An 81-year-old motorist has been banned from driving after he drove 12 kilometres in the wrong direction along a busy Melbourne motorway. Ronald Jackson, 81, was caught on several CCTV cameras as he headed into the path of oncoming traffic.
Other road users had to swerve out of his way to avoid a head-on collision, including a truck. The footage shows him driving through tunnels, over bridges and alongside a river in the wrong lane.
Three lanes of horrified motorists are seen slamming on their brakes as Jackson approaches, yet he still fails to stop, instead weaving in between the traffic. A driver from the operator of the Citylink Toll Road even made an attempt to flag down the driver, but he just continued along the motorway.
Colac Magistrates’ Court heard Mr Jackson had held his licence for 63 years and had passed a driver refresher course not long before the incident in February.
His lawyer Peter Flynn said Jackson had unknowingly suffered a stroke in the lead up to the incident which could have caused his confusion. He added that his client’s only previous offence was a single speeding ticket nearly 30 years earlier.
Jackson entered the freeway via Williamstown Road and travelled on the wrong side of the West Gate Bridge through the Domain Tunnel. He pleaded guilty to reckless driving and was fined $1,500.
