The speeding ticket that may have saved teen from Ivan Milat

A New South Wales man has recounted a harrowing experience from the mid-1970s, suggesting a speeding ticket may have saved him from becoming a victim of notorious serial killer Ivan Milat. Steven Clark shared his story with a state parliamentary inquiry into unsolved murders and missing persons cases.

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My friend decided maybe we should hitchhike, and I sort of went along with it.

Clark, who was 14 or 15 at the time, and a friend decided to hitchhike to Wollongong after missing a bus. A car stopped for them, and the driver, who Clark described as having protruding teeth and a moustache, offered them a lift. The driver also suggested taking them further than their intended destination, to Sydney.

As the friend began to close the car door, the driver accelerated, preventing them from getting out. Clark recalled the driver asking unsettling questions like, "Who knows that you're hitchhiking? Who knows you're going to Wollongong?" He described the driver's behavior as scary, noting the man was evasive about his own identity.

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This two-door sedan is speeding, and it slams on its brakes and pulls over.

The situation took a turn when the car was pulled over by police for speeding. Clark heard the officer ask the driver about his passengers. The driver identified them as "just hitchhikers I picked up back there." Clark and his friend considered running but stayed put, fearing their parents would find out and police would pursue them.

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Come in, do you want a lift?

After the police interaction, the driver's demeanor changed. He drove normally to Wollongong, dropped them off as promised, and left. Clark only caught a glimpse of the driver's name on the ticket, recalling it started with "I, V." He believes this police stop was what prevented him from suffering a worse fate at the hands of Milat.

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He goes, 'Oh, I can take you to Sydney,' and I said, 'No, just Wollongong.'