Tanker truck driver charged after near-miss with motorcyclist at Lake Plastira in Greece

Near-miss on a blind curve

A 25-year-old motorcyclist narrowly avoided a head-on collision with a tanker truck near Lake Plastira in central Greece after the truck driver attempted an illegal overtaking maneuver on a blind curve, crossing into the opposite lane. The incident, captured on the motorcyclist's helmet camera, circulated widely on social media and prompted an immediate police investigation by the Attica Traffic Directorate.

The motorcyclist had been riding toward Lake Plastira to record footage for his amateur YouTube channel when, after two or three bends in the road, he encountered the tanker truck coming directly toward him in his lane. He told Alpha TV that he spotted the truck earlier than his camera recorded, because he habitually watches the oncoming lane for safety. That early visual detection gave him the fraction of a second needed to swerve to the edge of the road and avoid the heavy vehicle by centimeters.

The motorcyclist's account

Speaking to both Alpha TV and MEGA's "Koinonia Ora" program, the 25-year-old described the moment in detail. He explained that he had reduced speed slightly while navigating the curve and had very little room to maneuver, managing to avoid the truck by a razor-thin margin.

I was within a turn. I was looking at the opposite lane as always for safety reasons and I noticed a tanker truck approaching a car very closely and eventually making an overtaking maneuver that I managed to avoid. At the last moment I had cut some speed and had very little room and managed to avoid him. I mean, marginally, very marginally.

When asked what he was thinking at that moment, he said his mind had gone completely blank. He told MEGA that he was not thinking anything, that it was as if he had no mind, and that only afterward did he realize he was lucky to be alive. He stressed that had he been driving a car instead of a motorcycle, a head-on collision would have been one hundred percent certain due to the complete lack of space on the road.

Police investigation and charges

The video's circulation on social media triggered a spontaneous investigation by the Attica Traffic Directorate, which initially did not know where the incident had occurred. The investigation determined the location as the Lake Plastira area and identified the truck driver through the transport company that employs him. The driver was located in Thessaloniki and brought to the Thessaloniki Traffic Police.

A case file was formed against the truck driver for dangerous driving under Article 290A of the Greek Penal Code, with corresponding violations of the Traffic Code also confirmed. According to an ERT report, the driver was in Chalkidiki with the tanker truck and was expected to voluntarily present himself at the traffic police station at 7 PM on 13 August to give a statement and be informed of the case file.

How the footage surfaced

The motorcyclist explained that he does not normally ride with recording equipment but had set out specifically to make a video for his YouTube channel, which is why he had both camera and microphone mounted on his helmet. He told MEGA that he uploaded the footage purely for educational purposes, and that he had not turned around, had not done anything wrong, and had not gone to the police himself, though he was later called by authorities.