Driver slammed over dangerous act with Bunnings hire ute: 'Kill someone'
A Queensland driver has been slammed online for allegedly driving down the road with a completely unsecured mattress on the roof of a hire van.
The driver was pictured with the tray of the ute stacked full of household items, while a mattress rested precariously on top. Nothing was tying the mattress down, according to one onlooker who posted a photo of the bizarre act on social media.
"These people moving with zero straps. The mattress flew off and they had to stop and put it back on top," he said, sharing the photo to a Gold Coast subreddit on Saturday.
"My wife went to find some straps we were going to give them but they were gone by the time she got out there," he later added.
"Nice little way to accidentally kill someone," one person commented.
"Common sense is in short supply," another chided.
The ute appears to be a hire vehicle provided by Bunnings Warehouse, with the company's website saying it supplies vans and utes to "help you get your products home safely and securely".
People in the comments also urged the onlooker to alert Bunnings to the driver's apparent negligence, however the load would suggest it hasn't come directly from a store. While Bunnings offers the vehicles, the fleets are owned and operated by a third party company called Handy Rentals. "Unfortunately, we do not supply straps or ropes for customers to use to tie down their loads," the company's rental information for customers states.
"Please also keep in mind that each state has their own laws and regulations about the use of tie downs/ropes/cargo nets, so please ensure you have checked what your state tie down requirement is," the company adds.
Those who fail to adequately secure their load while driving on Queensland roads face a fine of $243. According to the overriding load restraint requirements in the state, any load carried on or in your vehicle or trailer must:
not be placed in a way that makes your vehicle unstable or unsafe.
be secured so it won’t move or fall from your vehicle while driving—including driving consisting of emergency braking or turning suddenly.
not project from your vehicle in a way that is likely to injure a person, obstruct the path of other drivers or pedestrians, or damage another vehicle or anything else.
be restrained using an appropriate load restraint method.
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