Shocking footage has emerged of a truck driver driving on a busy Melbourne highway with a dangerous modification fitted to his truck.
Huge spikes protruded from the front wheel rims as the truck weaved through heavy traffic on the highway.
The video, titled ‘What a knob’, was posted to Reddit this week, with Victoria Police stating the truck modification was illegal.
A police spokesman said investigations into the truck were continuing and people were advised not to make any unauthorised modifications to their vehicles.
Under VicRoads vehicle standards, it is illegal to have anything protruding beyond the wheel beyond the mudguard.
“When driving the car straight ahead, the wheels and tyres do not extend beyond the width of the mudguards when viewed from above,” according to VicRoads.
The original Reddit poster warned of the potential injuries the truck’s studded tires could cause.
“This was slightly higher than the sill of a regular car, so it would cut right through a car door and end up in your children’s hips.”
Footage has surfaced on social media of the truck driving on a busy highway with illegal modifications
“Sounds like a great idea,” they added sarcastically.
Social media users were quick to point out that the modifications were illegal in Victoria, with one person even commenting: ‘Definitely not legal in Victoria.’
‘No part of the rotating wheel can extend beyond the guard when the wheels are pointing straight ahead.’
“No sharp protrusions either,” agreed another.
“Legal on a Roman chariot at the Colosseum,” someone said.
Some Reddit users said the wheel modifications were poorly done and came off easily, causing tires to be destroyed when they ran over them. Others said they were made of plastic.
Others compared the wheel hub to something you’d see in a Mad Max movie, except not on the street.
“Stop trying to make Mad Max a thing,” said one viewer.
Another added: ‘Mad Max: West Gate Bridge.’
Under VicRoads vehicle standards, it is illegal to have anything protruding beyond the wheel beyond the mudguard.
A third wrote: ‘I live where Mad Max was filmed… I drive over the hill from the movie every day. I would laugh if I saw something like that there.’
‘Wowee, you cross that bridge and drive about 3 miles down the road and you’re dead in a post-apocalyptic dystopia – Avalon Beach. F**k me, that place is creepy,’ wrote another.
Another Reddit user jokingly wrote: People with truck mania shouldn’t be made fun of.
“It’s an innocent way for people with bad taste to express themselves. And then when we start accusing them of being insecure about their masculinity or whatever, we get this kind of shit.”