A former Major Crash investigator says he has a solution following the latest incident with an out-of-control truck on the South Eastern Freeway.

The retired officer says while with SAPOL he investigated two fatal crashes at the notorious Cross Rd intersection at the bottom of the freeway.

During both investigations – which each took years to complete – he spoke with truck drivers, trainers, mechanics and employers.

His solution involves adding an elbow bend into the Freeway down track where the existing number two arrester bed is located. As part of the plan, a new number two arrester bed would be added and a trap built to catch vehicles that have lost control:

Vehicles that make it through the new bend in the Freeway would be adequately slowed down and under control – reducing the possibility of uncontrolled vehicles making it to the Cross Road intersection.

The retired investigator has told FIVEAA’s Matthew Pantelis the plan would resolve many of the factors that can result in a truck losing control on its way down the freeway – including poor vehicle maintenance, poor driving, missing road signs, and “cowboy truckies”.

WATCH HERE – MATTHEW PANTELIS INVESTIGATES:

The Cross Rd intersection has been the scene of multiple serious crashes.

Two motorists were killed in 2014 when a truck lost its brakes and crashed into traffic.

Nine more people were injured in 2022 when another truck lost control.

Most recently a driver was injured when a truck lost control in May this year and crashed into a wall on Cross Road. The accident happened just before 4am and luckily didn’t involve any other vehicles.

(Images | SAPOL)

Following the most recent crash a decision was made to move the traffic lights on the top of Cross Road back roughly 100 metres so no vehicles are caught waiting on the red light should an out-of-control truck come through.

This solution depends on the lights being red and no traffic flowing through the intersection when a runaway truck comes through.

Matthew Pantelis says the fix suggested by the retired SAPOL Major Crash investigator is more comprehensive:

His view is when the new road opened almost a quarter of a century ago bypassing the notorious 180° Devil’s Elbow, the safety valve to slow trucks down was removed. You could argue that for the whole of the descent on the Old Mt Barker Rd, there were certainly some twists and turns down which kept trucks moving slowly but in Pete’s view, what is needed is a slow, tight bend, right by this arrester bed.

In his researched opinion, trucks will be forced to slow to negotiate it, those that don’t will have to use the arrester bed, if they still continue, the tight bend should force them into a gravel pit next to the arrester bed, a third arrester bed if you like.

It makes sense, a circuit breaker to stop out of control trucks. It’s not as cheap as moving back the traffic lights on Cross Road but that solution won’t stop trucks barreling down at that point either.