Near-miss on Matamata highway caught on camera

A Matamata man who had a near-miss with an overtaking motorist says he is exasperated by the “madness” of Kiwi drivers.

Derek Bown shared a video of the moment he was forced onto the hard shoulder as a 4WD vehicle crossed the centre line in an ill-fated passing manoeuvre.

The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon on State Highway 27 north of Matamata.

The shocking video shows Bown travelling past a line of cars before a car comes into sight barrelling towards him, on the wrong side of the road.

The other driver narrowly makes it back into the correct lane, flashing their headlights as if to acknowledge the near-miss.

The overtaking driver forced another motorist onto the hard shoulder. Photo / Derek Bown

Bown says the decision was “typical madness” and suspected the other driver may have been an Aucklander rushing to get home.

He told the Herald he sees this sort of dangerous driving regularly, with “aggressive” commuters replaced during summer by “unaware” Kiwi tourists visiting the region or passing through.

“We’re used to idiots like that,” he said, adding that he was “exasperated” by the behaviour.

Police confirmed to the Herald that they received a report of a motorist overtaking multiple vehicles on State Highway 27 yesterday afternoon and said that case has since been closed.

Nineteen people died on our roads over the Christmas-New Year holiday period, and most of the fatalities were in Waikato, where seven people were killed.

The number of people killed during the holiday period is down on the previous year, when 21 people died.

The overall deaths last year were down 34 from 2022.

A police spokesman said while it was worth noting the reduction in overall deaths, there were “still too many people who didn’t get to spend the festive season with loved ones”.

“Speed, alcohol and drugs, and distraction are still the main causes of death and serious injury,” police said.

“Wearing your seatbelt can also be the difference between surviving a crash and not.

“Please be patient, plan your trips, drive sober and pull over if you are feeling tired.”