Highway madness: Police urge drivers to treat intersections with respect after narrow near-miss

Close call: the car was barely metres from the truck.

A driver’s dashcam has captured the heart-stopping moment when a car turned in front of a truck and trailer - missing it by mere inches.

The near-miss was filmed yesterday by a Dannevirke man who was travelling south when he saw the vehicle turn right from Rawhiti St onto State Highway 2, with what appeared to be barely metres to spare in front of the truck.

He was able to record the incident using a dashcam.

A pilot vehicle warning of the oncoming truck was a few metres ahead of the traffic, but it was unclear whether the driver of the other vehicle was aware.

The incident concerned the man, who then advised the trucking company.

Close call: the car was barely metres from the truck.

Dannevirke police sergeant Gary McKernon said the intersection hadn’t been a particular issue in the past.

“It’s well-signposted, and once [a driver is] at the intersection, the view [is] unobstructed.”

After viewing the video, he said it was unclear what the driver was doing and whether there was any distraction or an error of judgement.

“What is clear is that the consequences of this incident could have been so much worse, and nobody getting hurt would appear to be luck.”

He said police urged motorists to treat intersections with respect and ensure their way is clear before moving through an intersection.

The corner of Rawhiti Street and SH2 Dannevirke is now controlled by a give way sign. Photo / Leanne Warr

The corner used to have a stop sign until islands were built, either in the late 1990s or early 2000s, and it is now controlled by a give way sign.

Dannevirke Community Board road safety spokesman Pat Walshe felt sympathy for any truck drivers faced with such incidents, especially if they ended up hitting another vehicle.

He said he hadn’t heard any concerns about the intersection, and there were other places in town that were far worse.

“You get a good view if you stop.”

However, given there had been fatalities in two separate accidents over the weekend, the near-miss did worry him.

A four-year-old died following a crash on SH2 near Wahipai Reserve on Friday afternoon, and another person on a moped died following a collision with another vehicle on High Street on Saturday about 9.30am.

There were minor injuries following a crash at or near the intersection of Rawhiti St and SH2 in November last year.

Walshe planned to bring up the incident at a road safety meeting.