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A boy racer smokes the tyres of his car at night in Palmerston North - Source: ONE News -
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Parliament has passed a bill that cracks down on boy racers by giving councils and the police stronger powers to deal with them.
Transport Minister Steven Joyce says people are being disturbed and intimidated by illegal street racers and he is sure the new measures will be welcomed.
The Land Transport (Enforcement Powers) Amendment Bill gives councils the authority to make bylaws to prohibit cruising - defined in the bill as repeated circling of the same section of road in a manner that draws attention to the power or noise of a vehicle.
Another provision says the police must impound a vehicle breaking the law by taking part in an illegal race. At present impounding a vehicle is an option.
The bill also increases penalties for failing to stop when ordered to and gives police the power to force a car to undergo a metered noise test.
Police can also order a car to be inspected if they suspect it has been illegally modified or is unsafe.
Joyce used the bill to widen the scope of the new drugged driving legislation to include benzodiazepines, a prescription sedative that can lead to impairment.
The drugged driving law has been passed but benzodiazepines were excluded from its provisions.
Labour supported the bill and it passed its third reading under urgency on a unanimous vote on Tuesday night.
The new law will take effect on December 1.
When parliament adjourned it had started debating a second boy racer bill which will allow courts to order cars of repeat offenders to be crushed.
