Burnout driver speaks out

A 40-second joyride down a residential street has put a damper on the final year of high school for 18-year-old Jake Vitaljich.

The former Geraldton student has spoken out in an attempt to warn other teenagers about the consequence of a split-second decision behind the wheel.

Mr Vitaljich, now based in Perth, was charged under hooning laws last December for a 150-metre skid in residential Woorree.

Fast-forward three months, $1800 worth of fines and a six-month suspended licence, Mr Vitaljich has warned others to consider the repercussions.

“I got the chance to drive a friend of a friend’s V8 and got caught up in the moment. I put my foot down and did the skid,” he said.

“When the police knocked on my door, they asked me why I did it and did you think about what would happen if you lost control, a kid ran out on the road or you crashed.

“The honest answer is no, but now I sit back and think what if I had of lost control, it wouldn’t just be six months without my licence, it would be years in jail or worse.”

It’s also the logistical side of the suspension that has put strain on Mr Vitaljich, in a year where school should be the teenager’s only major focus.

The teenager said what used to be a 20-minute drive to work or school now took over an hour by public transport and push bike.

“My parents also made me pay the fine from police and the cost of getting the car out of the impound lot,” he said.

“As a student it’s affected so many parts of my life, even getting a future loan is going to be hell with this on my record.”

The student’s message is similar to what the Rotary Club of Geraldton hopes to share in a full-day Rotary WA Driver Education program on March 31.

Supported by Rotary, Main Roads, RAC and WA Police, the program for Year 10 and 11 students hopes to influence the attitudes of young drivers before they’re of the age to get behind the wheel.

For soon-to-be-drivers, Mr Vitaljich has one word of advice.

“There’s a place for doing things like skids and burnouts, that’s at the racetrack, not on our roads,” he said.