Insane 4WD move on Aussie highway exposes deadly habit
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.
🏍️ Warning over 'unacceptable' road act after woman's horrendous injuries
😤 Driver rages over $387 fine issued after six-second moment
📸 Fears of 'mistakes' with new cameras targeting Aussie drivers
"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."
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
F1's return to Hungary serves as reminder of McLaren quarrel on the horizon
The Hungaroring, Budapest. Twelve months ago, as it became apparent that McLaren's 2024 mid-season renaissance was more than just a temporary spike on the performance graph, this is where the first banging of heads occurred between the papaya drivers out on track. Two drivers desperate for victory, which made a quarrel, with neither defined as team No 1. Quite the inevitability. Eventually, Oscar Piastri claimed his first F1 race victory and almost looked embarrassed to celebrate. It only came after Lando Norris reluctantly conceded the lead, as his engineer Will Joseph pleaded with the Brit to follow team orders. 'I know you'll do the right thing,' Joseph told his driver. 'Just remember every single Sunday morning meeting we have… I'm trying to protect you, mate… please do it now.' Eventually, the series of orders – teetering on the edge of successive guilt trips – triggered the most reluctant of acquiesces from Norris. Now, in a championship battle solely between this exciting high-flying McLaren pairing, F1 returns to Hungary for the final race before the summer break. After Norris claimed two much-needed victories in Austria and Silverstone, Piastri wrestled back some of that momentum with a lightning quick overtake over his teammate at Spa last time out, which set up a supreme victory. They now each have eight grand prix victories to their name and the Australian's advantage in the title race stands at 16 points, in a battle which looks set to go down to the wire. 'There is very, very little between our two drivers and this is because they're racing at a very, very high level,' McLaren team principal Andrea Stella said, after the last round in Belgium. 'We're lucky at McLaren to have two drivers that are deservedly fighting for the world championship. I think the difference [in the title race] will be made by the accuracy, the precision and the quality of the execution. 'As a team, from a reliability and operational point of view, we need to make sure we're as good as possible… such that it will be the drivers deciding their own outcome, in terms of competing for the drivers' world championship.' In this respect, Piastri and Norris need not worry. Neither driver has been forced to retire from a race due to a mechanical issue so far – a form of 'DNF' which is near-extinct in the sport across all 10 teams – and the only retirement came when the pair collided in the closing laps in Canada in June. It is unlikely to be their last confrontation on the tarmac. On that occasion, Norris was at fault and quickly admitted blame. His topsy-turvy season so far – fluctuating from incomprehensible mistakes to phenomenal qualifying laps – backs up Nico Rosberg's theory this week that the 2025 title will be decided in 'Lando's head'. The 2016 F1 world champion said on the Sky F1 podcast: 'You can't really say Lando is a smidge quicker anymore. There's no basis to that anymore. 'Oscar has been extremely quick, I see them on a par. For me, the championship will be decided in Lando's head. That's my impression. How solid can Lando become?' Prior to the team order shenanigans last year, Piastri propelled down the inside of pole-sitter Norris to take the lead at turn one. With such a long run down to the first corner in Budapest, much like Spa last week, pole position may not be as advantageous as usual. It means the race-craft of both drivers – the factor which often makes the difference in a tight title battle – all the more important, in what will be a crowded congestion of cars at the start come Sunday afternoon. Initial impressions on Friday were as expected: both drivers were in the top two in the first practice session, with Norris drawing first blood with a time 0.019 seconds quicker than his rival. A small indication of the hair's width between the two drivers. Elsewhere, Max Verstappen confirmed his intention to stay at Red Bull for 2026 on Thursday, ending speculation over a move to Mercedes despite Red Bull's drop in performance this season. On the same day, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur signed a contract extension with the Scuderia; a show of faith despite a winless start to this season and with star signing Lewis Hamilton yet to register a podium. Yet the Hungaroring is one of Hamilton's favourite tracks. After Silverstone, he has claimed the most wins here, with eight. He acknowledged on Thursday that 'there will be some tears' in the August shutdown, such has been the disappointment of the last few months in red. Yet he'll have one final chance to alleviate some of that pain, in a bid to arrest his worst-ever start to a Formula One campaign.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Piastri has ‘confidence' in his F1 title shot as he returns to Hungary, where he got his 1st win
