Councillor ‘almost killed’ by reckless hoon in Dandenong
A Dandenong councillor was left shaken when she was almost struck and killed by a leadfoot after a day of volunteering with the SES.
South East
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A councillor and SES volunteer was left shaken after she was “almost killed” by a reckless hoon in Dandenong.
Cr Lana Formoso said she was outside the VICSES Greater Dandenong Unit when the “scary near-death experience” occurred on Saturday.
“As I was leaving the premises, a hoon that was travelling from Sinclair Rd down Mills Rd almost hit me at a very, very high speed,” she said at a council meeting on Monday.
“I’m very grateful to be standing here in one piece.”
Cr Formoso said she believed the hoon was driving at more than 100km/h.
“I did call triple-0 immediately and explained the situation, that we needed some officers down there immediately to assess and obviously find the appropriate driver for this reckless behaviour,” she said.
“I was very shaken by the experience and it really puts us off as volunteers to know that we are of risk every time we are entering and leaving the premises.”
Cr Formoso said she was aware of hooning in the area and has raised the issue with council multiple times.
She urged the council to take immediate action by painting ‘keep clear’ warnings on the road.
“[Hooning] needs to stop and we need something to be done immediately,” she said.
“We as volunteers attend our days as volunteers hoping to come back in one piece.
“So the fact that I’ve been a volunteer for the SES and spent the entire day doing that to have to leave the venue to almost be killed by reckless driving that I’ve flagged on numerous occasions is just outrageous.”
Acting director of business, engineering and major projects Craig Cinquegrana said hoons can’t be controlled with markings on the road.
He said the council was working with police to combat hooning after police saw “rapid growth” in reckless driving in the area after the easing of lockdown.
“Victoria has some of the toughest anti-hoon legislation in the country with penalties that not only include on the spot suspensions but also police have powers to impound cars,” Mr Cinquegrana said.
“We are one of the very few councils within Victoria that have introduced additional bylaws to help police with people attending hooning events.”
Under the bylaws, people can be fined for taking part, encouraging or attending a ‘hoon event’.
Drivers can also be fined the same amount for stopping or parking within 200m from the action.
