New boy racer legislation

**madbikeboy** · 2nd February 2009, 12:49

Originally Posted by renegade master

good lord burnouts! the horrors!

No, not burnouts. The cop was shot at. If that had happened in LA, then there would have been a very different end result for the 300 naughty children.

**Marmoot** · 2nd February 2009, 12:50

Originally Posted by madbikeboy

Bullshit.

If 300 bikers mobbed and shot at a police officer, we'd deserve to get this legislation on us.

The boy racer problem is way out of control - most Fridays and Saturdays the boy racers use my road as a fucking race track - I've lost count of the amount of times they've crashed on my corner. Most of the time they're drunk. I've stopped bothering to go help, if they bleed to death, it's their problem.

This doesn't affect us, or concern us.

I'd assume you've been burrying your head in the sand so deep it actually popped into a chinese arse at the other side of the earth...

One only needs to remember the chaos when they brought out the exhaust law a few years back. It concerned both some bikers as well as soccer mums in Subarus. Did it stop the boyracer problems? Apparently not.

**Mikkel** · 2nd February 2009, 13:09

Well, let's just all hope they come up with a final solution to the boy racer problem sometime soon then.

**DarkLord** · 2nd February 2009, 13:14

Originally Posted by Max Preload

Incorrect. Only the Court can confiscate and sell a vehicle. Vehicles impounded under the existing 'Boy Racer' legislation are returned after 28-days and payment of the towage & storage charges.

So the original owner ends up getting it back??

If that's the case, that stupid law isn't going to solve anything. They know they can go and do what they want, if worst comes to the worst they will lose their license (will still drive anyway) and will lose their car but only for a month.

I vote again for car crushing. I already voted before but I want to again.

**Marmoot** · 2nd February 2009, 13:18

Originally Posted by Mikkel

Well, let's just all hope they come up with a final solution to the boy racer problem sometime soon then.

I hope we're not thinking of the same thing

Final Solution

**Ixion** · 2nd February 2009, 13:26

Originally Posted by Stuff

Police want a cease and desist order, like that used in Scotland. It would require a new offence of vehicle disorder – using a vehicle in a way that alarmed or distressed the public – to be established.

...

Other changes police wanted included; licence suspension for failure to pay fines; increased demerit point penalties for speeding, and serious penalties for failure to stop for police.

Firstly, what do speeding and failure to stop have to do with it. My understanding is that they are already pretty much stopped. Are they saying that the 300 boi-racers were speeding and failed to stop? 300 boi racers congregated at 100kph+ would be quite a sight.

Secondly, they want an offence of 'alarming or distressing the public'. That is wide open to abuse. And could have major impact on motorcycles, since Mabel gets alarmed and distressed every time someone overtakes her.I can see that being used against lanesplitters for example.

There's not even a 'reasonable person' clause. The person who claims to be alarmed or distressed could be mentally unstable. or just have a major obsession against motorbikes. Should my bike be confiscated because some neurotic froot-loop old woman , who's already half demented goes off her tree ?

The original (present) boy racer laws have been so widely abused by the police that any extension of them should be viewed with the greatest concern. They certainly won't be used only against boi-racers.

**R6_kid:Me** · 2nd February 2009, 13:26

Originally Posted by madbikeboy

Bullshit.

If 300 bikers mobbed and shot at a police officer, we'd deserve to get this legislation on us.

The boy racer problem is way out of control - most Fridays and Saturdays the boy racers use my road as a fucking race track - I've lost count of the amount of times they've crashed on my corner. Most of the time they're drunk. I've stopped bothering to go help, if they bleed to death, it's their problem.

This doesn't affect us, or concern us.

Tell me how what they are doing on your road at night is different to groups of bikes riding over Coromandel without concern for the speed limit.

I'm sure that being passed by a bike doing 170kmh+ would put the shits up most Sunday drivers.

The thing that worries me is the "using a vehicle in a way that alarmed or distressed the public" - some people are so insecure on the road that they cant use merging lanes properly. Simply having a loud exhaust makes them cringe and lower their speed by another 20kmh in moving traffic.

I know of a well respected person on this site who was charged with dangerous driving after he 'ran another vehicle of the road'. The complaint wasnt from the person that pulled off the road voluntarily, it was from a person 100m back who thought they saw the vehicle swerve to avoid the vehicle passing them.

And anyway for what it's worth, 'witnesses' are over-rated. Unless you have photo/video footage your memory can be somewhat unreliable.

**Max Preload** · 2nd February 2009, 13:38

Originally Posted by DarkLord

So the original owner ends up getting it back??

