By Mark Heenan
A POLICE officer, who banned a driver for breaking the speed limit by more than 25km/h, was amazed to find the man’s two-week-old baby incorrectly secured in the back seat of the car.
Senior Constable Ian Guyett of the Maribyrnong Traffic Management clocked the 44-year-old Flemington man doing 67km/h in a 40km/h Braybrook school zone, on 13 June.
Sen Const Guyett, a veteran officer of 27 years, was shocked to find the baby in what looked like a seat for a four-year-old, and said the two-week-old’s safety could have been seriously jeopardised.
“It was just disappointing to see because it happened in medium-to-heavy traffic,” he said.
“I was flabbergasted, you just can’t put into words what I saw.”
The incident happened at 3pm on Duke St, close to Braybrook Secondary College.
The man received 10 demerit points and was fined $451, in addition to the one-month suspension of his licence.
Sen Const Guyett encouraged motorists to take more care when carrying a baby on board, and to slow down in school zones.
“My big message is kids are more precious than gold,” he said.
“Some people take off like Carl Lewis on steroids, when driving in the area.”
He said a serious accident was waiting to happen along busy Duke St, particularly if drivers failed to obey speed limits during peak the school periods.
“I can put this up there among the fatals I’ve been to.
“I hit the school zones regularly and can say that something needs to be done,” Sen Const Guyett said.
