01-03-2025
Insane 4WD move on Aussie highway exposes deadly habit
Aussie drivers are being reminded that "we all need space" on the road with truckies urging motorists not to make a silly and fatal mistake.
Video captured on dash cam this month is a perfect example of a deadly problem on our roads, with an overzealous driver taking a risk that almost ended their life.
The footage captured by another motorist on the Frankford Road highway in Tasmania shows the driver of a 4WD Ford Everest overtaking an 18-wheeler on a single lane road while coming around a slight bend – very narrowly missing another semi-trailer truck travelling in the opposite direction.
It was shared this week by Dashcams Tasmania, which described it as "probably the closest we have seen to a fatal head-on in a video".
"How they avoided being removed from the living I do not know. Whoever was driving that oncoming truck deserves a medal for saving a life.. or many lives," the group wrote.
Speaking to Yahoo News Australia, the Executive Director of the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR), Michelle Tayler, said when talking to truck drivers about the behaviour they see on the roads, they want to convey a message for all drivers to remain respectful and be aware of the very real dangers.
"We've got more than 200,000 truck drivers across the country ... and they're on the road all the time," she said.
"It's a two way street... As a truck driver they need to respect the fact that they're in a much larger vehicle and it can be quite intimidating to smaller cars.
"But also as a smaller vehicle, if you're putting yourself in danger, you're really leaving your life in the hands of that truck driver," she warned.
Reacting to the viral clip on social media, some Aussies labelled the 4WD motorist an "idiot" for making the daring overtaking decision.
According to Tayler, it's not uncommon for trucks to feature heavily in the statistics of road fatalities.
"We had 59 lives lost in Queensland and almost 200 across the country last year involving a truck," she told Yahoo News.
In total, 1,300 people died on Australian roads in 2024 — up from 1,258 in 2023.
On Thursday, the NHVR along with the Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Brent Mickelberg, launched a road safety campaign dubbed 'A Truckie Knows' in an attempt to help share the industry's knowledge and experience to make our roads a safer place.
In a recent survey conducted by the NHVR, nearly nine in 10 truck drivers reported experiencing a dangerous situation with a light vehicle over a four-week period.
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"We really wanted to work with the trucking industry to understand what they're seeing and what we can do to make their workplace – which are the roads – safer," Tayler told Yahoo.
As part of the campaign, authorities are reminding all drivers to be aware, to stay out of a truck's blind spots, to leave adequate space for others on the road and to refrain from tailgating.
"One of the most important elements of road safety is giving every single vehicle the space it needs," Minister Mickelberg said. "As this campaign calls out, we can all influence the way we interact with other road users."
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