It was a dark Wednesday evening in peak-hour traffic on the Tuggeranong Parkway when John Chapuis's car was rear-ended.
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He had slowed down upon seeing a sea of brake lights ahead, traffic brought to a standstill by an unseen obstacle.
He remembers hitting his brakes, stopping his car within the "distance of a coffee table" to the vehicle in front.
But the car behind him wasn't so fortunate.
"I then looked up and I can remember my thought was, 'This is going to hurt', and the young lady behind me slammed into me," he said.
Car crashes domino on Parkway
Mr Chapuis was driving the first car in a five-vehicle collision on the Parkway in May.
The five-car collision followed minutes after a seven-vehicle crash further along the Parkway, where one car had mounted the lane barrier.
Ricky Somerville was driving the fourth car in the second crash. He narrowly avoided hitting the car in front, only to be pushed into it when he was hit by the vehicle behind.
"I had a second to look and thought, 'I'm going to get hit'," he said.
"I got pushed up pretty hard [against the car in front]. The woman behind me, her airbag went off. She was pretty shaken up."
The seven-vehicle crash had brought traffic to a halt, contributing to the multi-rear-ender collision for Mr Chapuis and Mr Somerville.
The crashes caused extensive delays on the Parkway. Mr Somerville's car was towed, while shattered glass and plastic littered the road.
Mr Somerville's car was written-off in the crash. He said insurance paid for a new car, which he hoped to not have to replace again anytime soon.
Not enough room to brake
The two crashes were part of a horrific week on the Parkway, with four collisions in a matter of days.
ACT Policing told The Canberra Times people were driving too close together, and unable to brake in time when vehicles in front of them stopped. Acting Inspector Travis Mills said police had "had enough" of attending "avoidable" crashes.
Analysis of ACT Roads crash data showed more than 60 per cent of crashes on the Parkway were rear-enders.
Mr Chapuis and Mr Somerville said they don't think speed was the cause of the pile-up; they were already driving under the speed limit when the cars collided.
Both drivers said people were just driving too close, and couldn't brake in time when the car in front of them stopped.
In 2019 ACT Roads installed chevrons - white V-shaped signs on the road - that were supposed to show drivers how far apart to drive on the Parkway.
Mr Somerville did not think drivers understood how far apart they should be from the vehicle in front, and had no idea how the chevrons were supposed to work.
"They're a joke. It's like saying it's OK to be two seconds apart here, but the rest [of the Parkway] is OK," he said.
"It's also interpreting what it means. Is it two chevrons apart that I can see, or is it one of them?"
ACT Roads said a review of the chevrons was planned for 2025.
Lucy Arundell
Lucy is a reporter for the Canberra Times. Originally from the Central West, she has a passion for local and rural news. Email her at lucy.arundell@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
Lucy is a reporter for the Canberra Times. Originally from the Central West, she has a passion for local and rural news. Email her at lucy.arundell@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
