An Australian driver has spotted a fellow motorist’s foolish mistake after narrowly avoiding crashing into a bridge while towing a caravan.
The man was traveling through Woy Woy, on the NSW central coast, when he saw the holidaymaker in front of him make a serious mistake.
The four-wheel drive towing the caravan entered Woy Woy Road as it turned right onto the Woy Woy Railway underpass, clearly marked with a ‘low passage’ sign.
The underpass even has bars hanging in front of the bridge that warn truck drivers, caravan trailers and people carrying oversized objects on roof racks that there is a clearance of 2.5 meters if they collide with the object without causing damage.
On Wednesday, a video of the near miss was shared on TikTok with the caption: “Looks more like 2.6 meters to me, look at this s**t.”
The driver, who was towing a campervan, was driving through NSW’s Central Coast when they almost crashed into the Woy Woy railway underpass (pictured)
The man can be heard shouting: ‘Hey buddy, don’t do that.’ Do not do it! Do not do it!’ while the driver takes the bend with the camper in tow.
As the driver approaches the underpass, the man honks continuously in an attempt to get the driver’s attention and rolls down his window while shouting ‘don’t do it’.
‘No! What are you doing, you idiot,” the man says.
The man’s efforts were successful and the driver came to a complete stop just before they crashed their camper into the underpass.
Social media users claimed the man was a ‘hero’ for warning the driver and saving their camper.
“Not the hero we wanted, but the hero we needed,” one person wrote.
‘Good thing you warned them. other people would have just seen it done on purpose,” a second person commented.
A third chimed in: “Bro just saved him a few grand.”
Others noted that the underpass in the area was notorious for road accidents, with one claiming this happened ‘every holiday season’.
“Enough people have gotten stuck under this underpass. It’s actually scary how many people don’t know what they’re dragging,” one person wrote.
“This bridge has claimed more vents and solar panels for caravans than any other bridge in Australia,” a second person added.
“I’ve seen loads of caravans lose their air conditioning from going under, and some even have it split open like a tin can,” a third commented.
Social media users noted that the Woy Woy railway underpass was notorious for traffic accidents, with many motorists crashing into it during the festive season
In 2023, the NSW state government increased fines for drivers who blatantly ignore height warning signs for tunnels and underpasses.
Drivers could be hit with an on-the-spot fine of $4,097, with a maximum fine of $5,500 for entering an underpass or tunnel.
A driver could also face penalty points and a six-month suspension on their driver’s license and truck registration
Drivers can also face other serious penalties, including demerit points, a six-month suspension on their driver’s license and suspension of their truck’s registration.
