An irresponsible driver has had a narrow brush with death as they attempted to overtake a truck in WA’s south, after four people died on our State’s roads over a horror Easter long weekend.
The video was captured by truck driver Andrew Cox on South Coast Highway, approximately 20km west of Esperance, and shows a large truck with three trailers rounding a corner.
As the truck approaches, a white car appears attempting to overtake over a continuous double line — which is illegal — as the space to overtake becomes smaller and smaller as the other truck with the dashcam approaches.
SEE THE VISION IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE
Luckily for everyone involved, the car driver realises their mistake and manages to pull over on the opposite side of the road, in front of the approaching truck, coming to a stop on the gravel.
Mr Cox says he was travelling at 98km/h and had to brake suddenly as the car attempted the incredibly dangerous illegal manoeuvre, which “quite possibly” could have have been deadly had his 123.5 tonne (loaded gross mass) truck not been empty.
“I’d say it could’ve been a very different outcome,” Mr Cox said.
“Once the trailer tyres lock up and start to slide, they want to over take the truck, so the whole train wants to fold up on itself.
“Even though they are fitted with (an) electronic breaking system, they will still lock up if you have to brake hard like this.”
Mr Cox says the incident was “a lot more hectic in real life” and is a sad indictment of the ability of WA drivers to travel safely, especially on rural roads.
“Judging by the current state of road users there appears to be a huge lack of competency among today’s drivers,” he said.
The video comes after four people died on WA roads over the Easter long weekend, and several others are remain seriously injured.
14-year-old Jaxxon Brinkworth was killed after his dirt bike collided with a ute on Albany Highway on Thursday, and 30-year-old man was killed just minutes later in Jarrahdale when his motorbike crashed.
An 18-year-old woman died in Derby after the car she was a passenger in rolled over later on Thursday night, while a 34-year-old man died in Royal Perth Hospital on Monday after his car hit a tree in Como on Sunday morning.
A 19-year-old woman is also in critical condition with a serious head injury after she fell from the bonnet of a moving car in Cloverdale. More details on the Easter weekend crashes are available here.