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The fatal head-on crash on Hindmarsh Drive. Photo: ACT Policing.

Horse racing is on the nose in the ACT, according to last week’s poll, where most readers thought the sport had lost its social licence.

The ACT Government currently provides millions of dollars in subsidies to the industry under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Canberra Racing Club and the Harness Racing Club.

A new deal would be worth $40 million over five years, or an annual contribution of around $7.5 million from the public purse, but the Greens have refused to sign up to the industry MoU before the Assembly.

READ MORE Greens refuse to back $40 million government funding for horse racing

Astrid Smith wrote: “ACT racing, unlike NSW racing, actually puts money back into government coffers. It also does bring [economic activity] into the ACT as well when visitors come to watch their horses run.”

James Daniels noted that Greens were “ignoring the likelihood that the industry ceases operating in the ACT and moves over the border like the greyhounds”.

“In that case, the ACT Government would lose twice as much in revenue as it pays out in support.”

We asked: Do you think the ACT taxpayer should support the horse racing industry? A total of 1525 readers voted.

Your choices were to vote No, the social licence has run out for racing. This received 74 per cent of the total or 1128 votes. Alternatively, you could vote Yes, it’s fun and benefits the economy. This received 26 per cent of the total, or 397 votes.

This week, we’re wondering what you think about tougher road rules.

Tom McLuckie, whose son Matthew was tragically killed by a speeding driver on the wrong side of the road, is campaigning for tougher penalties for serious motor vehicle offences in the Territory.

It’s believed the car that smashed into Matt’s was taking part in a street race. Police are still searching for a third vehicle and its driver.

Mr McLuckie wants mandatory minimum sentencing with no parole for serious motor vehicle crime and loss of licence and impounding of motor vehicles for excessive speeding and other reckless driving. ACT Policing says more than 1100 criminal charges were laid in the past two-and-a-half years for serious driving offences.

READ MORE Crash tragedy should be spur for tougher approach to Canberra’s hoons

“There should be scope within ACT law for police to lay charges that reflect the gravity of the crime and for courts to impose penalties that act as a deterrent and go some way to satisfying the needs of victims,” Ian Bushnell wrote.

“But Mr McLuckie’s calls for mandatory minimum sentencing with no parole for certain offences need to be treated with caution as they remove the discretion of judges, lead to overcrowded jails, and limit incentives for rehabilitation.”

“The ACT’s roads are significantly safer than NSW’s without arbitrary performative laws that often impose penalties that are massively out of proportion with the offence,” knight37 wrote.

“Hoon laws contribute relatively little to safety because aside from only catching a small proportion of offenders even when heavily enforced like in Victoria. Most deaths and serious injuries are not caused by hooning.”

But another reader said: “There’s a big difference between someone in a vehicle causing a death or serious injury, because they make a mistake or have a concentration failure, and a conceited ignoramus who just wants to use a suburban street/road as their very own race track.”

Our question this week is:

Should the government crack down harder on dangerous driving?

More police patrols to catch the drug affected criminals that are being called hoons they are criminals that have usually stolen a car and think they can drive but cant and they dont care how much damage they do as they are never held responsible…

I think it’s time that people realise that hooning has been around ever since cars have, penalties don’t work the best way is to provide an outlet for it , which is a race track or dragstrip. Tougher penalties don’t work just like they don’t work with other crimes eg murder , people still murder and you can’t get a tougher penalty than life in prison.

Horse Park drive is a drag strip, and very rarely do I see patrol cars policing the traffic along that stretch of road. If there were more patrol cars on ACT roads, the income from the fines alone should pay their wages. Forget speed cameras, they only slow cars down for 400 to 500 metres and then they speed up again once they’re past the camera. It might sound like a good idea, but I don’t think it works in practice.

“Hooning” is not the problem, from what I can tell it’s people affected by drugs, alcohol, or driving stolen vehicles that are terrorising the ACT and causing some of these most tragic deaths. They are evading police, crossing to the wrong side of the road to force chases to be abandoned. They are not “hoons” – they are criminals. I think we need to look at how to stop these (often repeat) offenders getting into cars. Targeting “hooning” isn’t going to target the appropriate offenders in my opinion.

100% I wanted to politely put this down but I completely agree. It’s like they couldn’t exactly identify the cause of this tragedy so they’ve just hit the stereotypes button and gone “hoons will do”.

