There are two things certain in this world. There will always be cars and there will always be idiots.

That’s why this move by the Government to make it easier to seize and destroy cars won’t get rid of the boy racer problem. But it’s better than nothing and good on the Government for doing it.

At the moment, the police can only seize or destroy a boy or girl racer’s car if they offend three times. We’re talking about three offences, in particular: taking part in illegal street racing; fleeing from the police. and getting involved in an intimidating convoy.

So do either of those things three times, and the car can be taken off them.

But, once this new legislation is passed, there’ll be no second or third chances.

Which I think will help the police no end because, as the law stands at the moment, they have to have evidence that someone has offended three times before there’s any chance of taking the car off them.

Which is probably why only three cars have ever been seized and crushed under the original legislation that the former-National government brought-in back in 2009.

So it’s a problem that politicians have been trying to solve for a fair while now. And not just at central government level.

We’ve tried over the years in Christchurch. The council brought-in the “no cruising” zones. which are still here. In fact, there are more now than there used to be.

A concrete pad was built at Ruapuna Speedway too. The idea being that they could all go out there and fill their boots doing skids and burn-outs. But no one was interested. Because meeting-up somewhere like Ruapuna to let rip in a car - something organised and legal - that’s not what boy racing is all about.

It’s about stuff happening on the spur of the moment. It’s about not following the rules. It’s about taking over a piece of road and making it your own.

So that was never going to work. Just like the “no cruising” zones were never really going to work, either. Sure, it might have sorted things out a bit in the central city, but all it did was push the problem somewhere else.

Particularly into the semi-rural areas the cars head-out to every weekend.

But back to the Government’s latest crackdown. I think it’s great that it’s, at least, doing something - but we shouldn’t think for a minute that it’s going to mean goodbye to the scourge of boy racers.

Think back to just over a year ago, when an 18-year-old woman died tragically after the car she was in crashed into the side of a house in Rangiora.

They’d been at an illegal street racing event and, when the police turned-up, the driver took off and ended up crashing.

Under this new legislation, he would have had his car confiscated there and then. Maybe it would even have been crushed.

But do you think for a minute that that guy thought about the consequences of his actions before deciding to hoof it from the police?

Do you think he would’ve thought about it any more if he knew he ran the risk of losing his car? I don’t think he would have. Which is why I don’t see this law change having any major impact.

I would love it to and good on the Government for doing something. But I don’t think this will mean an end to the problems boy racers cause.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.