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Jane Holroyd
February 1, 2007 - 2:44PM

First-time drivers are the state's biggest hoons, according to new statistics released by Victoria Police.

Since anti-hoon laws came into effect in July last year, police have seized 1014 vehicles, or 35 per week - up from about 10 per week in the first month.

Probationary licence holders have committed half (50.5 per cent) of the offences - which can include burnouts, fishtails or drag racing - with 150 18-year-olds caught breaking the laws.

The biggest offenders are males aged 18 to 21, with females making up just one per cent of Victorian hoons collared by police.

Under the laws, vehicles driven by first-time offenders can be held by police for 48 hours. Drivers caught breaking the laws a second time can lose their cars for three months, while a third offence within three years can result in police permanently confiscating a hoon's car.

Assistant Commissioner for Traffic, Noel Ashby, said the risks taken by many young, male drivers was reflected in Victoria's road toll.

"The legislation really targets young male drivers, who are over-represented in our road trauma and fatality statistics," he said.

"This age group is more willing to take dangerous risks - risks to themselves and to others."

Today's statistics also reveal that a majority of Victoria's hoons reside in Melbourne's south-east and western suburbs, with 22 hoons calling Greater Dandenong home.

Other hoon hot spots included Frankston, St Albans, Hoppers Crossing, Mill Park, Ballarat and Craigieburn.

However, Mr Ashby pointed out that most offenders left their own suburbs to break road laws.

"Many of the hoon offences occurred in areas away from the driver's residence," he said.

Mr Ashby said the anti-hoons measures were working as a deterrent as only a small percentage of offences were committed by people who had been charged previously.

"We think it is (a deterrent) and that's because out of 1014 cars we only have a recidivism rate of about two per cent , which is significantly lower than we thought," Mr Ashby told theage.com.au.

"We've certainly seized more cars than we anticipated but the recidivism has been lower than expected."

"We know the impounding of cars is taken particularly (hard) by the young people, particularly the young males," he said.

theage.com.au