This is happening on every highway in Australia. Impatient drivers who think they can do anything with impunity.
This shocking display of road rage was recorded and put up on Instagram by Blake Sheppeard clearly shot from the passenger seat of a utility.
The two ute occupants commented on the events like ringside announcers in utter disbelief as they watched the whole performance where neither of these so called truck drivers would give in and did eventually hit each other!
The behaviour was that much worse because it was going into roadworks on the uphill section of Hume Highway at Tiyces Lane just north of Goulburn NSW.
We would like to think this is an isolated incident but it appears that is not the case. The prevalence of this and other equally dangerous acts is on the increase.
I’ve had several similar cases reported to me over the last few weeks. One, a 610 Kenworth towing a van on the Bruce Highway when he was inappropriately overtaking forcing a car off the road and almost colliding with a caravan as well as the truck he was overtaking! Another on the Western Highway last week.
I’ve also heard credible reports of similar dangerous overtaking manoeuvres on the Eyre Highway involving road trains.
There seems to be a mentality creeping in where some drivers are happy to move out into the oncoming lane and force their way past taking monstrous risks in the process. It seems they rely on the vehicle being overtaken to give up and let them in.
Once upon a time you would get a call on the UHF and ask for a hand to go by. In my experience no one minds if someone doing better gets going. It all works with a little communication. That’s not happening and we have to question why.
In all cases I’ve recommended that the video be forwarded to the company that owns the truck if possible and to the police.
This behaviour has to be stopped. I believe that we, the industry, have to do our bit to make it stop. We don’t need these fools on our roads and we definitely don’t want them in control of heavy vehicles.
- Mike Williams is a long-time truckie, regular Big Rigs columnist, and host of the popular On The Road podcast.