the maoster:
Don’t drive Scanias tbh, what’s the gearbox like? By that I mean is it one of those that’ll let you set off and then throw a wobbler and leave you stranded?
That is a good point. They can be very sluggish esp when loaded
xichrisxi:
Goes to show how a few seconds of mis judgement/lapse of concentration can end in people dead,life’s ruined and potentially a lengthy prison sentence.
This is how it usually happens & it happens several times a day spread over the country, but sadly very few ever come to the public conscience through our tabloids, or MSM of choice.
Whatever happened here today might be the single momentary lapse of reason in an otherwise distinguished driving career.
The TNUK CSI squad need to pop round the shop & buy a clue, the rest of us need to ponder . . . “There but for the grace of God Go I”.
cav551:
I don’t know how bus body manufacturers get away with it, there are impact resistance regulations for lorry cabs, but bus bodies are as flimsy as tissue paper, the only thing of any strength between the driver and the front is the steering column, much like the old Fibreglass lorry cabs of yore. About thirty years ago there was a serious head on collision between a single decker and a double decker close to where I live. The single decker was literally inside the the DD. The DD driver died a few weeks later from his injuries.
There needs to be a review of the whole question of the impact resistance of rear engined,low cab and set back front axle,designs especially bearing in mind the height mismatch involved in that v a truck’s load deck height.
The HGV driver has not been arrested. As said above there were fog patches in the area and that could’ve had an effect on visibility. That said, a left turn here and a short run down to the next roundabout would not only save time but quite evidently lives! Perhaps a central reservation should be put in here or a traffic island making it a left turn only on exit
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk
stuwozere1:
The HGV driver has not been arrested. As said above there were fog patches in the area and that could’ve had an effect on visibility. That said, a left turn here and a short run down to the next roundabout would not only save time but quite evidently lives! Perhaps a central reservation should be put in here or a traffic island making it a left turn only on exitSent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk
That roundabout is congested enough as it is without more trucks using it. I guess after a death there may be a chance of traffic lights going in as it’s a big yard and getting bigger.
Sent from my SM-J510FN using Tapatalk
That whole stretch along with lots of other parts of the A47 desperately need dualling and dragging into the 21st century, it’s more like a country road in places rather than a main east to west link.
This ^^^ sadly Lincolnshire seems to lag way behind in this respect; the county with most road deaths and injuries and also the county with the least dual carriageways. Linked perhaps?
Unfortunately the side rave rail of the trailer is just the right height to pass over the top of the dash of the bus - as said for the bus driver, it would have been pretty instant.
Must have been a hefty wallop - the Scannys nearside d arm has flipped forward. I thinks it’s quite pertinent that the Bretts guy hasn’t been arrested - normally in a fatal they do it at the speed of light.
RIP to the driver and passenger, hope everybody else recovers soon
Socketset:
I thinks it’s quite pertinent that the Bretts guy hasn’t been arrested - normally in a fatal they do it at the speed of light.RIP to the driver and passenger, hope everybody else recovers soon
Fair point that’s been raised here a few times. I was thinking, dangerous manoeuvre; drunk; vehicle defect…but if that were the case the driver would have been arrested. Even still, had he pulled out half way and then waited for a space, that could still be seen as sufficient for an arrest and interview in a fatality as pertinent questions would need to be asked about how busy the road was, what was the visibility like etc…
Perhaps it was just a sad case of a rubbishly timed and positioned patch of fog… so sad.
fingermissing:
Also don’t forget bus drivers don’t wear seat belts .Which May have help him or her if wearing a seat belt.
First bus do have seat belts for the driver in these and their new buses. They made the change in spec a few years ago. Sadly the driver didn’t stand a chance in this incident regardless of whether they were wearing a seatbelt or not!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Wonder if the planing depatment of the council bears some resposibility as well. Allowing large wharehouses to be built on a fast heavy traffic road knowing slow moving motors will be turning across it. Like a lot of things all ok till something goes wrong.
A lot of the A47 is through countryside that is as flat as a board. I went to Norwich last week, expecting to see the Cathederal in the distance as I approached. I fell over the A47 roundabout, marking what could be called the “City Limits” - and STILL no sight of any landmarks.
Visibility on the East Anglia roads, but in particular the single carriageway A47 - is a serious danger!
People tend to put their foot down when they see a straight road ahead, and people pulling out cannot see that far up the road if their view is so much as hidden by a single badly-placed bush.
RIP Bus Driver and Passenger killed. 
Odd days:
Wonder if the planing depatment of the council bears some resposibility as well. Allowing large wharehouses to be built on a fast heavy traffic road knowing slow moving motors will be turning across it. Like a lot of things all ok till something goes wrong.
Bretts have been there for at least 40 yrs that I know off, and the site has developed slowly over that time, its not a brand new facility.
There’s some more photos of the bus here:
google.co.uk/amp/s/www.mirr … 792902.amp
Poor bus driver had no chance, police also saying weather played no part in the collision.
stuwozere1:
, a left turn here and a short run down to the next roundabout would not only save time but quite evidently lives! Perhaps a central reservation should be put in here or a traffic island making it a left turn only on exit
Its not a short hop down to Guyhirn island, and in the summer, especially Fridays and Saturdays it can take upto 45 mins to get to Guyhirn from there. better still there’s a road just before bretts, that has a chevroned right hand turn for traffic going west, its a pain to, put a roundabout there, and get and Bretts build an access to that road,
I used to use that road regular going to Heygates at Downham Market. Its a bloody awful stretch.
eddie snax:
Odd days:
Wonder if the planing depatment of the council bears some resposibility as well. Allowing large wharehouses to be built on a fast heavy traffic road knowing slow moving motors will be turning across it. Like a lot of things all ok till something goes wrong.Bretts have been there for at least 40 yrs that I know off, and the site has developed slowly over that time, its not a brand new facility.
Like Boughey on A51 near Nantwich this year’s really should have traffic lights. Wouldn’t surprise me if they now make an appearance
mrginge:
Monsterbrown:
My guess is he had pulled part way out and was stationary when the bus appeared and for some reason failed to stop, whether fog, sunlight, distraction or a combination.That’s my guess, pulled out when nothing coming to his right, sat watching 50 cars come from the left not letting him out and then the bus hit.
I sincerely hope that is not the case or he will be in trouble!
Carryfast:
cav551:
I don’t know how bus body manufacturers get away with it, there are impact resistance regulations for lorry cabs, but bus bodies are as flimsy as tissue paper, the only thing of any strength between the driver and the front is the steering column, much like the old Fibreglass lorry cabs of yore. About thirty years ago there was a serious head on collision between a single decker and a double decker close to where I live. The single decker was literally inside the the DD. The DD driver died a few weeks later from his injuries.There needs to be a review of the whole question of the impact resistance of rear engined,low cab and set back front axle,designs especially bearing in mind the height mismatch involved in that v a truck’s load deck height.
Difficult to make crumple zones in a bus when it’s all about volume to maximize passenger numbers. Add in vehicle weight and it’s pretty unrealistic to have something in place to protect a driver with this kind of impact especially when a accident on this scale is rare anyway.
the maoster:
This ^^^ sadly Lincolnshire seems to lag way behind in this respect; the county with most road deaths and injuries and also the county with the least dual carriageways. Linked perhaps?
Definitely.
Plenty of money for pointless smart motorways, HS2 and a new runway at Heathrow.