Thirty-six vehicles have been ordered off Southland roads by Invercargill Police on Friday and Saturday nights (18-19 Oct).

Police used the weekend to target antisocial road users and illegally modified vehicles as part of an operation codenamed 'Operation Hoon'.

A car fleeing Police at around 1.30am on Sunday morning resulted in a two-car crash that resulted in two people being critically injured, two others receiving seriously injuries and one minor injuries.

Police used VTNZ to inspect vehicles over the two nights, making use of legislation under the Land Transport Act which allows for vehicles stopped within five kilometres of a specified testing site to be directed there for an immediate inspection.

Road Policing Officer Senior Constable Paul Moylan said the operation had targeted vehicles and individuals that have been identified as belonging to a group organising ‘skid meets’ in rural locations around Invercargill.

“These drivers regularly congregate and ‘lap’ the Invercargill CBD area before heading out into rural areas."

“Aside from examples of extremely risky driving behaviour, many of these vehicles are illegally modified to the point where they are a danger to the drivers and every other motorist they share the road with.”

Operation Hoon certainly highlighted this, with 36 vehicles receiving pink or green stickers through the testing station.

One extreme example of illegal and unsafe modification seen by the team was the use of a pair of jandals as suspension bump stops, Moylan said.

Southern District Road Policing Manager Inspector Craig Brown says the results of the operation had shown Police’s intent in dealing with the ongoing issue of antisocial road use in Invercargill.

“These drivers pose an unnecessary risk to everyone on the road through their behaviour and the state of their vehicles."

“To get this many unsafe cars off the roads over just two evenings is a great success for our teams, and goes a long way in making sure we can keep the roads safer, and help other motorists feel safer too.”