Police want end to road carnage

CASEY’S most senior police officer has called for an end to the carnage on local roads following a shocking double fatality in Lynbrook last week.
Inspector Bob Hill said police were sick of the blatant disregard some motorists were showing towards road safety and called on all motorists to take a good look at their driving behaviour.
“Enough is enough, the road deaths have to stop,” he said.
“People just do not seem to realise that they aren’t invincible and always think it will never happen to them.
“But road trauma and fatalities do happen, and it has already happened seven times too many on Casey roads this year.”
Insp Hill said police continued to be appalled by some of the examples of ridiculous driver behaviour they continued to be confronted with on a daily basis. Incidents include:
•ON Thursday night, a 21-year-old Doveton man was detected travelling at 150km/h along South Gippsland Highway, Lynbrook, in an 80km/h speed zone, close to the scene of the reported double fatality two nights before.
The road was wet and it was raining. The man’s vehicle was impounded and he will now face charges of improper use of a vehicle.
•LAST week an 18-year-old P-Plater was detected driving along the Monash Freeway in Berwick at 142km/h in a 100km/h zone.
He had had his licence for only six months and had one bald tyre.
•ON Wednesday night a 38-year-old man led police on a pursuit, after they detected him driving through Cranbourne in an unregistered vehicle.
He has since been charged with driving an unregistered car, driving while disqualified, at a dangerous speed and in a dangerous manner, failing to stop and exceeding prescribed alcohol limit.
Insp Hill said all of Casey’s fatalities had occurred in the Cranbourne area this year, with nine of last year’s 11 road deaths also in Cranbourne.
He said senior police had this week decided to permanently move a Traffic Management Unit (TMU) police motorcycle to Cranbourne Police station because of the rising road toll.
Increased road patrols, an extension to speed camera hours, increased booze bus operations and other traffic law enforcement operations will also be implemented. “People just don’t understand the trauma road fatalities inflict on their families and friends and the life-long disabilities and horrific injuries people endure when they do happen to survive these crashes,” Insp Hill said.
Cranbourne Senior Sergeant Cecily Allan said with the onset of winter people also needed to take extra care on the wet roads and drive to suit the conditions.