Carryfast:
The driver does seem to have ‘done something about it’ having obviously tried to avoid the accident by moving away from the mini bus as it entered his path which would probably have been a better option than trying to just brake.
It would appear so and that would of course be instinct, however, it may well have been less consequential if he’d hit the bus square on.
Going by the the speed differential which the damage indicates and the energy which has been used up in throwing the mini bus across the slip road it’s probably more likely that the result of hitting the mini bus square on would have caused a lot more damage to the rear of it and more casualties with the lose lose situation that moving over into lane 2 might just have worked in avoiding the collision completely given a bit more time and space.If it happened how I think it ‘might’ have ‘possibly’ happened I think I’d have done the same as the truck driver did in this case.
Yes probably but you know what a lot of drivers are like.They do not like to think it was their fault and will try to make excuses and blame something else.Sometimes human nature I am afraid.
It is a complete tragedy and I hope somehow someone somewhere has learned something that will help to prevent the same thing happening again.
We are all human and make mistakes I am afraid.
albion1971:
Yes probably but you know what a lot of drivers are like.They do not like to think it was their fault and will try to make excuses and blame something else.Sometimes human nature I am afraid.
It is a complete tragedy and I hope somehow someone somewhere has learned something that will help to prevent the same thing happening again.
We are all human and make mistakes I am afraid.
Notwithstanding the bonkers idea of same colour coded signing for motorway exit slip road lanes and motorway continuation signs somehow I think signing like that final direction sign at the junction is more than just a human mistake it’s an absolutely idiotic idea with forseeable consequences.
Looking at the photo’s of the accident, it seems to me that the bus was on its side when most of the damage was caused. My reasoning on this? If the bus was upright, then the whole of the offside rear would have been pushed in, not just the lower section. There seems to be slight damage to the offside roof section.
The crease across the rear (should have been vertical if upright) would have been caused by the front bumper, with the nearside section of bus body going under the bumper.
albion1971: Just in general terms, the driver who hits into the back of someone usually gets the blame but like you say other drivers actions sometimes make this unavoidable.
Sorry do not agree.If a vehicle keeps a safe distance at all times it would be highly unlikely or very unusual circumstances where an accident would occur.
Unfortunately nowadays a lot of drivers perception of a safe distance is way off.
so no one has ever changed lanes / pulled out of a side road in front of you robbing your safe distance? and if they do with a resulting crash, you’ll be happy to take the blame?
one of my near misses was when traveling along a dual carriageway, it’s pitch black, the next exit is signed but can’t see it yet, i’m gaining on a car so pull out to overtake it with plenty of room, the car indicates and pulls into the layby, i start coming back across into lane 1. once i’m within 20 / 30 ft of the car now doing about 15 / 20mph, i’m guessing the car then realised he’d come off into a layby and not the slip road just goes to pull back onto the carriageway. luckily enough my horn got the reaction i wanted along with me getting over towards the white line. had it not the front left of my truck and the rear right of the car would’ve looked like the vehicles in this thread. i’m not saying that is the case here, but it’s a possibility.
Shocking driving! You should be hung, drawn and quartered! Call yourself a professional! You should have seen that happening from 13 miles away!
Signed,
DC Albion.
so i’ll ask you again albian, someone changed lanes / pulled out of a side road in front of you robbing your safe distance? and if they do with a resulting crash, you’ll be happy to take the blame?
I also wondered about the quoted injured and the size of the minibus involved, it is a long wheelbase but 21 seater, I don’t think so. Not the first time a few extra people have been squeezed into a passenger vehicle but having up to five extra without seatbelts if it was a 16 seater may be difficult to explain. Whether this would actually have contributed to the collision of course is like everything said on here up to now, pure conjecture and we will just have to wait.
Rather worrying as a parent when this type of incident is reported on the news, my daughter, some of her cousins and friends had also gone off on a Hen weekend to York, up to fifty girls altogether. They travelled in cars and some from long distances so the ratio of something going wrong increases. Fortunately all got there and back okay. We on here know more than others what Britains roads are like today and the standards of drivers using them, I’ve got less confidence in other drivers now than I ever did, that’s not even taking into account those that drive without insurance, mot or even a licence. Sit back and enjoy the ride! No chance, too busy watching what Tom, ■■■■ and Harry are doing! Stay safe, Franky.
albion1971: Just in general terms, the driver who hits into the back of someone usually gets the blame but like you say other drivers actions sometimes make this unavoidable.
Sorry do not agree.If a vehicle keeps a safe distance at all times it would be highly unlikely or very unusual circumstances where an accident would occur.
Unfortunately nowadays a lot of drivers perception of a safe distance is way off.
so no one has ever changed lanes / pulled out of a side road in front of you robbing your safe distance? and if they do with a resulting crash, you’ll be happy to take the blame?
one of my near misses was when traveling along a dual carriageway, it’s pitch black, the next exit is signed but can’t see it yet, i’m gaining on a car so pull out to overtake it with plenty of room, the car indicates and pulls into the layby, i start coming back across into lane 1. once i’m within 20 / 30 ft of the car now doing about 15 / 20mph, i’m guessing the car then realised he’d come off into a layby and not the slip road just goes to pull back onto the carriageway. luckily enough my horn got the reaction i wanted along with me getting over towards the white line. had it not the front left of my truck and the rear right of the car would’ve looked like the vehicles in this thread. i’m not saying that is the case here, but it’s a possibility.
