Driver’s near miss shocks mum
A nail-biting near miss on a Waikato highway left a Tauranga mother shaken at the wheel.
Kaysi Fredericks’ dash cam recorded a black SUV crossing over the centre line and driving on the wrong side of State Highway 1 as the vehicle approached a notorious intersection.
It came just hours after eight people were hospitalised in two separate crashes on the highway between Hamilton and Tauranga.
Fredericks, 36, witnessed the close call as she was travelling home to Tauranga from Hamilton on Monday.
She has been commuting daily to Waikato Hospital from Tauranga after her 14-year-old son suffered a perforated bowel during a motocross training session.
He underwent surgery and is recovering in hospital.
Shortly after 5.30pm she was driving the stretch of SH1 with her nephew in the car as she approached the Piarere turnoff to State Highway 29.
‘‘We were following this car and he wasn’t driving stupidly or anything – there was no warning at all.
‘‘We got to the turnoff and the driver just glides straight across the road.’’
Footage shows the black vehicle heading towards Tı¯rau cross the centre line into the far right side of the road into the path of oncoming traffic.
The car narrowly misses one vehicle before another ute pulls out into the oncoming lane.
‘‘I was honestly waiting for the crash to happen. [The driver] didn’t even swerve back onto the right side.
‘‘I was a bit shaky – you never want to see an accident happen in front of you.’’
After witnessing the incident, Fredericks pulled over up the road at the Piarere Hall where she phoned police on *555 to report the driving.
‘‘There was no reason for him to do it. What the f... There’s too many drivers not paying attention.’’
Having administered a Facebook page highlighting accidents in the Bay of Plenty, Fredericks has seen footage of many crashes.
‘‘I thought I’m about to witness one at this intersection?
‘‘I’d known about the two crashes earlier in the day, and thought don’t tell me there’s going to be a third.’’
She was unable to see the driver to provide a description or capture the number plate due to sunlight.
‘‘I was asking myself whether my first aid training was going to come into play or not.’’