Again, I hope this doesn’t happen to anyone ever.

Build a motorsports park in or around Canberra. Drag strip at a minimum

I think we need tougher penalties for speeding in general and not just hooning, so many Canberra drivers speed and break the law and they are also putting other road user’s at risk. Every day I’ll have a car overtake and they will be be blatantly exceeding the speed limit, it isn’t just the hoons that cause death on our roads.

How about some police patrols to begin with, you can do pretty much as you please in the A.C.T. after dark as there are no cops ever about. Only tonight on the way home from work I was over taken on the Barton at Crace by 2 cars racing each other, a blue 2022 VW Golf and a very new Black BMW two door, both easily doing over 140kph. No cops, that’s your problem.

One day the ACT gov will punish hooning harsher than murder

Need a motorsport complex in Canberra for the people who enjoy cars. The idiots who are out driving like this case are often also high on drugs.

This is an absolutely tragic thing to happen to anyone and anyones family.

Last I read this accident was a result of a person on drugs? I’m not condoning hooning at all (give car enthusiasts a bad rep) but if it was drug driver related how will stricter laws on hooning stop this tragedy from happening again?

Hey random guy doing skids your going to court. Hey random meth head, you killed someone while driving.

Apologies if hooning was 1000% confirmed as the reason this has happened. And I truly feel for the family regardless

Over population to a city with no resources it will only keep happening

Insufficient police is the biggest issue with all crime.

Just like all the law abiding citizens commenting here that dramatically slow for fixed speed cameras, then accelerate to 10 above the speed limit again.

Reading some of the comment I was not surprised the tougher penalties brigade were in full swing ( stupid) . 1 mentioned car theft really dangerous are the outcome’s of this (Police do your job and take this seriously 😡. No one mentions better education of drivers which should be a top priority. Example drive the Hume Highway at late night with only professional drivers in large trucks no worries. Do the same with on a Sunday afternoon highly dangerous and frustrating I drive a Porsche and hate mr & mrs airhead sitting one car length off the back of me, if I have to stop very quickly you won’t

Quick, now that the NSW gov has effectively destroyed wakefeild raceway, let’s ramp up anti hooning laws knowing they no longer have anywhere to go legally and do it.

More Police, tougher sentences, driver training, drag strips, have we not learnt by now none of this makes any difference. The Government cannot get inside peoples heads when they drive. If people can get home 30 seconds quicker, overtake just to get 3 car spaces in front, tailgate to try and encourage you to go faster and my favourite check their phone when the light goes green, then people will. We seem to have somewhat intelligent people but once they get behind the wheel any thought of safety, patience and consideration is gone, I would say in the majority. Just stand in our 50kmh street and watch the drivers that appear to be well over 40yo that should know better speeding along without a care in the world. Not to mention the parents I see speeding through the 40 school zones at pickup. The government cannot hold drivers hands all the time…it’s about attitude, nothing more nothing less.

Brendan Charlesworth all those well signposted school zones with large signage and flashing lights when active just like in NSW, oh, hang on …

Just a burnout pad is all Canberra needs to stop 80% of hoons

Sean Flemingthat sounds like the last thing Canberra needs

Stop banning racetracks from operating forcing them to eventually die off, like what is currently being done to Wakefield.

Sorry Zena it was proven that race tracks didn’t reduce hooning, I agree you drivers need your space for racing but simple fact is canberra roads are free and hoons take advantage of that

Mick Giltrap I’m sorry but there’s no way people would prefer risking getting thousands of dollars of fines, loss of license and court cases if there was just a local track to chuck skids at. On other news – HI MICK!!! How’s it going?!

Mick Giltrap I’m alright thanks, could be better, could be worse haha

Zena Wolba be good to catch up

No we need somewhere locally where people can go do silly stuff in a safe environment like every other state in Australia give people somewhere they can go and do it and will reduce the problem dramatically on the roads.

Maybe give that community a spot to do it like a track or pad, not have them chance law’s and lives

These people are the least likely to ever contribute to society, so I have no problem if you put them down or lock them up for life. Just take them off the streets for good though.

