M5 crash

mellman01

Now the smoke has cleared and the carnage can be evaluated I'd guess a pound to a pinch of salt that the main reasons were people driving to fast and to close for the road conditions.
when I drive on motorways I change my mindset and focus on what this type of driving requires, just because were all going in the same direction doesn't make it safer, I always try and keep a good distance between me and what's in front and I always use the inner lane and don't lane hog, I also don't drive at much over 60mph due to the simple fact the faster you go the more fuel you burn and the less time you have to reacted if something goes Pete Tong.
I also increase the distance I leave between me and the car in front and also reduce my speed if the weather gets bad, another thing I also do when the weather gets bad is not use the rear fogs if there's a car behind me as it inhibits them from seeing your brake lights, fogs are brighter than break lights so they need to be used sensibly, sadly most turnips turn them on and just go at the same speed regardless which is odd as the main problem for them is running into what's up front in the fog and the rain seeming their going much faster than those around them so being rear ended at 80 mph in fog is not the biggest threat by far.
Also modern adverts tend to make cars out to be extensions of our front rooms and the only time danger comes into play is to show off the new safety kit and is only employed to instil a false sense of security.
As my old dad once said to me, " going isn't the art it's stopping". How true.

joanlawson

Motorways terrify me, and I rarely drive on them myself. Even as a passenger, I'm always relieved to get off the motorway.

We were involved in a very bad accident several years ago when a car crashed into the back of us because it was going too fast for the wet conditions at the time. Luckily, no-one was very badly injured, despite the fact that the other car ended up upside down with petrol pouring out of it. I was amazed when the three very elderly people managed to climb out safely, and it didn't catch fire. The old chap driving was over 80, and he wasn't capable at all. We were shunted onto the hard shoulder, but we could so easily have been killed. This has left me with a lasting phobia of motorways, and I had flashbacks for ages afterwards.

The trouble is that even if you drive very carefully yourself, there are so many idiots who shouldn't be driving at all. How many drivers are on the motorways who have no insurance and have never passed a test :?: I think we would be horrified to know the number.

Joan

mellman01

Yeah your right Joan two many idiots, I try to keep a good distance but someone's always messing things up, I dread to think what will happen if they put the speed limit up to 80, that means a lot of the faster cars that go up to 80 as it is will be hitting 90 to a hundred if they do.
I've actually have got off the motorway on the odd occasion when the weather was getting bad and the number of idiots increased. One other big problem is people rubber necking if something does go wrong, nearly got wiped out a few years back when a lorry blew a tire in front of me, in the middle lane, both the either side just held their position and were intent at looking at it, I had nowhere to go and couldn't see in front from all the smoke, the next thing I saw was a lorry trailer snaking through the smoke on fire coming straight at me with bits of c**p going everywhere, I'd left enough distance so got away with it but it was close, the **** in the outside lane was a real prat, he even slowed down and kept pace with the lorry instead of booting it and getting clear. Someone in the inside lane let the lorry in so he could get to the hard shoulder in the end then Mr nosey slowly drove off oblivious to the stack of traffic behind him in the fast lane.

dreamdaisy

You're spot on mel, I do the same when driving if the conditions worsen, whereas most idiots just blithely assume that accidents happen to other people and anyway they've a car full of exploding pillows so they'll be fine.

My first car had all the safety mechanisims of a tissue (well, it was a 2CV. ) That taught me a deal about careful driving and those habits have lasted. I think people forget they are in control of a lethal piece of kit and the more modern vehicles are increasingly doing more of the 'thinking' for the driver. Accidents do happen and for all sorts of reasons but I reckon the majority are probably caused by the lump of flesh and blood behind the wheel. Much as I love my husband his driving terrifies me: race to get into 6th gear asap, sit one someone's bumper and bully them into changing lanes (it's 70, I remind him, not in this lane he snarls - wrong, my love) and his sheer inattention to what's going on around him is scary.

He has a new car. It's lovely. Has he read the book and sat and learned where all the controls are? Nope, it's much more fun to be charging along at his usual 80 whilst searching for the wiper control. :roll:

Mind you, I have been known to undertake on the M25. :oops: My little car could do the required 90 for the outside lane, but I won't so if I do close in on someone bumbling along at a steady 55 in the middle lane I'll cheerfully go past on the driving lane at my steady 60. I usually have that bit of the road to meself anyway. I swear most people think they have left-hand drive cars. DD

valval

do you find when you leave a gap other cars push there way in i hate moterways steve says i am a pain to drive do i not trust him have tried to explaine it the other idiots i do not trust lol

barbara12

People seem to lose all common sense on the motorways...heading toward Leeds there are spacers in the road....and you are told to leave two between vehicles....now I remember when people did...but not any more... it is madness....they are saying it was smoke from a bonfire...but still they must have been going far to fast...its must have horrific for those involved.

cloud9

To blame the bonfire is a cop out. I don't suppose we'll ever find out what caused it. All we can hope is that it taught some lessons about motorway driving and reacting to different weather and visibility conditions.

frogmorton

Just glad l didn't know anyone involved and sad for those families :sad:

tonesp

And yet statistically Motorways are the safest roads of all Mostaccidends happen on single carriageway roads