EDITORIAL: Drive it home: Safety is key
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A HIGH-speed drag race between Albury and Wodonga that reached 168km/h has left police appalled.
They said the Lavington P-plater with “next to no” driving experience had shown no regard for safety by travelling at more than double the speed limit on the Lincoln Causeway about 6pm on Saturday.
The youth, 18, was driving the Ford Falcon XR6 sedan that belonged to a friend, who was a passenger in the car.
It comes as a video of a separate incident involving drag racing in Albury was posted on a social media page yesterday.
Acting Sgt Mal Burdett, of Wodonga highway patrol, said police were shocked at such a disregard for everyone’s safety.
“These speeds are not acceptable at any time, especially on a stretch of road like the Lincoln Causeway. This driver had next to no experience — I just can’t get my head around it,” he said.
The driver was heading towards Wodonga when the car raced past Wodonga Sen-Constable Paul Marshall, who was in an unmarked patrol car.
“I saw two cars in my rear-view mirror going much quicker than the rest of the traffic,” he said.
“One passed me and I went after it.”
The other locked on the brakes and did a U-turn at Harris Road — about one kilometre north of the Hume Freeway intersection.
Sen-Constable Marshall said obviously such reckless behaviour could have ended badly.
“It amazes me that with all the knowledge about hoon legislation, we still get high speeds,” he said.
“People are not getting the message.
“Thankfully this is not a regular occurrence.”
The driver was interviewed and will be summonsed to appear in court on charges of dangerous speed, engaging in street race, driving an unroadworthy car and exceeding the speed limit.
The car owner, 18, who was in the front passenger seat, has lost his car for 30 days.
“It will cost $723 to get it back,” Sen-Constable Marshall said.
Police are searching for the other car involved, a black AU model XR Ford ute.
Police urge anyone with information about the incident to ring Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.