I do not know why the police are saying this was a hoon when it was a girl in a stolen car the car what was chasing her was the owner of the stolen car

Daniel Murphy its sad for the loss of life but blaming this on other things needs to stop

Neil Smith Yes you don’t want to see deaths on Cameron Road But they should report on the real story of what happened

Daniel Murphy thats what i ment .them yousing this as an example is rong and the truth should be told but its the political system that won’t let them and thay really just want to make money off every one if it was a big issue we would have more than 400 copers in Canberra the same amount we had in 2010 and the number of people that live in Canberra has grown alot more than then but end of the day its money and greed and to point all thats rong in the rong direction

Increase all speed limits by 10 kph and mandate compulsory vehicle satellite monitoring. Anyone exceeding any speed limit at any time gets instant satellite fine irrespective of fequency of breech. Dont speed, or go broke trying to. Alternatively replace air bags with landmines. In case of accident vehicle instantly explodes. Never going to happen. We are too much in love with untrained drivers, road rage, injury and other peoples deaths. Besides we just adore roadside monuments, roadside vigils and those RIP stickers on the back of dollied up bogandorres with “Baby on Board”(FFS) 🙈🤬🙄

They have to start taking the cars off them and crush them plus big fines. If caught again then they do some prison time.

Harsher penalties will make more people run trying to not be penalised. Somewhere to go fast, go sideways, spin tyres in a controlled environment for a fair fee. Open more than 1 night/week. Considering the stories I’ve heard from my parents about street racing from the 70s, sounds like harsher laws(which we have these days) definitely isn’t the answer.

Pro tip; don’t let development near a motorsport facility, as people complain about noise that was there long before they were. Then they complain about reckless drivers that no longer have a place to drive, as their complaints shut it down. Oran Park, and now affecting Wakefield.

I could not care less, build a race track or stop whining about it. Last thing we need is more corrupt cops.

Bring back the drag strip. Give them somewhere to go and watch the problem go. Camberra had a drag strip and after it closed the street racing crime went up. Do not believe me look up the stats..…

Every night in Tuggeranong you can hear the roar of overstretched engines and the screech of tires and you never see law enforcement going around arresting the hoons….. instead we clutter our streets with endless collections of speed humps that the hoons see as a challenge to see how much rubber they can leave on the roads between humps. In this day of cheap surveillance technology roving cameras could be used to collect evidence around our suburbs of the hoons in action. These cars are registered so surely it’s a simple task to send police around to collect the cars and take them off for recycling…. Post a video of the car crushing on social media and after a while these drongos will run out of cars. The second part of the solution is to provide a venue for the hoons to play legally…. Let’s build a motor sport centre somewhere in the ACT and let them let off-steam there.

I’m in Monash and just had speed humps put in near me. I hear more cars hooning on that particular road now then I did before..

Canberra has been asking to bring back a local drag strip for years now and burnout pad no one is listening especially the government then if they are caught street racing they are the ones that deserve jail time what happened to that poor boy few months back was a stolen car not a hoon put them away for a long time

Instead of always wanting to penalize people with a usual knee jerk reaction, why not educate and help change their actions Meanwhile about an hour up the road Wakefield Park is being attacked by 5 locals that live kms away from the track trying to close it down. Which has driver training and allows drivers to run at speed and try their skills in a safe environment. Why not put the funds into support venues and make it cheaper and easier for young people. NSW Police have an amazing program called Beat the Blue which they hold at SMSP regularly. Start supporting and educating. More venues are needed, it’s been proven over and over tough penalties won’t stop on street stupidness so change the action John Boston what do you think?

Won’t be a problem with all your electric car’s soon so just enjoy it whilst it lasts. Should put speed limiters on your shopping trolleys too.

Maybe getting people in the court that don’t let everyone out on bail with a slap on the wrist. Ban their liscence for a fair period and give them a large fine…A motorstrip or whatever everyone else is saying would only work if you have to get a whole separate liscence to ‘hoon’ otherwise why have driving/road laws at all if just anyway can drive like a w⚓️…

Maddie Jory if given the option between spending $500 a year on a competition licence, plus the $250 entry fee and a facilty which gives big margins for error vs thousands of dollars worth of fines, jail sentences, losing your job and writing off your car after making a small mistake (seriously, the public road leaves zero margin for error), I reckon most people would take the motorsport complex

No penalty is gonna change stupid.. override the point that the choice is made. Giving a proper outlet. Training . Is truly the only way.. you scratch an itch.. eat when hungry. Toilet when needed. Breath. Sleep. So banning or penalty will only make worse.

Or education. What this is really asking if we should up the fines so we can pay back the bill for the Greenies.