Shocking driving! You should be hung, drawn and quartered! Call yourself a professional! You should have seen that happening from 13 miles away!
Signed,
DC Albion.
so i’ll ask you again albian, someone changed lanes / pulled out of a side road in front of you robbing your safe distance? and if they do with a resulting crash, you’ll be happy to take the blame?
Why take the mick? Of course drivers have pulled out in front of me.Of course drivers have pulled out of side roads but I don’t do what some drivers do and keep on the gas.I ease off as soon as I see them making the move and wait to maintain a safe distance again.
Regarding your scenario why did you not just stay out in lane 2 until you were well passed the car and the layby making it impossible for that to happen?
You were doing 15/20 mph on a dual carriageway? Sounds dodgy to me!
Some confusion has arisen over the trailer parked directly in front of the Farmfoods truck in the photo above. Several people have mistaken it for a coach drawn trailer.
That’s quite understandable - it does look very similar to a coach drawn trailer.
However, as many people have pointed out, it is in fact a portable screen to try and stop rubbernecking and it can be better seen partially deployed in front of the Farmfoods truck in the photo below.
In December 2012, The Highways Agency announced that it would be buying over 100 screen sets, at a cost of £ 22,000 each, to spread across the country. The sets can contain over thirty 2m X 2m portable sections and each can screen up to 75 metres of motorway.
Be cheaper just to buy an old tractor unit and trailer with it sign written “nothing to see here” plastered across the side and park it across the accident scene.
Like the crappy ones you see in garden centres with 50% off
FarnboroughBoy11:
Be cheaper just to buy an old tractor unit and trailer with it sign written “nothing to see here” plastered across the side and park it across the accident scene.
Like the crappy ones you see in garden centres with 50% off
Yes - well something has to be done about rubberneckers !
I once nearly wiped out a car that had braked in Lane Two solely to
see what was going on in an incident on the opposite carriageway.
That was also on the M62 - on a fast stretch too.
I could have ended someone’s life that day - my fault entirely.
FarnboroughBoy11:
Be cheaper just to buy an old tractor unit and trailer with it sign written “nothing to see here” plastered across the side and park it across the accident scene.
Like the crappy ones you see in garden centres with 50% off
Agree.
£22k a piece■■? Somebody, somewhere is laughing all the way to the bank.
Bet they don’t cost more than 10 - 15% of that to make.
3300John:
Hiya… if only the crash barrier had been longer the van may have
stayed upright unless it tipped over by the impact.
John
If only.
Nothing to do with the Hen Party Crash - but I would like to see an
experiment with double white lines on the final 200 metres before
any motorway exit slip road, between Lanes One and Two.
I’m sick of cars cutting in to leave the motorway at the last minute
then hitting their brakes. Cameras should monitor the double white
lines and issues points for offenders because points make prizes and
the top prize would be a ban. It would be cheaper for them to use
the next exit, like they should do.
3300John:
Hiya…just a though, the lorry driver should be high enough to see whats going on infront.
the artic is following a 7.5 tonner(maybe) the 7.5 tonner sweves to miss the mini bus and the
artic driver is left with a slow or stationary mini bus infront of him. i know thats sounds odd.
i did infact see that happen at jct 11 on the m1 at luton one morning.
the traffic stopped in lane 1 and 2 a van shot into the fast lane leaving a stationary car in the middle
lane infront of a artic. the artic also swerved into the fast lane squashing a car against the barrier,he then dragged
his trailer axle over the boot of the stationary car. then guess what. drove away without stopping.
the artic must have been empty, no one got his number it all happened that fast.
John
John I completely understand what you are saying but at the end of the day these things happen because there is not enough distance between vehicles.
You see it everyday.Accidents waiting to happen.Sad state of affairs.
I think personally, everyone would probably keep a safe travelling distance between themselves and the vehicle in front, problem is, most of the time when you do, some ■■■■■ comes along and fills the gap
3300John:
Hiya… if only the crash barrier had been longer the van may have
stayed upright unless it tipped over by the impact.
John
If only.
Nothing to do with the Hen Party Crash - but I would like to see an
experiment with double white lines on the final 200 metres before
any motorway exit slip road, between Lanes One and Two.
hiya in france they have a simular idea to that on there fast roads(only 2 lanes).
when you get near the start of a off slip road, there’s a solid white line to stop (well try)
cars and lorries changeing lanes near the juction. the idea is to make sure vehicles are in lane
in good time… most drivers use the idea properley.
then their are some driver’s who do the same as the fancy line on the M6 near juction 6.
take no notice of it, then swerve off at the last moment from lane 2 across the chevrons
and risk a crash…I have seen people are saying lgv’s should be restricted to lane 1, do they realize
the idea of motorways was to keep lorries from town’s and city’s. well thats before every tom ■■■■
and harry had a car to drive.
John
Somebody, somewhere is laughing all the way to the bank.