Police crackdown nabs hoons Speedsters’ cars seized

LEADFOOT idiots are having their vehicles seized after being clocked travelling at dangerous speeds across North Queensland.

In the latest incident, a 19year- old Mount Isa woman was caught exceeding the speed limit by almost 60km/ h.

She was stopped by police in Pentland, east of Hughenden, after an officer recorded a speed of 168km/ h in a 110km/ h speed zone.

Hughenden police officerin- charge Sergeant Scott Spence said the woman was lucky to be alive.

“Out here we have so many problems with kangaroos and cattle,” Sgt Spence said. “Imagine hitting one at 168km/ h. You’d be dead.”

The woman was fined $ 1062, received eight demerit points and had her vehicle seized for 90 days.

Sgt Spence said there was no shortage of speeding drivers on the Flinders Highway.

“We quite often get them travelling at 140- plus. It is stupid. It’s a scourge,” he said.

“I have 30 years of ( police) service and have been to some horrific accidents where speed was the factor.

“Cars are built to crumple so the damage is horrific and if the person isn’t fatally injured they are lucky.”

During a six- month operation, police from every station west of Townsville turned their focus on to the Flinders Highway.

In

that

time,

more

than 2300 RBTs were conducted, 348 traffic infringement notices were handed out and 23 people were busted with drugs.

“During that period, when we increased our road presence, we had a 50 per cent decrease in traffic crashes and no fatalities,” Sgt Spence said.

“We had two fatalities the previous year.”

Sgt Spence said they had also caught people riding in the back of utilities on the highway on two occasions.

Meanwhile, a Townsville man, 22, was clocked travelling at more than twice the speed limit on the Douglas Arterial Rd on June 30.

Police intercepted the vehicle travelling at 202km/ h in the 100km/ h zone. The man was fined $ 1062, received eight demerit points, had his vehicle seized and was ordered not to drive for six months.