Bill passed allowing boy racers' cars to be crushed

Judith Collins said boy racers' cars would be crushed if they offended three times in four years. File photo / Bay of Plenty Times

A bill allowing boy racers' cars to be crushed was passed by Parliament today.

The Vehicle Confiscation and Seizure Bill gives courts the power to send cars owned by repeat offenders to the crusher.

Police Minister Judith Collins said the bill would also toughen provisions for the seizure of motor vehicles for unpaid fines and strengthen the courts' powers to confiscate motor vehicles.

"This bill will hit boy racers where it hurts - by targeting their vehicles."

Fines did not work and infringement notices became "badges of honour," she said.

Low value cars that were used to commit offences and incur fines would also be seized so they could not be used to commit more offences, she said.

Ms Collins earlier said it would a "wee while" before the first car was crushed.

"They've got to offend three times in four years, serious offences.

"Our estimates are there will be 10 cars crushed a year. Hopefully they will get the message and we won't have to crush anyway."

Green Party MP Keith Locke said his party did not support the bill because it "goes in the wrong direction".

Toughening penalties as a response to crime was only filling the prisons, he said.

"The prison rate in countries like Sweden that have taken a different course is much lower than the prison rate in New Zealand, so what we're doing is we're actually increasing the rate of crime.

"Prisons are by and large schools for crime, if you are anti-crime you should be against this bill."

All other political parties supported the bill, though most had reservations.

Labour MP Darien Fenton said it was supposed to be a "king hit" on boy racers, but it would not make a huge difference.

Act MP David Garrett said his party would support the bill and any amendments later needed to "close loopholes".

Maori Party MP Te Ururoa Flavell said he had sympathy with claims that the crushing would waste cars, "especially if you're trying to get one".

"I wouldn't mind some of those cars, drop off a muffler here or there."

However, he said the Maori Party supported the bill "as a matter of safety".

The Land Transport (Enforcement Powers) Amendment Bill which passed last night also aims to crack down on boy racers by giving councils the authority to make bylaws to prohibit cruising - defined in the bill as repeated circling of the same section of road in a manner that draws attention to the power or noise of a vehicle.

- NZPA