By Xavier Smerdon
WYNDHAM’S law makers and enforcers will hold an emergency meeting to try and tackle dangerous driving in the municipality as the seventh person to die on the roads this year was laid to rest.
Nineteen-year-old Laura Hallinan died after the small hatchback she and six of her friends were in smashed into a tree in Werribee South late at night on Thursday 14 July. The driver has since been charged with culpable driving and will appear before the Magistrates’ Court in November.
The news came just days before Wyndham was revealed by police to be one of the worst areas for hoon driving in Victoria, with more people caught driving while using a phone living in Werribee than anywhere else in the state.
The meeting on road trauma, entitled “Where to Now”, will be attended by representatives from Wyndham City Council, the police, VicRoads, Werribee Mercy Hospital, emergency services and local schools.
Councillor Kim McAliney, who is on the Roadsafe Westgate Community Road Safety Committee, said a new community approach was needed to address the issue of dangerous and hoon driving.
“The repercussions of hoon driving affects us all in our city and the ramifications can be absolutely devastating,” Cr McAliney said.
“Hoon driving is of serious concern to the whole of the community, from motorists who have to share the road, to residents who live near hoon hotspots. As we’ve seen recently, dangerous driving can also be fatal and that affects the entire community.
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