By NOEL MURPHY
MARCIA and Glen Wood are thanking their lucky stars they’re alive after a near-miss with a car driving the wrong way on the Princes Freeway at Lara.
The incident, about 9.30pm on Sunday, was the latest in a string of wrong-way incidents police have said occur almost weekly on the busy freeway.
The worst in recent times saw the deaths of five people at Lara in December 2012 when a woman drove from Werribee on the wrong side of the road, eventually smashing into a carload of young people despite frantic calls to 000 by other motorists.
Ms Wood told the Independent she and her husband were heading for Lorne, driving in the middle lane near the Lara turnoff, when they saw “quite a few brake lights” in the distance “then a set of bright white ones”.
“It took a few moments to realise it was a car heading towards us on the wrong side of the freeway,” Ms Wood said.
“It was travelling in the right hand lane. Glen swerved into the left lane to avoid a head-on.
“I’m not sure he had a lot of time to see if the lane was empty, thankfully it was.”
Ms Wood said she unsure what happened to the car after that, “as we were more focused on what was ahead”.
“We thought there may have been an accident as the traffic had slowed down but all was ok and everyone continued to drive on.”
Police media were unaware of the incident but the wrong-way freeway driver was just one of several alarming traffic incidents over the Easter weekend.
A woman was arrested at Geelong after a chase from Camperdown involving multiple police units and helicopters. A woman wanted in relation to an attempted burglary in Melbourne, and allegedly armed with a machete, reportedly rammed a police car before being apprehended.
Police also impounded four cars after their drivers were apprehended speeding.
One incident took place on Melbourne Road in North Geelong where an 18-year-old Corio man, who only obtained his licence on 7 April, was intercepted travelling at 145km/h in a 70 zone.
Two other impounds also involved high speeds, one in North Shore where the driver was travelling at 116km/h in a 70 zone and another in Breakwater, with the driver’s speed checked at 127km/h in a 60 zone.
The fourth impound was the result of the driver driving on a suspended licence and lower level speeding.
State Highway Patrol West Sergeant Mick Pandik said the speeds involved in these intercepts were extremely dangerous and a risk to other drivers on the road.
“These drivers show no regard for their passengers or anyone else on the road,” he said.
“If those drivers make one mistake at that speed, it’s going to be their last.”
All four cars have been impounded for 30 days and the drivers are expected to be charged on summons with various traffic offences.
