All Julian Kilby could do was grimace and shake his head in despair after seeing this frightening near miss unfold from the seat of his Freightliner on the Golden Highway, NSW, last week.
The 27-year-old owner-driver was heading west carting a load of steel coils when the 4×4 driver, who he estimates had been tucked in behind his trailer for the previous 5-6km, suddenly pulled out to pass him at the worst possible time.
A turning lane had just finished, they were on a stretch with a double white line, and another ute was approaching fast over a rise between the towns of Merriwa and Cassiliss.
Luckily for Kilby the oncoming driver saw what was happening ahead and pulled his vehicle into the shoulder, allowing the offending driver to move back into the left-hand lane without incident.
“When the oncoming driver took evasive action, I thought I was more at risk of getting cut off,” said Kilby.
He later sent the clip to the Facebook page of the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command – NSW Police Force, but said he has heard nothing back.
Sadly, Kilby said he’s seen a lot worse driving by motorists since gaining his MC licence at 22.
But he wanted to share the video with Big Rigs to further highlight the fact that motorists are invariably the ones at fault when accidents happen on our roads, rather than the innocent truckies who cop the sprays on social media.
“I’ve seen a lot more people out here like that since the lockdowns ended – they seem to have forgotten how to drive. It’s a free-for-all.”