Robert Black instead will serve his time by way of a 15-month intensive corrections order over the incident that almost took his life.

Police and a passerby dragged the now 38-year-old Wagga man from his crashed black Audi just a minute before it burst into flames by the side of the freeway.

Magistrate Rodney Brender told Black in Albury Local Court on Wednesday that if it wasn’t for his concerted effort to tackle his alcohol problem he would have ended up behind bars.

RELATED: Drink-driver dragged from burning car

Black crashed into the back of the semi-trailer, which was travelling on the freeway at about 100km/h, as another car tried to overtake the truck.

Black’s car careered off the side of the freeway and down an embankment, travelling 83 metres before coming to a stop.

 A clearly intoxicated Black was found slumped forward and he appeared to have a badly broken right leg.

Black, who was not represented, had previously pleaded guilty to drive recklessly, furiously or speed in a manner dangerous and to having a high range concentration of alcohol.

He was disqualified from obtaining a licence for 12 months and ordered to pay compensation of $2673 to the owner of the truck he crashed into.

The court was told Black had separated from his partner of seven years just before the incident on January 15.

He had overcome an alcohol problem, but the split from his partner caused a relapse.

Police received numerous calls about 3pm over the Queensland-registered Audi after the car was seen travelling north on the highway at an estimated 200km/h.

This speed was maintained from the Victorian border all the way to the site of the crash.

“A number of those calls indicated near-misses and continued high speeds and erratic driving.”

Black, later found to have a blood alcohol reading of 0.151, repeatedly overtook vehicles in turning and emergency lanes.