Transporting New Zealand has released a series of dashcam videos showing hair-raising near-misses involving trucks, warning that reckless and impatient driving is putting lives at risk.

The national road freight association has been encouraging its members to submit footage of dangerous driving to raise awareness and highlight the need for safer behaviour on New Zealand roads.

Transporting New Zealand Chief Executive Dom Kalasih said the footage reveals how dangerous a moment’s impatience can be.

“Truck drivers spend more time on the roads than almost anyone else,” Kalasih said. “Transporting New Zealand is consistently hearing concerns from our road freight members about incidents of impatient and unsafe driving they’re seeing while going about their work.

“The roads are the workplace for truck drivers, and that’s a workplace where a moment’s impatience or inattention can shatter lives forever.”

He said the maximum speed limit for heavy vehicles is 90 km/h, even on roads marked at 100 or 110 km/h, and that all drivers need to show patience when overtaking.

“Please be patient and wait until there’s a passing lane or a clear section of road before overtaking. Think about how far you have to go to get clear of a truck and possibly a trailer. The combined length of both can be up to 23 metres — that’s a significant distance to cover, and you need a safety gap at the other side.”

Transporting New Zealand shared three recent dashcam clips where disaster was narrowly avoided. Kalasih said while some motorists may feel frustrated being stuck behind a slower-moving truck, the consequences of reckless driving can be devastating.

“It’s not worth risking your life or anybody else’s for the sake of saving a few minutes. That’s how horrible wrecks happen.”