But shortly after pulling into a Wendouree car park to go shopping, a blue Holden began "fishtailing'' in wet conditions at high speed.

Her protective mothering instinct took over and the petite 27-year-old confronted the young driver.

"I went over and said some not very nice words to him and he said to me, `sorry, I didn't see anyone in the car park','' Mrs Dunstan said.

"Then another man came over and said to me, `I'm going to call the hoon hotline'.''

The man never called the hotline, but armed with the car's registration number Mrs Dunstan did.

Last Tuesday, Mrs Dunstan found herself in Ballarat Magistrates' Court testifying against a 17-year-old Wendouree boy charged with dangerous driving.

The teen denied the charge and police said it was on the strength of Mrs Dunstan's evidence that led to him being disqualified from driving for a year.

"He's an idiot and he was putting people and kids at risk, so it was worth it," she said.