How to Report Dangerous Driving / Hooning

‘Hooning’ and dangerous driving endangers the lives of other road users and pedestrians. It also creates disturbance to residents of the neighbourhood.

When driving on Queensland roads, all road users have a duty of care to ensure the safety of other drivers. While you are not responsible for an unsafe vehicle on the roads, you should report any unsafe vehicles if you do see them, purely for the safety of others. In addition to reporting an unsafe vehicle, you may also report unsafe driving.

If you witness dangerous driving on the road or hooning is a problem in your area, there are steps you can take to report it.

What is hooning? 

Hooning is a broad term that may refer to a variety of offences which are typified by reckless, anti-social behaviours on the road. It may include:

• excessive speeding
• racing or time trialling
• burnouts or doughnuts
• engine revving, screeching brakes, and skidding
• playing loud music from a car stereo
• creating unnecessary noise or smoke
• carrying more passengers than there are seat belts in the vehicle
• refusing to stop when requested by police
• repeated DUI or driving without a licence
• driving recklessly, carelessly or dangerously, or
• driving a non-compliant modified vehicle

The law imposes strict penalties for hooning including fines, jail terms and vehicle impounding or confiscation.

How to report hooning or dangerous driving

As noted above, all road users have a duty to drive safely and to keep other road users safe. If you spot a driver who is using their vehicle in an unsafe way, you have the option of reporting this driver to Queensland Transport.

• The types of vehicle and road use that can be reported include hooning, burnouts or fishtails, drifting, revving engines, screeching brakes, and skidding, street racing, drag racing, rolling roadblocks, time trials and speeding, driving recklessly, deliberately endangering other road users, dangerously weaving in and out of traffic, and disregarding road rules and signs.

Before reporting a vehicle, try to make a note of:

• the colour, model and make of the vehicle;
• what the hooning activity was;
• the registration of the vehicle; and
• the time and location of the incident.

You will need to get the licence plate details of the vehicle, along with a description of the car, and you can report their details online or by phone.

If you want to report hooning in your area you can call the Queensland Hoon Hotline on 13HOON (134 666).

If you or someone else is in immediate danger because of a dangerous driver you can get emergency assistance by calling 000.

Report unsafe heavy vehicle (truck) or semi-trailer practices

Heavy vehicles are common on our roads, and most drivers have an impeccable safety record. However, if a heavy vehicle is being driven in a manner that is unsafe, you can and should report it. 

• You can report an unsafe heavy vehicle on the national reporting line. This kind of reporting of unsafe driving and vehicles is critical given the impact that a heavy vehicle can have on other road users.
• When reporting unsafe driving you can report an incident or situation that affects the safety of a heavy vehicle, a behaviour that impacts on a heavy vehicle, or a practice that is not compliant with Heavy Vehicle National Law.
  

Government vehicles

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If you wish to report a government vehicle being dangerously driven you can call (07) 3008 2633 or online at QFleet.

What if I am injured by a hooning vehicle? 

If you are involved in an road accident or otherwise injured as a result of hooning behaviour, you may be able to make a claim for personal injury compensation under the Compulsory Third Party Insurance scheme. Talk to a lawyer about your options as soon as possible, because strict time limits apply.