Flying missile hurtles into Whangarei man's windscreen

FLYING OBJECT: The spiral shaped break on the windscreen held together but Bruce Allen narrowly escaped disaster. Photo/Michael Cunningham

Bruce Allen was driving slower than the required 50km/h through roadworks on State Highway 1 at Ruakaka when a missile hurtled into his windscreen.

His reaction - the sudden head movement - in the split second it took him to realise something had flown up off the road, on to his car's bonnet and into the windscreen left him with a slightly sore neck.

The Whangarei builder is thanking his lucky stars the glass didn't shatter because the missile hit the windscreen right in front of his face.

"It was very dangerous. I don't like to bleat about things but the roads in Northland are shocking, and traffic doesn't slow down enough for roadworks" Mr Allen said.

The incident happened on Thursday afternoon as he drove toward Whangarei along the straight stretch south of the Ruakaka roundabout, where one passing lane was closed for roadworks.

He instantly thought a "flash of light" that caught his eye was a speed camera and barely had time to think, 'they'll get that truck for going too fast', when wham, something was hurtling toward his head.

"But of course there was no speed camera. The flash is likely to have been the glint of metal as it came flying up off the surface or off a truck," he said.

He thinks it may have been a bolt, spring or some other metal fitting as the small, deep crater where it bounced on his bonnet is hard edged, unlike the dent a rock might make.

Mr Allen was doing about 30km/h but aware some other drivers were not even slowing to the signposted speed limit of 50; that limit still too high for the conditions, he thinks.

He contacted the Advocate about his near miss after reading about a pothole on a bridge approach on SH1 near Baldrock Rd, Brynderwyn, that caused at least 30 punctures on Thursday.

That fairly deep and 80cm wide pothole was hidden by surface water in heavy rain.

New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) Northland highway manager Brett Gliddon said potholes are not unusual at this time of year due to wet conditions and there were extra repair crews on board.

He said motorists were encouraged to report potholes and other hazards to NZTA at 0800 4 HIGHWAYS .