Police
- Police removed 36 vehicles in Invercargill during a weekend operation targeting antisocial drivers.
- Illegal vehicle modifications and dangerous driving behaviour were the focus of Operation Hoon.
- Police partnered with VTNZ to inspect vehicles, removing many unsafe cars from the road.
Invercargill Police removed 36 vehicles from the road after conducting Operation Hoon, a weekend crackdown on antisocial road users and illegal vehicle modifications. The operation, held over Friday and Saturday nights, targeted risky drivers and modified vehicles that posed a danger to public safety.
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Police teamed up with VTNZ to carry out vehicle inspections. They used legislation under the Land Transport Act, allowing vehicles stopped within five kilometres of a testing site to be sent there for immediate inspection.
Senior Constable Paul Moylan, who led the operation, explained that Police had been targeting a specific group of road users. “This Operation has been planned to target vehicles and individuals that have been identified as belonging to a group organising ‘skid meets’ in rural locations around Invercargill."
“These drivers regularly congregate and ‘lap’ the Invercargill CBD area before heading out into rural areas. Aside from examples of extremely risky driving behaviour, many of these vehicles are illegally modified to the point where they are a danger to the drivers and every other motorist they share the road with.”
The operation resulted in 36 vehicles receiving pink or green stickers, indicating serious mechanical or safety issues. One striking example of unsafe modifications was a vehicle using a pair of jandals as suspension bump stops.
Inspector Craig Brown, Southern District Road Policing Manager, highlighted the success of the operation. “These drivers pose an unnecessary risk to everyone on the road through their behaviour and the state of their vehicles. To get this many unsafe cars off the roads over just two evenings is a great success for our teams, and goes a long way in making sure we can keep the roads safer, and help other motorists feel safer too.”