Wow!!! could have been a fatality....

aussie_paul · Guru

Wow!!! could have been a fatality....

Brownie2 · Senior Member

Just typical of what we are seeing up in Queensland on this trip. DH's travelling way too fast for the conditions! The driver with the camera showed no sign of slowing up and is as much to blame I feel! I'm sick of the gung-ho bast##ds flying down the road with no thought for others.

JackoFJR · Senior Member

If the bloke towing the trailer had of just stayed on the bitumen , nothing would of happened ,

hako · Guru

I'd say the truckie did slow down once the car/trailer lost control and also moved to the left to try and avoid contact - watch the speed of the centreline reduce. Pretty cool truck driver really....no swearing or panic.
Good link AP

Joe50 · Guru

Don't think the truckie could have done any more. From the camera view it seems to be about 3 seconds from the time you can see the car/trailer veer to the wrong side of the road until the impact (remembering it's a wide-angle view so the truckie might have seen or sensed something was amiss a tad earlier). Glad I wasn't the truckie - my first reaction would probably have been to steer to the right, but as it turned out I'd have cleaned up the tug (and the driver) instead of the trailer. Maybe the truckie's experience subconsciously made him steer left, or at least wait till the final split second before committing either way. Whatever, there was no way he could have avoided the crash.

Joe

Woody n Sue · Guru

As the truck driver said.

" Why did you get off the road there was plenty of road for both of us. "

This is a prime example of why towing a trailer should be a seperate endorsement of your licence to drive

And if you feel you must get off at least slow down first

At least the news people can't blame the truck this time .

rockylizard · Guru

Gday...

From the comment by the "campertrailer" driver - "there was a white post I had to avoid" - he had not clearly thought through his manoeuvre to "give room" to the oncoming truck and they all paid the unfortunate consequence.

So, at the risk of telling you how to suck eggs hmm ... when you see an oncoming vehicle (truck especially) and you want to "stay left" as far as possible - talk to the truck on CB and let him know what you are intending to do ... BEFORE you do it.

Then SLOW DOWN FIRST, travel slowly (less than 60Kph) when left wheels of trailer (caravan) are in the dirt.

Be VERY AWARE of edge of bitumen road for coming back on (broken verge can rip walls of tyres) .... again, come back on SLOWLY ... when back on the hard seal THEN get back up to cruising speed.

Better still - if you really feel you need to give an oncoming truck 'wriggle room' then pull over to the left and STOP. Proceed when the truck has passed.

Cheers - John

Delta18 · Guru

Everyone knows it is better to miss those tough white posts and 'head on' a road train!

Like the Toorak Tractor drivers with the $4000 bull bars, they'll swerve & roll the car rather than hit a roo.

03_Troopy · Guru

easy to make judgement calls from your computer desk. From the lens distortion, and poor depth of field, it's very hard to judge their actual individual speeds, especially the oncoming guy. Just lucky neither were hurt

exa41 · Guru

It takes 200mts or more for a road train to stop ,how can anyone possibly blame the truck driver,obviously they haven't driven in NT .

Goldfinger · Senior Member

Sends a shiver up my spine when I see a weaving trailer...my accident was caused by a blow out to the trailer <both tyres were flat on one side after the accident> plus very high wind gust..I managed to keep it on the road however.....it was on a reasonably heavy truck highway...my result could have been much worse.....I feel very sorry for both drivers irrespective of blame....it means a giant hiccup to both their journeys'.....blame matters little after the event..except perhaps for Insurance purposes......vehicles can be replaced..lost lives can't....Hoo Roo

-- Edited by Goldfinger on Sunday 26th of July 2015 01:37:11 PM

dogbox · Guru

Brownie2 wrote:
Just typical of what we are seeing up in Queensland on this trip. DH's travelling way too fast for the conditions! The driver with the camera showed no sign of slowing up and is as much to blame I feel! I'm sick of the gung-ho bast##ds flying down the road with no thought for others.

driver with the camera didn't have much time to react but was backing off did well to keep everything upright

solo nomad · Veteran Member

I have seen enough stupid things lately i could write a book! only a couple of days ago i was heading south past 3 ways roadhouse on the stuart highway nt 100kph zone, i was doing 90kph a some brainless moron towing a shiny new 21ft van came straight out of the roadhouse in front of me! the sooner an endorsement on your licence to tow is introduced the better there are far too many people with no idea towing far in excess of their abilities

TheHeaths · Veteran Member

Unfortunately an endorsement on the licence will not stop the sort of incident that you faced, Baz.

An ordinary licence should stop someone swinging out in front of you, so an endorsement will not stop them, just make them think they can do no wrong with the van on.

Remember, make something idiot proof, and someone will introduce a better idiot!!!

As for the truck driver, I think the other driver can thank his lucky stars that the truck driver had the ability to both slow and get out of the way, otherwise it would have been a 4wd playing grasshopper on the front of the truck, rather than the trailer. As others have said, thank goodness they are both able to talk to their friends about their experience on this day.

Joe50 · Guru

The video was shown on Nine news tonight, plus an interview with the truckie. He said he sensed something was amiss from a long way back and had braked from 100 km/h down to 64 km/h at impact. Happened up near Normanton, caused $55,000 damage to the truck.

Joe