transport Minister Chris Bishop and Police Minister Mark Mitchell say.

"New Zealanders are sick of seeing boy racers and dirt bike riders putting everyone around them at risk," Mr Bishop says.

"This Government is serious about cracking down on unruly and dangerous driving and restoring safety to our roads.

"We're taking action by bringing in much tougher penalties for idiots who use our streets as racetracks, putting others at risk. If they want to drive dangerously, they will face serious consequences - and they won't like them," Mr Bishop says.

"This is a clear message to those who think they can get away with dangerous and disruptive behaviour on our roads. We're backing Police with the tools they need to act, and we're backing communities who've had enough."

The Anti-Social Road Use Legislation Amendment Bill has been introduced to Parliament and it is expected to receive its first reading in August.

The new offences and penalties will include:

• establishing a presumptive sentence of vehicle destruction or forfeiture for those that flee Police, participate in street racing, burnouts, intimidating convoys and vehicle owners who fail to identify offending drivers - this means in most cases judges will be required to seize and either sell or destroy the vehicle
• giving Police more powers to manage illegal vehicle gatherings by closing roads or public areas, including issuing infringements of $1000 for those who fail to leave areas when directed to by Police
• increasing the infringement fee for making excessive noise from or within a vehicle from $50 to $300.

Minister Mitchell says the Bill will enable Police to continue hitting these events hard.

"Police are already doing an outstanding job of enforcing the law. We have seen substantive responses to these illegal gatherings, including arrests, checkpoints, and other tactics to shut these events down. These gatherings are dangerous to the participants, to bystanders, and to the public. This bill will support Police to continue cracking down with a raft of additional powers.

"Boy racers only care about one thing - their car. Once they realise they're not getting it back, they'll think twice about fleeing Police or driving dangerously."

After its first reading, the Bill will go through a four month Select Committee process including public consultation.

Notes to the editor:

• Anti-social road users are those who flee Police, or participate in unauthorised street racing, burnouts, intimidating convoys, disorderly dirt bike gatherings, or siren battles.
• The Bill establishes the following exceptions for vehicle forfeiture or destruction if:
  • The offender is not the owner (this exception does not apply to the offence for owners who fail to provide information about a driver to Police).
  • It would be manifestly unjust.
  • It would cause extreme hardship to the offender, or undue hardship to any other person.
• The Government will expand the existing offence for a vehicle owner not immediately providing information about a driver who used that vehicle to flee Police to now:
  • apply to those participating in street racing, loss of traction (burnouts), and intimidating convoys,
  • ensure courts order the vehicle destroyed or forfeited unless it would be manifestly unjust, or cause extreme hardship to the offender or undue hardship to any other person, and
  • allow courts to issue a fine not exceeding $10,000.
• Additional powers for Police to manage illegal vehicle gatherings are to:
  • expand the existing road closure power to include all public and private areas accessible to the public by vehicle (e.g. parks and car parks), and

establish an offence for a person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with a direction to leave or not enter a closed area, and establish an associated penalty of a $1,000 infringement fee and a maximum $3,000 court fine. This includes bystanders.