Reversing BMW driver charged after Auckland Northwestern Motorway ‘dangerous’ night stunt

This vehicle was seen reversing at speed down Auckland's Northwestern motorway. Photo / @polyasianztravel

A driver is facing court action after driving “dangerously” in reverse on a busy stretch of Auckland motorway, drifting across lanes without indicating and causing cars to take evasive action.

Police have slammed the actions of the driver saying he made a “dangerous decision and put a lot of people at risk”.

Footage of the incident taken on Saturday night on the Northwestern Motorway showed the vehicle swerving across westbound lanes next to a double-decker bus without indicating.

The driver told police the incident was caused by the car’s mechanical issues and claimed he was headed to a petrol station.

A spokesperson said police received multiple calls about a silver BMW that was reversing down the motorway at 9.30pm.

The car was repeatedly crossing lanes and stopped halfway up the Lincoln Rd West offramp, still facing the wrong way.

Motorways Sergeant Rowan McCarthy said the driver told responding officers the car had mechanical issues.

“He told police the car couldn’t go into drive because of transmission problems, so he thought the best solution was to drive in reverse until he reached a petrol station,” McCarthy said.

The man was asked why he didn’t just call a tow.

“He said his friend who had a tow truck was unavailable,” McCarthy said.

Police said they spoke to the 48-year-old yesterday and issued him a summons for dangerous driving.

He will appear in court at a later date.

McCarthy thanked concerned motorists who alerted police.

“It’s really lucky that nobody crashed or was killed as a result of this; it was such a dangerous decision and put a lot of people at risk.

“If you ever have mechanical issues, the only thing you should do is pull to the side of the motorway, call for help, and wait in your car for that help to arrive,” McCarthy said.

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