Badge of honour

By Melissa Meehan
TOO many people are dying on our roads.
The message is dead simple – but still isn’t getting through to drivers, both young and old.
One local policeman, Sergeant Nigel Atkins, has put his own money into designing and making badges and stickers aimed at bringing the toll down.
The badges will be worn by Highway Patrol members as well as being available to the public, and the stickers will also be positioned on police cars in Cardinia.
“The idea is to let people know that Cardinia roads are a family zone,” Sgt Atkins said.
“We want drivers to realise their actions not only affect them, but the family and friends of many.”
He said by turning the streets in Cardinia into a family zone, drivers would be constantly reminded that poor driving decisions such as speeding were looked upon negatively by the community.
“It’s not just a policing problem, it’s a problem of the community and we need to work together for the right outcome,” he said.
Since joining our Talk the Toll Down campaign last week, Sgt Atkins said there had been a large number of residents calling the station to “dob in a hoon”.
He said police would sometimes get a call, but since he appeared on last week’s front page the Pakenham police station had been inundated with calls.
“This shows that our message is getting through to some people, and that they have had enough,” he said.
“We need to work together to change the attitudes of people on our roads.”
Sgt Atkins said the badges and stickers would be available from the Pakenham police station from this week.