By XAVIER SMERDON
FAMILIES and friends of dangerous drivers need to step up and stop their loved ones from becoming a statistic, according to a western suburbs Highway Patrol officer.
Sergeant Kevin Hickson of the Wyndham Highway Patrol told Star that the introduction of hoon legislation that allows police officers to impound vehicles had made an impact on hoon behaviour.
But Sgt Hickson, a member of the Highway Patrol for 23 years, said plenty of people were still choosing to put their lives at risk.
“I couldn’t tell you how many fatalities I’ve seen,” Sgt Hickson said.
“Let me tell you, there is nothing more soul destroying than to see some young kid lying dead on the road and to see their family try to continue with their life after something like that happens.
“That’s the thing that these hoon drivers don’t understand, when it goes wrong they will leave their family grieving for them for the rest of their lives.
“You wouldn’t go out to deliberately hurt your family, yet that’s what plenty of hoon drivers are doing every day.”
Sgt Hickson, a member of the RoadSafe Westgate Community Road Safety Council, a road safety advocacy group that implements road safety programs in the municipalities of Hobsons Bay, Maribyrnong, Melton and Wyndham, said parents needed to set a good example for their children.
“You are teaching your kids how to drive from the moment they sit in the back seat while you are behind the steering wheel,” he said.
“If the parents speed, the kids will speed too.”
Sgt Hickson encouraged parents, siblings and friends of dangerous drivers to call Crime Stoppers if they have any information.
Anyone who witnesses hoon behaviour should also call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
The Victorian Community Road Safety Partnership Program has provided funding to support RoadSafe Westgate in addressing local road safety issues within these municipalities.
