A truck driver has faced court following an incident at the bottom of the South Eastern Freeway in 2019.
About 5.30am on Wednesday 25 September 2019 police were called to the intersection of Glen Osmond Road, Cross Road and Portrush Road after a b-double lost control on the down track and travelled through the intersection against a red light. Thankfully there was no collision and no one was injured.
Witnesses reported to have seen the truck’s breaks smoking as it descended the freeway toward Adelaide however the truck failed to stop in the arrester beds. The incident was captured on dash-cam footage.
Officers from the Traffic Service Branch reported the driver, a 26-year-old Victorian man, for failing to use a low gear, speed dangerous and entering intersection against a red light – which were some of the newly introduced laws specifically targeting dangerous driving on the South Eastern Freeway at the time. The driver fronted the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Thursday 25 November.
Superintendent Bob Gray from the Traffic Service Branch said; “Strict restrictions and hefty penalties apply for heavy vehicle operators not doing the right thing. Laws introduced are for the protection of other motorists to avoid potentially catastrophic crashes at the notorious Urrbrae intersection. On this occasion it was sheer luck that no one was injured or killed due to the driver’s reckless actions.”
Under the Road Traffic Act, section 45C(2)—Speed and gear restrictions for trucks and buses on prescribed roads.
(2) A person driving a truck or bus on a length of prescribed road to which a trucks and buses low gear sign applies must drive the truck or bus in a gear that is low enough to enable the vehicle to be driven safely on that length of road without the use of a primary brake.
Penalties may include a $5000 fine (for a first offence), or imprisonment for 2 years (for a subsequent offence).