Yes. Unless it is in the meantime confiscated by the Courts for unpaid fines etc.

Originally Posted by DarkLord

If that's the case, that stupid law isn't going to solve anything.

No shit...

At the end of the day this is not a legislation issue - there are plenty of existing laws that allow the Police to deal with the vehicle issues. But this issue is not one of cars or boy racers but one of simple lawlessness. Personally, I don't want to be put in the situation of being able to be threatened with prosecution under some knee-jerk reactionary subjective law because I refuse to be bullied (i.e. simply don't pass the attitude test if stopped). There's already far too many of those bullshit laws now.

**The Stranger:Me** · 2nd February 2009, 13:46

Originally Posted by idb

We need a new super hero that will protect us...someone with a past full of demons and who suffers flashbacks at inconvenient moments of danger but can no longer sit idly by and watch the criminal underworld force the good citizens to live in fear in their own homes.

He must have a cool rubber suit as well.

After all it's been 22 years since Chernobyl, where's our super heros?

**ManDownUnder** · 2nd February 2009, 13:55

Best thing the boy racers could do it turn on those bringing their name into disrepute - assuming there are those that obey the law (forgive me - but all I have is the press BS to go on).

Like with bikes - if someone pulled a gun on the police and had a go... I'd be the first to name them. That's stupidity that will reflect badly on anyone not speaking out against it.

As for law changes afoot as the result? No surprise at all.... ab-so-lute-ly none. Someone escalated the issue - consider it escalated. I'm right with the cops on this one.

**DarkLord** · 2nd February 2009, 13:58

I really believe that the core of the issue lies simply within the heart and mind of each individual. That is the only way anything is going to get resolved. We can all point fingers as much as we like, but for every finger we point at others there are three pointing back at us. This goes for EVERYONE. No one is exempt from this.

Personally, I would like to see boy racer cars crushed if deserved. However I somehow doubt that would change anything. For the root of the problem is within the individual, not within the vehicle that they own. We can take the vehicle away from them but their attitude that causes them to act irresponsibly will remain, and will either manifest through them finding another vehicle and doing the same thing, or through something worse.

I feel that the NZ justice system, although well-meaning, is too soft at times and is fully reliant on those who are in the wrong realising that they have been "naughty" and are grateful for the lenient, educational "punishment" received, and therefore know not to do it again. Boi-racers know that they will just get their car back, and once they do they can go and do it again. If there was a real risk involved, of them losing their car permanently, then they may stop racing. However as I have said that attitude will just come out elsewhere and will be just as unpleasant.

They also know that they can protest about the treatment they received for doing something wrong and there is a good chance their voice will be heard. At the same time, of course, if harsher laws based on "attitude" are put into place, it places too much judgment into the hands of the individual, who might just be having a bad day or really hates bikes or something, and therefore because of their "attitude", some poor bastard loses something they didn't deserve to lose. Fairness? I think not.

As I have said, I honestly think the only way that situations like this are going to change is if people stop taking the easy way out and take the necessary way, regardless of who they are or what position they are in. Before we go off judging others and ranting and raving about whoever it may be, we need to take a hard look in the mirror first. For through each individual doing that, change for the better will come.

I don't know exactly how this could happen to be honest, plus I am overtired and hungry, but those are my thoughts.

Peace and well being to you all.

**Morcs** · 2nd February 2009, 14:07

Promote the Gingas to no.1 and no.2 in the 'force.

Thatll sort these vermin boy racers out.

**SPman** · 2nd February 2009, 14:38

They don't need any more laws - proper application of the laws they already have should be more than enough, if the police are diong their jobs properly...

Originally Posted by Les

The original (present) boy racer laws have been so widely abused by the police that any extension of them should be viewed with the greatest concern. They certainly won't be used only against boi-racers. ___________

- increasing the size of the wedge.......scare the populace - more laws - less "freedoms" for members of the general populace!

I also can't help noticing how anyone allegedly doing anything that upsets a section of the community, police, authorities, or indeed, the news media, more and more, is being demonised......"scumbags", "vermin", "lowlifes", etc etc etc.

Just look through the above posts........

Not an indicator of a healthy society from any angle..........

**pritch** · 2nd February 2009, 14:40

Originally Posted by madbikeboy

This doesn't affect us, or concern us.

I hope you're right, but I fear you are wrong.

New legislation once passed, tends to be used in ummm creative(?) ways. Some of the people who draft our laws seem to be less than spectacularly talented and the problem is exacerbated if the legislation, as in this case, is deemed urgent.

There is considerable potential for the proposed law changes (which a Police spokesman says are not necessary) to effect us as well.