By XAVIER SMERDON
VICTORIA police have identified up to 80 dangerous drivers in Wyndham who continue to drive drunk and on drugs and flout the road rules.
Wyndham’s police Inspector Damien Christensen told Star that the worst drivers in the area were being targeted by members of his Highway Patrol.
“We know of 70 or 80 people that are considered to be high risk drivers because they drink and drive or take drugs and drive or continue to speed, and they’ve racked up a bunch of fines,” Insp Christensen said.
“We’re looking to make sure they don’t continue to drive.”
It comes as dramatic decreases in the number of people dying on the western suburb’s roads show that they are the safest they have been in several years.
The latest TAC road safety statistics were released last week showing that all but one suburb in the West had seen a drop in road related fatalities.
Wyndham had the biggest decrease after two horror years where nine people were killed consecutively in 2011 and 2012, with a decrease of 56 per cent.
The figures, which compare the 12 months to October this year, also indicated that Melton had seen a reduction in fatalities of 50 per cent from 2012 to 2013.
When comparing this year to 2011 the drop is even more dramatic at 63 per cent.
Brimbank and Maribyrnong also had comparatively good years, with drops of 44 per cent and 25 per cent respectively.
The only suburb where the number of road deaths increased was Hobsons Bay, which went from just one in 2011 to three this year.
Chairman of RoadSafe Westgate, which advocates for safer roads and driver education in the West, Jim Giddings, told Star a higher police presence was behind the shift.
“Two things have contributed to this reduction and they are a greater community awareness of issues like speeding and hooning, and a greater presence from the police,” Mr Giddings said.
“There is no doubt that when we have a more visible police presence that people do slow down.”
Inspector Christensen said there had been an increased focus on making Wyndham’s roads safer.
“Over the last 12 months there has been a stunning incremental push to increase the focus on road policing and the results are what they are,” he said.
“A lot of the fatalities that we have had have involved what we call vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and motorbike riders.
“We now also have a dedicated police motorbike and that gives us greater access around congestion and traffic.”
Mr Giddings said that the message of road safety was slowly sinking in to young drivers.
“Slowly but surely we are seeing results, but it’s a lot of hard work,” he said.
“We need to continually work at it to bring the wider community on board and to maintain their interest.”
Hoon drivers can be reported to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
