'Idiot' driver slammed over infuriating act on motorway: 'Should get fined'
The ute driver's illegal act can attract a fine of $464.
A motorist's illegal act on a Queensland motorway has infuriated other road users who have labelled the driver a "moron" and an "idiot".
A video shared on Reddit shows the work ute with an attached trailer cruising on the far right lane of the M1 in Queensland, completely oblivious to the flashing lights and sirens of the ambulance behind them.
In Queensland, failing to move out of the way of an emergency vehicle attracts a $464 fine and three demerit points. It's illegal in all other Australian states too. Driver's are also required to stay left, unless overtaking.
Furious driver's attempt to notify ute: 'Get out of the way'
Another driver captured the scenes on camera as his wife drove alongside the ute. "He still won't pull over. They're high beaming him and everything," the woman can be heard saying. "I'm going to tell him to pull over," she says as she attempts to catch up to the ute.
"Get out of the way," she yells out of the window as she gestures with her hand to move over.
The video plays for about 30 seconds before the vehicle eventually moves to the left lane. At this point, cars can be heard honking on top of the blaring emergency sirens. The female driver claims the driver of the ute, a young man, was laughing during it all.
Queensland driver savagely slammed
The video was originally shared on Reddit earlier this month by the man who filmed it but the clip was re-shared on another subreddit page on Wednesday.
"Some people are completely oblivious," the original poster said. "Not trying to shame anyone or their business, as perhaps they were just unaware, [but] on M1 a few days back, this went on for a good minute or so before I started recording. Wife wasn't having it."
The post infuriated many with some suggesting the driver should get dobbed in and fined. "I think we should absolutely be naming and shaming people for this sh*t. There's zero accountability for these utter turnips," one said.
"'Not aware' is absolutely not an excuse when driving. Lives are ruined because of this," another said. "Should shame them. Useless idiots," a third wrote. Others called the driver an "absolute moron".
Some suggested the attached trailer could have been obstructing his view but said he still should have heard the sirens. "It just goes to show that people are oblivious and never check their mirrors. In the time it took to play this video, I would have checked my mirrors 15+ times. Especially towing a trailer," another shared.
'Happens all the time'
One road user claimed this is "pretty common on [the] Gold Coast" and said vehicles often fail to move when an emergency vehicle is trying to get past.
A volunteer firefighter agreed it "happens all the time" and said, "I've even seen cases where people deliberately try and block us for no apparent reason. Why they would do this is beyond me".
What are the penalties for blocking an emergency vehicle?
NSW: $464 fine and three demerit points.
VIC: $318 and three demerit points.
QLD: $464 and three demerit points.
SA: $499 fine and three points.
WA: $400 and four demerit points.
TAS: $341 and three demerit points.
The penalties for ACT and NT are unclear.
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