Bryce Eishold
A Melbourne man had a lucky escape when his trailer rolled on the Princes Freeway at Newborough on Thursday afternoon.
Traffic was brought to a standstill while heavy haulage was called in to recover the trailer, ironically owned by a training and safety company.
The driver of the vehicle, a 31-year-old man from Toorak, escaped without injury but was shaken after the incident.
Investigators said the man was travelling westbound on the freeway when his trailer “lost control after it started swaying” near the Moe/Newborough exit.
Police said excessive speed was not a factor in the collision and the man would not face any disciplinary action.
The four-wheel-drive the man was using to tow the trailer experienced minor damage but was driven from the scene.
Latrobe Highway Patrol Sergeant Mick Williams encouraged drivers to take extra care when towing a trailer, and to ensure the weight inside the trailer was balanced evenly over the axels.
“When you’re towing you need to make sure the towing capacity of your vehicle is rated to tow the weight of your trailer,” Sergeant Williams said.
“There’s also different weights for braked and un-braked trailers and people need to be aware of them.
“If you’re towing larger trailers it takes a bit of skill and it never hurts to slow down. If the vehicle is rated appropriately and the trailer is loaded … so it’s balanced, that can always help.”
People can use the westbound weighbridge at Yarragon to weigh their vehicle and trailer, free of charge.
Drivers towing heavier loads can visit the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator website, or VicRoads at vicroads.vic.gov.au/safety-and-road-rules/vehicle-safety for more information.
