THE perils of night driving on a major Wagga arterial road have been thrust into the spotlight again after six cars were pelted with rocks in the space of an hour this week.
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Wagga police have increased patrols on Glenfield Road - and nearby Red Hill Road - in the Tolland and Glenfield Park area after the vehicles were attacked with projectiles between 7.25pm and 8.30pm on Wednesday.
One vehicle had its windscreen smashed, while the others sustained considerable panel and window damage.
Officers patrolled the area, but were unable to find anyone in nearby bush trails or laneways.
The attacks are the latest in a string of rock-throwing incidents in the area and police say it's only a matter of time before a driver, or passenger, is seriously injured.
Bruce Dodds, from Lake Albert, was on his way to work about 7.30pm when his maroon Toyota HiLux unexpectedly became a target on Glenfield Road.
Mr Dodds had entered the busy thoroughfare from Red Hill Road and was heading towards the Dalman Parkway roundabout when he was struck - the impact damaging his roof and a side panel.
"All of a sudden, I just got this noise of rocks hitting my vehicle," Mr Dodds said.
"I didn't stop ... I wasn't game."
Mr Dodds said the section of road was poorly lit and believed the culprits had hidden behind a nearby embankment.
"There's no lighting at all, it's like a country road," he said.
"I never saw them at all, the first thing I knew there were rocks (hitting his ute).
"The problem has been going on several years, that I know of, and nothing seems to get done."
In a statement, Wagga City Council said the street lighting along Glenfield Road and Red Hill Road met the Australian standard.
Another rock attack victim, who requested her name be withheld, was driving her new car along Glenfield Road earlier this year when it, too, was hit near Dalman Parkway.
"It would have been quite a large rock because it made quite a bit of damage," she said.
"I definitely don't go that way at night time anymore, it's too dangerous.
The woman believed those responsible for the 9.10pm incident had hidden in a large drain nearby, which is lined with rocks, and used a slingshot to propel the projectile at speed.
"They're getting away with it," she said.
A concerned Glenfield Park resident echoed that angst when spoken to by The Daily Advertiser and said the court system needed to be held accountable.
"The law's basically just too soft on juveniles," the man, who wished to remain anonymous, said.
"It's too soft across the board.
"They're just happy to let them back out into the streets."
Crime manager Detective Inspector Darren Cloake said officers would be actively patrolling the area in an attempt to identify those responsible.
"No one was injured, but it is obviously a concern to us," Inspector Cloake said.
A rock-throwing conviction in NSW has a penalty of five years' imprisonment.