Victoria Police say stolen cars are no longer just about theft — they’re increasingly a public safety crisis.
“Stolen vehicles pose a significant risk to community safety, as they are often driven in dangerous manners and at high speeds, and often by young people who have zero experience on the road,” a spokesperson said.
“This offending has led to catastrophic consequences – stolen cars were involved in more than 760 crashes and six people losing their lives in the twelve months to March 2025.
“Stolen vehicles are also used to aid in further criminality, such as aggravated burglaries, running drugs, and arson attacks, among other serious offences.”
Former RACV driving instructor Mark Cantwell said the combination of stolen cars and young, inexperienced drivers is a recipe for disaster.
“An inexperienced driver in a stolen car (often male) lacks basic car control, let alone any ability to drive to an advanced level,” Cantwell said.
“Experts tell us that in the case of males, their brains don’t fully mature until they are 25 years of age (some might say they never mature) which means you have someone with little knowledge or ability, very immature, in charge of a lethal weapon.
“Add to this adrenaline, peer pressure, possibility of drugs in their systems, panicking under pressure and a desire not to be caught and this makes crashing inevitable.”
Cantwell warns that most road users are completely unprepared for the danger.
“You would be confident approaching a green light that you could safely travel through the lights — not expecting a stolen car to be travelling not only through a red light but at speed and more than likely in the process of losing control.
“Pedestrians are faced with the same dilemma. They would have a reasonable expectation to be able safely cross at pedestrian crossings, green walk signs without being mowed down by a speeding driver.
“The danger is because we aren’t expecting to be faced with an out of control car, we are likely to react a little slowly due to the shock factor of what is unfolding around us.”
Operation Trinity remains Victoria Police’s most well-resourced operation, with over 140,000 policing hours dedicated solely to target burglars and car thieves last year, including across the Greater Dandenong, Casey and Cardinia areas.
As a result of this intense focus, police arrested 661 burglars and car thieves 1,700 times in the twelve months to the end of July 2025 – the equivalent of almost five burglars and car thieves arrested every single day.
On top of this, the Air Wing spent well over a thousand hours in the sky last year tracking burglars and car thieves as part of Operation Trinity.
A Victoria Police spokesperson said the crackdown is delivering results, with around 95 per cent of stolen vehicles recovered and returned to their owners across key vehicle theft hotspots in Melbourne – including Greater Dandenong, Casey and Cardinia – last year.
Cantwell believes driver education must evolve to reflect the current stolen car epidemic.
“10 years ago it wouldn’t need to have been discussed with a new driver or any driver for that matter,” Cantell said.
“Instructors will need to make this part of their driving risk management for their learners. We talk about bad weather, fog, heavy rain, peak hour traffic, school zones and being aware around sensitive areas where vulnerable people congregate. Now the possible stolen/out of control car will need to be part of those strategies.”
He suggests drivers be taught how to protect themselves if faced with a dangerous driver: pulling over, turning into another street, or finding a safe place off the road.
Police also acknowledge that having your vehicle stolen is not only a financial burden, but also a “major inconvenience to everyday life, affecting the commute to and from work, the supermarket and school drop off and pick up, to name a few”.
