Video: SUV driver narrowly avoids childcare centre collision

Dashcam footage of a driver losing control of a Hyundai SUV and hitting a tree next to a childcare centre has emerged online.

In the video –  uploaded to Dash Cam Owners Australia’s Facebook page – the motorist can be seen quickly coming out of a carpark and attempting to enter a narrow street on 3 May 2024.

The Hyundai Santa Fe started to turn right before an approaching vehicle honked its horn to warn the driver of their presence.

In an apparent attempt to avoid the collision, the Santa Fe driver quickly turns right – but continues to accelerate and loses control as the vehicle crosses the nature strip before colliding with a tree outside of a childcare centre.

While the owner of the dashcam video did not specify where the incident occurred, viewers have speculated it was outside Jigsaw Childcare Centre in Phoenix Street, Sunshine – a suburb 12km west of Melbourne.

Most comments to date condemn the dangerous driving behaviour, with one user writing: “It worries me that some people don’t have the instinct to automatically apply the brakes in minor near misses, any pedestrians would have been finished."

“Luckily it hit the tree and didn’t end up in the childcare centre,” another user added.

A Victoria Police spokesperson said the 44-year-old driver did not sustain any injuries – while the owner of the Jigsaw Childcare Centre confirmed nobody within the facility was affected by the incident.

"Police will investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash, however at this stage [we] believe it is accidental," the Victoria Police spokesperson told Drive.