A video has captured the terrifying experience of a family in the Bay of Plenty after being targeted by a driver who repeatedly rammed into their vehicle on a state highway.
The video was posted to social media by a person who said his uncle had been driving between Rotorua and Te Puke yesterday afternoon when a man in a white Mazda ute began to ram into the back of their Suzuki Swift.
“It takes a lot to physically startle my uncle, but this incident certainly did.”
The vehicle’s occupants were clearly upset when the ute hit them repeatedly before overtaking – narrowly dodging by an oncoming truck.
“Unnecessary and unsolicited and to endanger four of our whānau is not what we need.”
The ute hit their Swift about seven times and caused damage to the rear of the vehicle, all in wet and rainy conditions.
The poster asked any witnesses to the incident to call Te Puke Police Station.
He had re-posted from another family member: “I would say with extreme impact that four lives could have been lost yesterday if it weren’t for my brothers’ driving skills…my brother never feared for his life while driving in his 35+ years, but he said when he felt the car lurch, he knew they would be in trouble if he didn’t keep it on the road.”
He said the man in the ute was also accompanied by a woman and a young child.
He said he tried to overtake them at the last minute and cut them off at the Okere Falls passageway.
“Further into the ride, the Mazda driver made a second attempt to get my whānau off the road and of course hand gestures and a few altercations of choice followed, and for good reason.”
Police have confirmed that they received a report of traffic violations on Te Puke Highway/Number 1 Rd at 12:40 PM on Tuesday.
Vehicle information website Carjam shows that the registration number of the ute has been replaced. The release date for the new record is today.