Thirty-six vehicles have been ordered off the road by police as they target antisocial road users and illegally modified vehicles in Invercargill – including one using a pair of jandals as suspension bump stops.
Senior Constable Paul Moylan said Operation Hoon on Friday and Saturday targeted drivers who regularly do a lap of the Invercargill CBD before going to organised “skid meets” in rural locations around the city.
Police took advantage of legislation which allowed for vehicles stopped within 5km of a VTNZ testing station to be inspected immediately.
“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,” said Moylan.
He added that an “extreme example” of illegal and unsafe modification was the use of a pair of jandals as suspension bump stops.
Southern District road policing manager Inspector Craig Brown said the drivers pose unnecessary risk to others 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.”