I saw a commodore with 2 popped tyres drive past with 3 cop cars chasig it then later heard that it got away and found a lot later back on the highway. Maybe the cops need better drivers and whoever gives out licences must be as correct as the weatherman…

Under this Labor / Green mob we’ve LOST the right to water ski on OUR Molongolo river (except their mates in the clubhouse there, they can), we’ve lost the Canberra 200 V8 race that put Canberra on the world map, we’ve lost control of violence in our schools, we’ve GAINED six bikie gang and their drugs and drug crime though…!! Thats because the Union’s use Bikies and thugs to get things done so Labor turns a blind eye to the road carnage from these drugged up drivers, meanwhile fining regular drivers for doing a few Kms over the ever-changing speed limits that are much lower than they used to be..!!

All ready feel like I live in a Nanny state …

Build them a local race track, that will sort out the men from the boys!

Jamie McDonell nice 🙂. He’s great isn’t he?

What about tougher laws all round! ACT judicial system is very poor.

I would like to see the statistics on car crushing for repeat driving offences. Does it lower driving offences overall? Just hoons? Or does it just make victims of road accidents feel better?

Victoria is overflowing with confiscated cars at the moment, costing taxpayers to store and administer them. A hoon who knows their car is about to be crushed is less likely to pull over and hand it over, and we can expect MORE high speed chases that we see in other states… As you’ve eluded to in your comment mate, ever action has an equal and opposite re-action and far too often governments implement laws in a knee-jerk fashion and leave us suffering unintended consequences..

Maybe we the public need to take number plates and report these Hoover’s if you can read their plates that is ? Yesterday when driving home on Atthllon drive i noticed a trady van with a covered trailer using the bus lane at Drakeford drive intersection which was odd l thought ? he took off as would a bus before all traffic and at the intersections with lights but l witnessed him drive through two sets of lights that turned red before he entered behind the hyper dome ! I would have followed him to get his company name but naturally l lost him but l will be ware of any trady from that company

What you do to fast drivers you must do to slow

Also maybe a motor sport complex would be good. 🤷 I don’t agree with hooning and dangerous driving. 🤬😡 But I also have modified cars and nowhere to drive them to there potential. Only capital city in Aus that doesn’t have one. Might not stop it but at least it might curve the problem. 🤷

Geoffrey Hathaway canberra in the 70,s was a great place to drag bikes and cars ,living in the NT we have everything ,all you mob gotta do is get rid of the nimbys and the limp wristers running the show ,BUT that won,t happen

Ray Richards missed out. Should hopefully happen again one day 🤞🏻

Geoffrey Hathaway going to make it harder with Wakefield Park possibly closing down.

Geoffrey Hathaway I agree and modified cars aren’t the problem. A govt that doesn’t provide an outlet for motor heads is a problem. Decades ago when campaigned for a drag strip, I spoke to Wayne Berry and he just couldn’t understand what people see in drag racing and because of his view and others in govt at the time still no drag strip.

Jaffa Groube I agree. Is a shame I don’t like Florida that much. But still except others do. 🤷

Being tougher on car thieves and drug drivers would go a long way towards road safety in the ACT. Repeat offenders need to be locked away.

I’ll give an example and say that both are unsafe but what’s worse a sober motorcyclist doing 125 on Southern Cross Drive or (pick any combination of the following three) a drugged up unlicenced clown in a stolen car doing the same speed on the same road?

One has some respect for the machine they are operating and is likely to slow down for the traffic lights. The other doesn’t give two ***** about other people.

How about instead of trying to just tighten up the laws… how about build somewhere it can be done without costing a lot of money. There will always be hoons that will never change so face the facts. Our government is so stupid.. ran by a bunch of brain dead ball bags. It’s not rocket science. And to all the morons that think prison will fix it.. guess what it doesn’t! Or it would have stopped by now… it’s called common sense! Though these days not many people have that…

Bad laws and low apprehension rates teach people to break laws.

New law hoons cars will be crushed.

Build place where drag racing and burnouts can be held and spectators can watch on a regular basis this will help reduce numbers but stricter road laws won’t stop the idiots who think they can do what they like when they like

Problem is when it isn’t their car. Needs to be a range of tough options according to what would be most effective for the particular offender, including immediate loss of license for minimum of 1 year for first offence.

