Joy Henderson knows first-hand the trouble they can cause.
Drink-drivers have crashed into the garage of her Prince Albert Rd home twice - once on November 22, 2005, and again on Sunday, November 23.
"Three years from this weekend, I think I'll go out."
The first time the car punched a hole in her garage wall and slightly damaged her car; this time her Toyota Starlet was crushed and pushed into an internal wall behind it in the impact, seriously damaging the wall that separated the garage from the spare bedroom and the kitchen.
The noise of the crash was terrifying, the septuagenarian said.
"It was terrible, terrible. It was so loud, so sudden and then it stopped."
In both cases, the cars had come from Richardson St straight across Prince Albert Rd to crash into her garage. She believed the cars must have been travelling at significant speeds to cause the damage they did.
The crash, and the behaviour that led up to it, has other residents of South Dunedin concerned.
They say cars have started speeding around the flat, grid-pattern streets of St Kilda, Musselburgh and South Dunedin again after a quiet period since Simon Charlton (11) was killed on Richardson St when a speeding car crashed into his father's car in January this year.
One St Kilda resident said her neighbour had called the police earlier on Saturday night after two cars - including the one that later crashed into her friend, Mrs Henderson's, house - were seen "hooning" about the neighbourhood at high speed with people hanging out the windows.
Her neighbour said she called police about 9pm after the cars raced each other side by side down Moreau St.
It is understood the police were called a second time about the same vehicles about 1am when a youth, who appeared to be intoxicated, drove off at high speed in one car after arguing with another youth. The Prince Albert Rd crash happened shortly afterwards.
South Dunedin community watch head Tubby Hopkins said the slow-down over the past year was partly due to increased police patrols in the area following the fatal crash.
But the police could not be everywhere and now it was up to the community to call the police when they saw people driving dangerously.
Senior Sergeant Phil McDouall, of South Dunedin, said if people were concerned about dangerous driving in their street they should note the registration and a description of the driver and call the central Dunedin police station on 471-4800 or 111 straight away.
But the Moreau St resident who called police on Saturday said she wanted to call more often, but usually by the time she heard the car and got to the door or window it was gone.
• Police said it was likely the 16-year-old driver of the car which crashed into the Prince Albert Rd property would be referred to youth aid. The youth was alleged to have a breath-alcohol reading over the legal limit and was not injured in the crash. Further information was unavailable yesterday.
