Message for all of us in nightmare M1 experiences, writes Ann Wason Moore

Toddlers on e-bikes, cars smashed by trucks, couches left in the middle of a lane … every Gold Coast motorist has an M1 horror story. This is what those stories tell us, writes Ann Wason Moore.

This has to be the hottest competition ever witnessed on the Gold Coast.

What is the worst thing you have ever seen on the M1?

I know my answer: a grown man and his toddler son riding an e-bike (one of those that are more moped than bike) with neither wearing helmets. In the fast lane, no less.

It’s not just the M1 either. I was stuck in crawling traffic on a single-lane section of the Gold Coast Highway a couple of weeks ago (not breaking news, I know) only to find out the cause of the gridlock was a young man on a skateboard. At night-time.

But it seems my experiences are nothing compared to what others have witnessed on that highway to hell we call the M1.

If you haven’t seen the scary reality for yourself, there is plenty of frightening footage online courtesy of dash cams. I only wish I had one for the cyclist and skateboarder.

“Gold Coast M1 crash Truck vs Toyota” posted online on February 7 this year. Picture: Facebook/Dash Cam Owners Australia

From the horrific to the unbelievable to the would-be-hilarious-if-not-potentially-deadly, residents have recounted the worst scenes they have encountered on this motorway in a social media post.

“(I had a Hyundai Excel) that sat about 10cm off the road. Driving at 110km/h in this tiny clown car … I was driving in the middle lane and had a truck either side of me and one of those medium sized landscaping tip trucks in front,” said one former Brisbane to Gold Coast commuter.

“The landscaping truck had a tyre blowout that took out a couple other tyres. I had parts of tyre raining down on me and the truck slamming on its brakes.

“The urge to swerve was almost impossible to over-ride (but) I would have ended up under a semi-trailer. I just held the wheel straight and let it all happen around me. After what seemed like time standing still I managed to survive with the Excel taking a beating but still drivable.

“That was enough for me, we moved down to the Gold Coast so I could live past my 30s. Sold the Excel to a half-dozen uni students … I hope they out-lived the Hyundai Excel.”

Some other highlights witnessed on the highway include: a queen-sized mattress in the middle lane; a driver smoking from a glass pipe while the passenger steered for him; a driver smoking a bong and steering with a knee; overtaking via the median strip divider; filming themselves and dog while driving; a three-seater couch in the left lane which the driver had no choice but to drive through in their brand new car.

Then there was this disturbing account (disclaimer: all survived):

“I was driving from Gold Coast to Brisbane and saw a lady in my mirror coming up the left hand emergency lane/shoulder doing easy 180km/h.

“I moved just in time and saw her hit the railing on the side of the road and flip her car multiple times before wrapping it around a pole. When the shock wore off I realised the car directly in front of me was missing its entire passenger side and the dude in the car was screaming. All I could think was if there was a passenger in that car they’re definitely dead.

“Miraculously everyone survived.”

”M1 Gold Coast January 2025” posted online on February 1, 2022. Picture: Facebook/Dash Cam Owners Australia

Now, the sad fact is that there isn’t much we can do about traffic on the M1.

Sure, the Coomera Connector aims to take 60,000 vehicles off the highway by creating a new route between Nerang and Coomera, returning the M1 to its original role as a national highway, but it’s debatable how much impact it will have on traffic.

The harsh reality is that the concept of ‘induced demand’ – a theory of ‘if you build it they will come’, where the more roads you build, the more cars will use it – means it won’t be long before it, too, is bumper to bumper.

Regardless, surely there is something we can do about the dangerous driving exhibited on a daily basis on the M1.

Let’s start with ramping up fines for vehicles with unsecured/uncovered loads.

Says one social media commenter: “People need to have the fear of a fine put up them. Perhaps the algorithm in the phone and seat belt cameras can be adjusted to check trailers and utes as well.”

Unfortunately, there isn’t a whole lot we can do to make people better drivers. The safest option is to stay off the roads.

It’s just another reason we need to support better public transportation links.