Mandatory sentencing has never worked. People who break the law are not worried about breaking the law so creating more laws won’t help. There are a group of people that do not have empathy (ie don’t feel any empathy, shame or remorse), no laws will prevent these people from breaking the law as they don’t learn from negative consequences.

Prison is there to protect society from tis kind of person. A bit hard to harm innocent people while in prison.

Absolutely, this driving behaviour shouldn’t be acceptable!!

Ozzy Sumalez not the answer.

Hooning is not a violent crime.

If you kill someone while hooning then you’ll be charged with murder which will have a big sentence imposed.

The judicial system is already screwed, can’t be putting people away for 25 years for hooning.

I say impound the vehicles (if they’re not stolen) and take licenses away.

If they drive unlicensed, put them in prison.

The penalties are there, if only you had a judiciary with the spine to impose them. Too many bleeding heart ex defence lawyers spending the rest of their lives on the bench..

We don’t need new laws or sentencing. Get more police on the road! We’ve done this dance a thousand times. People drive terribly because there is zero enforcement

They need to change the laws on car theft etc and how they charge minors for such offences

Lack of consequences is the reason these people do crimes like this

While they’re at it they can change knife laws too it’s not a nice place when you have 14yr old kids carrying around knives

Greater penalties, but not imprisonment or financial. First offence, impound the vehicle for 30 days, no exception for ‘I need it for work’s etc. Second offence, 60 days. 3rd offence, confiscation and a note on the licence limiting the driver to a car of less than a particular engine size and capability, determined by vehicle experts. And better policing.

Tougher penalties, confiscation of cars and more police on patrol

If you’re caught driving without a license it should be an automatic 3 months jail. And then another 3 months jail for every 10 kms you are over the speed limit. Wtf does taking points of someone who couldn’t gaf about the law do ???

Tougher sentences for sure. Lock them up for a long time and take their licence. If they kill someone, no licence!

Kosta Amanda Contis No licence for ever

Wake up government far out you take away drag strip so these people can’t have fun and then you whinge because they go on streets kills themselves your fault government like all things your clowns have no idea at all your only good for taking away things and taxing the he’ll out of the people

Where there have been cases like Lachlan seary then yes tougher penalties. That guy who killed that kid only got 5years. 5 years is apparently enough for killing another person in a reckless situation. He was speeding he was under the influence. He will be out and walking free in 5 years. I think the life of that young man is worth more than 5 years

What’s the point of harsher &/or maximum sentences, when the courts never impose them? The cops catch them only to see them back out on the streets with a caution or suspended sentence. Because their lawyers feed the judges their Hard Luck stories, and they swallow it time & time again. 🤬

Do we even know who the other driver was?

You are wasting your time if you think you can stop hooning or the bloody road toll you fools..It’s part of human frailty and always will be just like industrial accidents..maybe going back to a proper licensing system where there was passion about the driving experience may help..

Pete Ward Isn’t that like saying that if people had a greater passion for life we wouldn’t have murder? 🤷‍♂️ And why have laws against murder because you can’t stop it? 🙄

David Jenkins Quite clearly you’ve never heard the concept of diminishing returns? Why go straight to the “extreme end” of the thought process by suggesting no laws.. bit dumb, and not helpful.

Scott Hamilton Because it shows the fundamental fallacy of the argument most clearly for all to understand 🤷‍♂️. Simple. Your ‘diminishing returns’ comment is similarly nonsensical.

David Jenkins for what argument? It seems to be that you’re trying to make a point based off of the assumption that Pete Ward was suggesting the removal of all laws (which he in fact did NOT suggest).

What Pete said is that you’re fools for thinking you can stop hooning. He then suggests a change that could be made to help deal with the problem. No where did he suggest not having any laws at all and it’s not even insinuated, proven by the fact that he has suggested improvements to the licensing system, which in and of its self is simply just a law to be enforced.

The worst kinds of people are those who try to argue points by putting words in peoples mouths, and whom rely on assumptions to validate their own points. Congratulations on being THAT PERSON.

Pete Ward most hoons are out there doing the same thing night after night for years. Maybe you can’t stop them from wanting to do it, but you can certainly confiscate their car.

Simon Krix oh yeh that’ll stop em..like it has the last 25 years..😴😴😴

Pete Ward well there’s always jail I guess

In my opinion, funding tougher hooning laws won’t stop this type of incident from happening again. Stealing a car also comes with punishment but do you think they care about that?

