1 February 2012

Did you see the Mack Truck collision on Gundaroo Drive?

| johnboy
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ACT Policing is seeking witnesses to a single-vehicle collision on Gundaroo Drive yesterday (Tuesday, January 31) involving a Mack truck.

About 2.05 pm a 2005 yellow Mack truck cement mixer filled with a 7.4 cubic metre load was heading west along Gundaroo Drive when a vehicle described as an old Toyota Dyna tipper allegedly caused the truck to veer off the road.

As a result, the truck clipped the gutter causing it to tip onto its left-hand side, sliding about 10 to 15 metres before coming to a halt.

The collision occurred at the roundabout on Gundaroo Drive, at the Burrowa Street (Palmerston) intersection.

The Toyota Dyna allegedly ‘cut off’ the truck while trying to overtake when approaching the roundabout.

The driver of the truck did not sustain any injuries.

Anyone who witnessed the collision is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or via www.act.crimestoppers.com.au. Information can be provided anonymously.

[Courtesy ACT Policing]

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I really wish drivers in Canberra would stop cutting across lanes in roundabouts to overtake slower cars. Its dangerous. It is not a chicane for them to act like Fangio.

Holden Caulfield4:21 pm 01 Feb 12

DermottBanana said :

Alderney said :

You’ve never driven a big truck have you.

A good thing to know is they don’t stop as quick as a car (or a light truck) and if you get in front of one and it doesn’t have enough space to stop, you’ll be seeing your back seat getting closer to your front seat very quickly.

Which means the truck driver needs to factor that whenever they are driving and behave accordingly. Truck driver at fault. If he can’t drive it, he shouldn’t drive it.

No.

What you’re saying is the truck driver needs to allow more space in front of him to allow the required braking distance.

The thing is that space is awfully inviting to any number of smaller vehicles.

Whatever powers truck drivers might have they cannot protect empty space ahead of them from drivers who think, “There’s a truck ahead of me I *MUST* get ahead of it at all cost.”

I’ll admit I’ve nipped into that empty space a few times, but I won’t do it if I don’t think I have given the truck enough time to brake. That said, it’s misgivings like this that we should all be trying to avoid in the chase for a better attitude towards general roadcraft, for want of a better term.

Driving is a bit like a relationship, it’s not the big fights that cause a relationship to breakdown, but the constant little things that build up. And I’m sure we are all guilty of contributing to those little things from time to time.

DermottBanana2:34 pm 01 Feb 12

Alderney said :

You’ve never driven a big truck have you.

A good thing to know is they don’t stop as quick as a car (or a light truck) and if you get in front of one and it doesn’t have enough space to stop, you’ll be seeing your back seat getting closer to your front seat very quickly.

Which means the truck driver needs to factor that whenever they are driving and behave accordingly. Truck driver at fault. If he can’t drive it, he shouldn’t drive it.

But, while I’m here, I will point out your first claim (that I haven’t driven a truck before) is erroneous. It’s arrogant in the extreme to assume that someone giving an opinion you don’t like is talking from a position of ignorance. And humiliating to have your incorrect assumption pointed out publicly.

shadow boxer said :

hmmm, so there are two vehicles on a two lane road approaching a two lane roundabout.

The overtaking occured before the roundabout but the truck still hit the round about itself. Methinks everybody was going to fast.

That said it is a nice chicane that one if you time it right.

The press release doesn’t whether he hit the gutter on the right or the left.

If he hit the one on the right, you may well have a point.

DermottBanana said :

This attitude of “It’s not my fault, someone else did something unexpected, so they caused the accident” gives me the sh*ts. I’m not sure about anyone else, but when I learnt to drive, I was told endless times by my instructor to look around me, imagine what might go wrong, and prepare for it; and that I was responsible not only for myself, but for every other maniac out there trying to run me off the road.
If someone drives a cement truck, and is unable to work out that other drivers might behave in an unexpected manner, he should lose his licence.

You’ve never driven a big truck have you.

A good thing to know is they don’t stop as quick as a car (or a light truck) and if you get in front of one and it doesn’t have enough space to stop, you’ll be seeing your back seat getting closer to your front seat very quickly.

Stay out of their way and give them some room. Doesn’t help being (legally) right if your squashed.

The oldest rule of the road is might is right.

shadow boxer1:53 pm 01 Feb 12

hmmm, so there are two vehicles on a two lane road approaching a two lane roundabout.

The overtaking occured before the roundabout but the truck still hit the round about itself. Methinks everybody was going to fast.

That said it is a nice chicane that one if you time it right.

DermottBanana1:43 pm 01 Feb 12

This attitude of “It’s not my fault, someone else did something unexpected, so they caused the accident” gives me the sh*ts. I’m not sure about anyone else, but when I learnt to drive, I was told endless times by my instructor to look around me, imagine what might go wrong, and prepare for it; and that I was responsible not only for myself, but for every other maniac out there trying to run me off the road.
If someone drives a cement truck, and is unable to work out that other drivers might behave in an unexpected manner, he should lose his licence.

The “I didn’t do it” kid strikes again.

& here in lies the problem, he should have tagged the Dyna as he would have at least then had someone to blame……..

My niece stacked her car in Melbourne the same way, pled her innocence all the way to the death even though the Police had witnesses say that she was speeding. They obviously had a case as she was charged & had her day in court.

Holden Caulfield11:01 am 01 Feb 12

Nothing could be finer when I’m driving in me Dyna!

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