Shock at ute overload

By Russell Bennett
YARRA Ranges Highway Patrol Acting Sergeant Graeme Rust said the words “bloody idiot” spring to mind when thinking about a hills man who drove a ute packed with 13 people in the city on the weekend.
The 34-year-old Monbulk man was pulled over for driving erratically along Brunswick Street just before 2am on Sunday (8 January).
The police say that when officers intercepted the ute, they discovered nine people in the back along with the driver, who had a suspended licence, and a front seat passenger.
According to Victoria Police, two other people jumped out of the vehicle and fled just before the officers pulled the driver over.
Act Sgt Rust said he had not heard of any hills incidents involving that many people in one car before.
“But we have had fatalities from people riding on the back of a ute,” he said.
“There was one a few years ago where at least one person died at Tarrawarra.
“A couple of people were riding on the back of a ute spotlight shooting.”
Act Sgt Rust said the Yarra Ranges also had a number of close-calls, including one on the 10-mile turntable on Mt Donna Buang where two people were riding on the back of a ute doing burnouts in the snow.
“There’s a huge risk of serious injury or death with this (behaviour),” he said.
“These are vehicles that are designed to carry goods, not passengers in the back and we have laws brought about specifically for the safety of occupants.”
Act Sgt Rust said if something happened to the vehicle in the city on Sunday morning – if it hit a post, wall or another car – its occupants would be nothing more than dead weight.
“If they’re in the back, they’ll be thrown and hit or run over by another car,” he said simply.
“You’d just thank your lucky stars no one was hurt.”
According to Victoria Police, the hills driver pulled over in the city said officers were over-reacting “because no one was hurt”.
Act Sgt Rust was flabbergasted.
“It’s like the ‘only a little bit over?’ slogan,” he said. “That little bit slows reaction times.
“If you had to brake or hit something, people in the ute would be thrown.
“You can never judge when something’s about to happen.”
Police immediately impounded the Monbulk man’s vehicle for 30 days under hoon driving legislation.
He is expected to be charged on summons with conduct endangering life, driving with unrestrained passengers, driving an unregistered vehicle and a range of other traffic offences.