Driver praised for road rage act at boat ramp – but who's right?

A frustrated driver took matters into his own hands after he was parked in at a boat ramp on the Gold Coast – and his actions have left the internet divided.

Video shared to Facebook shows the man using his white Toyota SUV to drag the Toyota Camry sedan out of the car park. The sedan's tires screech as its towed about 200 metres out of the car park, as bewildered witnesses watch on.

"Road rage at its best!" the accompanying caption reads. "When you park in front of someone's boat or jet ski trailer and block them in, they wont be happy. The car being dragged blocked in the other bloke's trailer. They left him bugger all room to get it out and luckily he was able to get it out by hand. But... he was not happy."

A photo shared in the comments provides further context, showing the sedan double-parked in the same spot as a trailer prior to being towed.

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Many comments on the post were in support of the SUV driver.

"I would've done the same thing," one group member wrote, while another commented: "Someone buy that man a beer." Another Facebook user went even further, suggesting the man responsible for towing the sedan should "get Australian of the year for the next two years! Absolute legend!"

However not everyone agreed with the SUV driver's actions, with several viewers commenting that towing a stranger's car in such a manner is dangerous and uncalled for, especially as children can be seen walking through the car park in the video.

"No matter what they did, it gives you no right to damage their car. You are worse than them," wrote one viewer. "The hero that dragged the car seems to have been able to get his SUV with the tiny trailer out though?" another questioned, with a third agreeing that towing the car seems "unjustified and over the top".

What the law says

According to Queensland's Department of Transport and Main Roads, the actions displayed by the SUV driver are illegal, as the law requires "towing to be conducted by accredited tow truck drivers using licensed tow trucks". In addition, tow truck drivers must "take reasonable steps to locate a vehicle owner or driver before towing a vehicle". The maximum penalty for operating an unlicensed tow truck is $22,880.

Licensed tow truck operators may move vehicles from private properties – not including public car parks – if they carry a Towing Consent, which is an official arrangement between the property owner or occupier and the tow truck licence holder, providing authorisation to tow vehicles parked on the property.

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