Here's an article that I wrote for a local newspaper's 'Thumbs up Thumbs down' section.
"Once again the topic of Hoon behaviour on our streets has permeated public discourse, forcing us to question why this issue remains largely unresolved.
My mind is cast back to 2007, where a business located in a Melbourne industrial estate had set up an indoor driving simulator, allowing real vehicles to be brought in and driven in front of a large screen, using full control of brakes, steering and the accelerator. Not surprisingly the business was a success, and many young car enthusiasts would 'race' their mates indoors safely and legally off the streets, taking advantage of this remarkable new technology.
Despite the safety-oriented intentions of organisers, the local police would intervene, regularly blocking off the street subjecting drivers exiting the site to questioning, vehicle searches and defect notices. The intense police scrutiny ultimately served to drive users away, leaving the business suffering to the point where it now no longer exists, and leaving car lovers with one less off-street place to go.
Thumbs up to those who play a role in the solution to this issue and thumbs down to the counter productive attitudes of those who seek to do the opposite."
Can you get me a job with The Age?