Bereaved mother begs for action against car racers

For Moana Bennett, more still has to be done to stop young street racers killing themselves and others.

Two years after the Land Transport (Street and Illegal Drag Racing) Amendment Act - commonly known as the Boy Racer Act - came in, she is battling for the lives of those behind the wheels of supercharged cars.

Logan, one of her three sons, died in January last year in a crash that also killed his friends Roman Toia, 17, Craig Kinnear, 15, and unlicensed driver Wikcliffe Siu, 15.

The impact was so severe the engine was hurled 50m along South Auckland's Te Irirangi Dr.

"When they get caught, their cars should be taken off them straight away - permanently. Who cares if they are still paying them off - it could be saving their lives," Mrs Bennett says.

Her comments come amid a boy racer resurgence, which has seen fresh convoys of high-performance cars taking to the streets in defiance of the new laws. Just last month in Manukau, several people were hospitalised after a street-racing car lost control and hit parked cars and spectators.

Mrs Bennett is dismayed by the carnage, and her feelings are echoed by Manukau mayor Sir Barry Curtis and Labour MP Clayton Cosgrove, who championed the law changes.

Inquiries by the Herald on Sunday show that in its first full year of being in force, there were just 960 convictions against wheel-spinning drivers and 489 convictions against drivers caught street racing. There were almost three times as many infringements issued against cyclists.

Although police impounded more than 1300 cars for up to 28 days over the same period, very few ended up being confiscated. Over the past two years, just 19 vehicles have been confiscated around the country - and only two of these have been in Manukau, one of the worst areas in the country for street racing.

The Counties Manukau policing area has just six officers each weekend who are dealing with the problem.

Sir Barry is now making fresh calls for a crackdown on those compelled to tear up his city streets - and for more police to do it. "Everyone is questioning the enforcement of it. The law can be effective, but we have to make an example of people who are acting illegally."

Inspector Sandy Newsome, the police officer in charge of road policing in Counties Manukau, says the problem is monitored every weekend, but the police have to prioritise.

"Is it a priority to chase an idiot on the road ... when you have major crime which requires us to attend because people are being threatened?"

Mr Cosgrove lays the blame with the judiciary and says judges are out of touch. More cars should be confiscated, he says.

"They [judges] should come down to the RSA, the working men's club ... and be in touch with our communities and understand the depth of feeling ... My plea would be that judges use the law to its full extent."

While Sir Barry is supportive of police efforts, he is also eager for stronger action. He wants cars confiscated, and has told police he wants the problem "eliminated". The council is trying to help by banning late-night gatherings on 147 streets.

Mrs Bennett and the mothers of two other boys, Vai Toia and Deniel Kinnear, want parents to be more active in preventing similar accidents. The trio have created a trust, Mothers In Support of Safe Driving (MISSD), aimed at promoting safe driving and speed awareness.

The trust's targets include parents who Mrs Bennett feels are still not getting the message about young racers.

- Herald on Sunday