Pakenham police are confused as to the high number of fatal car crashes in Nar Nar Goon in recent years, such as the devastating smash which claimed the life of a 16-year-old girl in November.
By Lilly O’Gorman
PAKENHAM police are baffled as to why Nar Nar Goon has recorded an alarmingly high number of fatalities on its roads in the past four years, compared to other towns in Cardinia Shire.
With six deaths recorded between 2008 and 2011, Nar Nar Goon is matched only by Pakenham for road deaths in that period.
It is a considerably larger number than most other towns in the shire, with Cockatoo recording three, and others two or one.
Senior Constable Mel Hardie from Pakenham Police Station said she would be applying for funding from the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) to run a special operation to combat the alarming statistic.
“I was blown away (by the statistics) myself,” Sen Const Hardie said.
“The numbers are totally disproportionate to the population down there.
“It is baffling a little bit.
“Going through the data there is no rhyme or reason to explain why Nar Nar Goon is so over represented with fatalities in the last four years.”
Sen Const Hardie said that, compared to other areas in Cardinia Shire, the condition of Nar Nar Goon roads was good and the population would lend to less volumes of traffic on the roads. However, the locations of the crashes were on the freeway and highway, which saw high volumes of traffic travelling through the small town. She said speed and drink driving were identified as major causes of the collisions.
“Speed and alcohol are predominant, which is why we will be doing more speed detecting and breath testing, regardless of whether we secure TAC funding,” Sen Const Hardie said.
