Wagga hoons targetted for endangering lives around busy city

Recently, on Friday October 5, the city’s highway patrol were forced to call off a pursuit through Ashmont due to the driver’s increasingly erratic vehicle control through busy roads.

Later the same night, the stolen black 1994 Holden Rodeo was found burnt out in Mount Austin. It was the second of four vehicle fires that week.

“It is a problem in terms of the frequency of the incidences, and the willingness of these individuals to lead police on these sorts of dangerous pursuits,” said Inspector Peter McLay.

We have had a number of pursuits where the drivers have been trying to entice police to chase.

“It’s fraught with danger and likely to end badly.”

Investigations are continuing into the cause of Saturday’s crash that trapped a young driver at the intersection of Docker and Edward Streets.

It may have been the result of a medical episode. 

Despite little increase in the number of hoons reported to police, Jan Lyons of Wagga’s PCYC has noticed the trend overflowing into their driver offenders course. 

Run primarily for those charged with a driving misdemeanour, the classes are usually held over a couple weekends every second month. 

Lately they have had be scheduled more regularly.

“Since August there’s been more enrollments,” said Ms Lyons.

“So we opened another one for November, and already that’s almost full, and so is December’s.

“We haven’t even held the October one yet.”

With room for 30 participants in each session, Ms Lyons is encouraged to see the course being taken on as a preventative measure.

“We’re getting more L’s and P-platers that haven’t had any offences, but who have been enrolled by their parents as a precaution.

“Nurses come in to talk about the crashes that have changed them personally, and that’s incredibly eye-opening to keep anyone from recklessly driving,” said Ms Lyons.