Some Formula 1 races live in the memory because of thrilling action, some for controversy, some even for being so dull they forced a rule change. And then there's Oscar Piastri's first F1 win, the benchmark for sheer awkwardness . Piastri is happy to be back in Hungary this week, but his breakthrough victory there last year remains a lesson for McLaren as it tries to manage his title fight with teammate Lando Norris. It's all the more important now. Piastri has developed into a genuine title contender over the last year and leads Norris by 16 points following his victory in Belgium last week. 'I have a lot of confidence in myself that I can do it,' the Australian said of his title chances Thursday. 'The pace in the last few weekends, especially (Belgium), I've been very confident in and very proud of. I'm more than capable of continuing that for the rest of the year.' McLaren can reach some milestones this weekend, with a potential 200th win in F1 for the team. It could also be Piastri and Norris' fourth one-two finish in a row, a feat McLaren last managed in 1988. Managing the title rivalry Piastri took the win last year in Hungary, but only after McLaren had to plead over the radio with Norris to 'do the right thing' and let Piastri past, something the British driver was reluctant to do. Piastri had been leading but McLaren's pit strategy — which would normally favor the leader — had put Norris ahead. Piastri thinks the team can still take positives from that situation. 'I think it underlined the good nature in the team. It was obviously a slightly awkward situation, but it highlighted that we will do the right thing in all circumstances — well, ideally all circumstances — when we're on track,' Piastri said. 'It showed the trust that we have with the team and with each other as well, that things will be put the right way.' F1 has a history of title fights turning team relationships sour — not least at McLaren with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost over 30 years ago — but Piastri and Norris have kept their rivalry friendly . Even so, there's been a collision in Canada , a near-miss in Austria and Piastri's rejected request for Norris to give up the lead in Britain. Piastri said one factor preventing his relationship with Norris from deteriorating is that both are committed to keeping McLaren on top in F1 for 'many years to come.' 'We've all seen how it can go wrong, but we have a lot of reasons to push for it to not go wrong,' he added. Another wet race possible F1 could be set for its third wet race in a row Sunday after a rain-delayed start last week in Belgium divided opinion among drivers and fans. Max Verstappen argued that 'we could have started way sooner' and said the lack of racing in wet conditions was 'a shame', but Piastri and others pointed to the poor visibility and particular safety concerns at the high-speed Spa-Francorchamps circuit. '(Visibility) is always much worse in the car than it looks on TV, and I think the FIA has done a very good job of listening to us and taking that feedback on board,' Piastri said. 'The feeling in this room would be pretty different if we had a big crash last week.' ___ AP auto racing:
2 days ago
Piastri has 'confidence' in his F1 title shot as he returns to Hungary, where he got his 1st win
Some Formula 1 races live in the memory because of thrilling action, some for controversy, some even for being so dull they forced a rule change. And then there's Oscar Piastri's first F1 win, the benchmark for sheer awkwardness. Piastri is happy to be back in Hungary this week, but his breakthrough victory there last year remains a lesson for McLaren as it tries to manage his title fight with teammate Lando Norris. It's all the more important now. Piastri has developed into a genuine title contender over the last year and leads Norris by 16 points following his victory in Belgium last week. 'I have a lot of confidence in myself that I can do it,' the Australian said of his title chances Thursday. 'The pace in the last few weekends, especially (Belgium), I've been very confident in and very proud of. I'm more than capable of continuing that for the rest of the year.' McLaren can reach some milestones this weekend, with a potential 200th win in F1 for the team. It could also be Piastri and Norris' fourth one-two finish in a row, a feat McLaren last managed in 1988. Piastri took the win last year in Hungary, but only after McLaren had to plead over the radio with Norris to 'do the right thing' and let Piastri past, something the British driver was reluctant to do. Piastri had been leading but McLaren's pit strategy — which would normally favor the leader — had put Norris ahead. Piastri thinks the team can still take positives from that situation. 'I think it underlined the good nature in the team. It was obviously a slightly awkward situation, but it highlighted that we will do the right thing in all circumstances -- well, ideally all circumstances -- when we're on track,' Piastri said. 'It showed the trust that we have with the team and with each other as well, that things will be put the right way.' F1 has a history of title fights turning team relationships sour — not least at McLaren with Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost over 30 years ago — but Piastri and Norris have kept their rivalry friendly. Even so, there's been a collision in Canada, a near-miss in Austria and Piastri's rejected request for Norris to give up the lead in Britain. Piastri said one factor preventing his relationship with Norris from deteriorating is that both are committed to keeping McLaren on top in F1 for 'many years to come.' 'We've all seen how it can go wrong, but we have a lot of reasons to push for it to not go wrong,' he added. F1 could be set for its third wet race in a row Sunday after a rain-delayed start last week in Belgium divided opinion among drivers and fans. Max Verstappen argued that 'we could have started way sooner' and said the lack of racing in wet conditions was 'a shame', but Piastri and others pointed to the poor visibility and particular safety concerns at the high-speed Spa-Francorchamps circuit. '(Visibility) is always much worse in the car than it looks on TV, and I think the FIA has done a very good job of listening to us and taking that feedback on board,' Piastri said. 'The feeling in this room would be pretty different if we had a big crash last week.'