Also, old mate who is doing burnouts in the industrial area (yes risky but not so dangerous) is going to be absolutely hammered for doing what he loves and out of harms way with these proposed hooning laws.

I think you’re directing your energy in the wrong place.

The legislation already exists for negligent, reckless, dangerous and furious driving, as well as menacing driving, culpable driving causing death, culpable driving causing grievous bodily harm. Legislation already exists for forfeiture and seizure of vehicles for certain offences, street racing, speed trials, failing to stop etc etc

With all of this already in effect, what’s the point of this whole movement? I’d be certain to say the vast majority who post up in support of this aren’t even aware it already exists?

Any offence which has a potential jail sentence applied, the Magistrate has to consider the objective seriousness of the relevant offence. This also has to be backed up by existing sentencing data from across the country for similar offences, the court can’t just make up anything they want. Eg old mate 3am on the parkway doing 160 – road with limited entry points with concrete barrier divider compared to say Dick Pusey in VIC who was driving the 911 in peak hour which caused the tragedy involving the truck on police officers, one has a higher level of objective seriousness than the other.

Lastly forfeiture isn’t a balanced penalty. Company car or leased car cant/won’t be taken. Borrowed car, similar situation. 100k euro car vs $200 shitbox with a permit?

$1000 fine and 6 demerit points gone and car impounded- no questions asked.

Hit them hard where it hurts the most

Martin Ross gotta catch them first, and that means more police are needed.

Martin Budden that’s where the ACT gov have failed. They have defunded the police.

Problem with anti hoon laws is they always target enthusiasts more than hoons. Hoons drive clapped shotboxes 80% Of the time anti hoon laws target modified cars 2mm to low, 1 loose hose or might be half a decibel too loud or so police officer “estimates” oopsies looks like you’ve got $1000 fine and your car confiscated for 3 months. And then the car events get targeted 3 hours in a line waiting for the “random” breath tests on the roads out and the defected cars that aren’t defective that had to be towed all the same… Anyhoo enough of my rant the main problems here are probably 80% street racing and speeding in the many forms because that’s where the crashes happen and the serious danger is hence why race tracks aren’t just closed roads and 20% burnouts mostly for the pollution which could arguably be solved with a managed and accessible skid pad but that idea is largely abhorrent in the eyes of legislators

How about they stop giving Junkies and repeat offenders a slap on the wrist and give them hard time the ACT is nothing but a haven for these low life’s and innocent people are paying the price.!!

The big crashes seem to be the people who completely disregard all laws. More or stricter laws won’t stop them.

Warwick Bradly locking them up will

Warwick Bradly they’re committed by people who should be locked up but aren’t because sentencing decisions permit their release in spite of a decade long history of violence, drug use and theft.

Warwick Bradly can’t steal cars or drive them when your in jail

Warwick Bradly agree, addiction is also often a factor and you can’t reason with that.

Jorge Gatica locking them up after the fact. Won’t save the people they have already hurt.

Ryan Bailey but I will save others

Jorge they just get out and do it again, prison is just a revolving door of mostly the same clients. More laws is not going to help as these people have no regards for the law and don’t care if they go back in.

These ppl don’t care for your laws they live outside of society prison is just a place to hold them because it’s socially accepted by us. The real trick is how to get ppl back into society and out of the revolving door that is prison. Tip: More laws and therefore more prisons is not the answer.

Jorge Gatica after they offend. I think question was about deterrence of mandatory sentence in stopping or reducing instances. Crime incurs a sentence. No crime no sentence . Not trying to be smart just thinking how we reduce or stop. Makes me quite angry as i suspect it does to many.

Matt Free sorry that’s incredibly daft. There are some people that you cannot just magically reform. Prison does act as a deterrent.Your position is completely absurd.

Aidan Murdocha bit late when they’ve already killed or injured someone hey?

Warwick Bradly you are quite correct but mandatory sentencing will mean they are off the streets at least for some considerable time. What do you think???

You will never stop hooning! You can reduce it by harsher penalties for doing it on public roads but supply a facility so people can do it legally

Kevin Hodder Yep but they will never do that there’s too much money in revenue

Harsher penalties for stealing cars also because it’s way outa hand you see car after car after car on the side of the road on my way to work probably stolen it’s getting ridiculous and Mr Barr does nothing

There has to be severe consequences for reckless driving. Consequences hit home with young offenders. That means a criminal record and jail time. MAKE THE CONSEQUENCES SERIOUS ENOUGH TO DETER THE BEHAVIOUR.

