Police shocked by dash cam footage of driver taking 'insane risk'

Monday, 13 January 2020

A video filmed at the beginning of State Highway 2 by the Bombay Hills where a car crosses double yellow lines on the highway, into the path of a truck towing a caravan.

An 'appalling piece of driving' has been captured on dash cam showing a driver overtaking on double yellow lines, narrowly avoiding a head-on collision.

A video clip filmed near the intersection of State Highway 2 and 25, sent to Stuff, shows a Toyota Caldina pulling out across double yellow lines directly into the path of an oncoming 4WD towing a caravan.

The car squeezes between the oncoming 4WD and the car it's passing, which has to pull towards the side of the road to give the Toyota space to avoid a collision.

Dash cam footage captured a driver trying to pass on double yellow lines, narrowly avoiding a head-on collision.

Aucklander Peter Catt caught the ordeal on his dash cam, which he's had for five years. Catt said it was the worst driving he's ever captured.

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Waikato Road Policing Manager Inspector Jeff Penno says the risk a driver showed in dash cam footage obtained by Stuff is 'simply unacceptable'.

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'Usually it's people on their phones just drifting around.'

He said the driver of the Toyota appeared to have committed to the overtaking.

'That wasn't a mistake, he intended to do that.

'It's an appalling piece of driving, if that Holden had not pulled over it would have been a head-on.'

Waikato road policing manager Inspector Jeff Penno said watching the video he was lost for words.

'To do what they did in that spot is absurd and really defies any logic, not to mention the undue risk.

'It's simply not acceptable. The risk is just insane.'

Penno said he commended the man for making sure the video got to police and they would be taking appropriate action.

'We can't be everywhere all of the time and therefore the public are our eyes.

'We need them to get hold of us when they see this type of driving.'

Penno said they would be contacting the owner of the footage to make sure they were happy for police to pursue an investigation into the driving.

Police charged a 20-year-old Hamilton man with one charge of driving dangerously in December, 2019, as a result of another man's dash cam footage, published by Stuff.

The video, which was taken on State Highway 23 near Raglan, showed the driver overtaking on a broken and solid yellow centre line and into oncoming traffic.