Casey Traffic Management Unit’s Sergeant Pat McGavigan, Maretta Schaffert and Lake View residents are urging council to install traffic calming devices in an effort to stop hoon behaviour.
By Kelly Yates
NARRE Warren South residents say their neighbourhood is a hoon hotspot, with out of control drivers racing at speeds of a 100km/h.
Maretta Schaffert, who lives at the corner of Lake View Drive and Teal Crescent, is fed up with the number of the hoon drivers revving their screeching engines along the straight residential road.
The residents are urging Casey council to install traffic calming devices such as traffic islands on Lake View Drive.
“The drivers need to be forced to slow down as it’s only a matter of time before a child is killed,” she said.
Ms Schaffert, who was with the State Emergency Service (SES) for 20 years, said she had seen a lot of car accidents in her time as a volunteer.
“I’ve seen children in body bags and it’s heart wrenching,” she said.
Ms Shaffert witnessed an accident on 12 February where a young driver lost control at a roundabout along Lake View Drive at 2.30pm.
“He was doing burn-outs around the roundabout and lost control near the park,” she said. “The driver was speeding at 80km/h and as a result of the impact his windscreen blew out.”
Ms Schaffert said some residents were even stopping their children from playing on the road and in the near by park, due to the fear of the hoon drivers.
“These kids are being held hostage because of the idiots,” she said.
Lake View Drive has been included in Casey Council’s local traffic management strategy for the possible installation of traffic calming devices after a recent assessment.
Casey Traffic Management Unit Sergeant Pat McGavigan from the Narre Warren police station told the News that some hoon drivers used the traffic calming devices as targets.
“Some drivers slow to pass the device and then loudly rev to accelerate away from it,” he said.
City of Casey community safety manager Caroline Bell said the council had received two reports of hoon driving along Lake View Drive, in mid-2007 and mid-2008.
Sgt McGavigan said police had previously received complaints about hoon activities around Lake View Drive and when patrolled, they discovered it was the local residents committing the offences.
Police are encouraging residents who witness an incident or with information about people driving in a dangerous or irresponsible manner to call the council’s toll-free all-hours hoon hotline on 1800 18 HOON (1800 18 4666).
Sgt McGavigan also urged residents to take note of the number plates of hoon drivers.
Other hoon hot spots in Casey include Endeavour Hills, Berwick, Hampton Park, Cranbourne and Pearcedale, according to Sgt McGavigan.
“Police have been to many incidents where a driver thinking they can control a vehicle has lost control and placed it into a tree, pole or more devastatingly another road user including a young pedestrian,” Sgt McGavigan said.
“Hoon drivers, like other drivers, may get away with it sometimes, but if they continue with that behaviour it is only a matter of time before they are caught or more importantly before someone is injured due to their irresponsible driving behaviour.”