Amanda Gillespie gotta catch them first, and that means more police are needed.

Why not install systems into every car that tracks the speed and other driving conditions?

Then you are able to reduce the rego for people who never speed or drive recklessly.

Amanda Gillespie There are a group of people that do not have empathy (ie don’t feel any empathy, shame or remorse), no laws will prevent these people from breaking the law as they don’t learn from negative consequences. there is no deterrent that will prevent these people from breaking the law, the death penalty proves this.

Dyllan Davies: that’s how it is done in china, now. Australia would never do that as the polaticians are mad for 💸

Renee’n Kippa what for ?

Paul Hinchy Gee I wonder why ? You wouldn’t want an ACT drag strip again ?

Renee’n Kippa how many of these street racing deaths have occurred without the involvement of a stolen vehicle

Dale Janssen Act should still have a motorsport facility

Paul Hinchy so many people think its the answer. I think its the biggest joke out there. A drag strip won’t stop idiots on the roads

Renee’n Kippa so in complete absence of an argument to support your first claim all you have is another baseless claim, right.

Renee’n Kippa yes that might solve some 👍

Paul Hinchy Quite clearly the issue is that people are not following the laws we’ve already got, so what mental gymnastics are people playing to conclude that ‘more laws’ will make any difference?

Thinking outside the box has historically solved many of the world problems. I think supporting a car culture in a controlled manner by way of having a motorsport center where kids can play and learn from a young age is a much better idea than “more punishments” – positive reinforcement > negative reinforcement.

Renee’n Kippa no , they spend so much on cars and tyres thay can all put together enough to build their own strip out in the middle of nowhere without disturbing anyone else…

Gary Cameron good in theory, but, then some tool builds a house next door, starts complaining about the noise and the track gets shut down.

Renee’n Kippa should have kept the strip open, what better location than next to the airport 🛫 always noisy there. It was awesome going there all those years ago

Gary Cameron ah yeah the government will definitely give us permission to do that 🤦

Jacob Deasey it’s better than leaving people with a smoke filled house , keeping working people awake all hours of the night , keeping kids awake that need to go to school in the morning , elderly people awake , hoons should think about that and forget about burnouts in ANY suburban street , you destroy trees , fencing , sometimes end up in somebody’s living room , power poles , street signs , school crossings , roundabouts and if these brainless hoons think they don’t do any of the above mentioned they are kidding themselves …

It’s the Tradie GP at 7am each morning that scares me the most.

Watching peiple driving about in general, i reckon 60% really need to sit a driving test.

Daniel Palmer at least 80% i think more reasonable 😂

Williee Tate i was being nice. 🤣

Daniel Palmer i think even i’m been a little nice theirs some bloody shockers 😂

Daniel Palmer that 60 % probably recently got their license

Williee Tate if they sat one in the first place.

Williee Tate Canberra drivers are the worst either too slow or ridiculous over the speed limit oh and indicators are for decoration not for actual use.

Define dangerous driving? 3 or 4 young kids in an industrial area doing burnouts late at night on there own or the person on the way to work that doesn’t slow down in a work zone??

Tonina N Matt Galea slow down ? if 2 lanes open there is possibility of no slowing down, if 2 lanes merge into one then there is a possibility to slow down.

Tonina N Matt Galea idiots racing in stolen cars that run into innocent people and take their life. Sigh…

Yes absolutely but also need a Judiciary that will impose tougher sentences

pity the Greens hold the balance of power in the ACT government it will never happen until we get a… View

It’s a sad thing closing Wakefield big lose View

This is so sad for Goulburn View

Janine Hayes this I agree with View

Hans Dimpel well maybe the people using the tram should pay for it by that logic View

Put the EV charging stations and Tram at the bottom of the list - so out of touch with reality View

Simon Antony but we have a cool red train…….. View

It’s Canberra, can’t have nice things. View

Joshua F. Johnson well you’re not getting either facilities or a new stadium so nobody needs to… View

Why is it each leftward move from the Liberals ends in disaster then, like Vic, WA and the left… View

Sorry, Liberals, but any political party in which Candice Burch holds any sway is doomed. I remember… View

The illiberal party continues to disappoint. Instead of representing middle Australian business… View

Should the ACT ban plastic fruit and vegetable bags?

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