The footage was captured by Shoalhaven resident Steve Knox about 4.30pm June 18 on the Princes Highway, just after the Jervis Bay turn-off heading south.

Police from Strike Force Puma, targeting high-risk drivers, saw the footage and charged the 46-year-old woman on Thursday. 

Traffic and Highway Command operations manager Inspector Robert Toynton said inquiries into the footage lead them to different parts of the state. 

“Yesterday afternoon a 46-year-old female from western Sydney was charged with dangerous driving and negligent driving for overtaking several vehicles across double lines, almost having a head-on crash with another vehicle coming the other way,” he said. 

“The only way we found this incident occurred was via someone submitting some footage which was retrieved by Strike Force Puma officers.”

Read more: P-plate hoon gets all the way from Gerringong to Sutherland in 37-minute police chase

Strike Force Puma will target drivers with a history of licence offences and a repeated history of drink and drug driving offences, as well as drivers with extreme and erratic behaviour.

The team will also investigate and prosecute motorists using information received from law enforcement agencies as well as video footage from sources such as social media and dash cam.

At the time of the incident, Mr Knox said a combination of the driver’s speed, erratic manoeuvres and wet weather made for a very frightening situation. 

“It was pretty scary,” he said. 

“If [the driver] had have clipped any of the cars on the other side of the road [when she was trying to overtake] that would have wiped out me, and the other three or four cars around me,” he said. 

Inspector Toynton urged anyone who witnessed poor driving behaviour to contact police. 

“If you’ve got footage of high-risk driving [send it] to Crime Stoppers or your local police with reference to Strike Force Puma,” he said. 

Assistant Commissioner Michael Corboy said the horror road toll over Christmas and New Year, specifically the head-on crash claiming five lives, including four members of the Falkholt family near Bendalong on December 26, 2017, was one of the catalysts for the initiative.

“This is a new strategy to specifically target recidivist traffic offenders and those who ignore regular traffic enforcement,” he said.

“So far this year 169 people have died in 158 crashes, and of those, six people were killed by drivers who were unlicensed, disqualified or suspended.

“We will not tolerate high-risk and irresponsible driving behaviour that puts other road users at risk.”

The Illawarra Mercury