Does anybody else think that it is about time that truck/trailer manufacturers are obliged to install some kind of l.e.d. lighting (flashing,red,as used in F1 or yellow as seen on some Euro wagons) on the rear of trailers for use when visibility is pish poor and parked up on the side of a d/c at night? Might just stop this kind of thing happening…again.
thamesvalley.police.uk/newse … ?id=157707
I went past this accident about 9am, the lorry was in a layby with a partition from the main carraigeway, it was a pets at home DD trailer and the rear was all burnt out. it’s a straight bit of the A34 so the only way this could have happened was if the car driver was driving like an idiot in fog. visability when i woke about 6am was about 100metres so i can’t understand how the driver didn’t see the divide, didn’t see the truck parked up, and didn’t drive at a speed for the conditions.
As a result of rubber neckers, the other accident happened at the entrance to the coned off lane, where they diverted the traffic onto lane 2, again it must have been caused by inattention and speed, driver was still in the car when I passed.
I’m waiting for the “trucks shouldn’t be parked in a layby” crew to start, but as far as I could tell, the truck was parked ok.
could it be possible that the entrance was mistaken for the slip road into BP or for Midleton Stoney B430? One will never know but speed was probably a main factor for it to catch fire. I had a divvy on the M6 last night,thick fog,maybe 100yds visibility with just side lights on and only one of them was working (front) but he/she did have the full quota of lights/fogs on the back…i can see u in front of me cuz yr lit up nicely or sorry officer, couldn’t see him/her as i was joining from the slip road, thats why he/she’s in the barrier/under my trailer
Actrosman:
could it be possible that the entrance was mistaken for the slip road into BP or for Midleton Stoney B430? One will never know but speed was probably a main factor for it to catch fire. I had a divvy on the M6 last night,thick fog,maybe 100yds visibility with just side lights on and only one of them was working (front) but he/she did have the full quota of lights/fogs on the back…i can see u in front of me cuz yr lit up nicely or sorry officer, couldn’t see him/her as i was joining from the slip road, thats why he/she’s in the barrier/under my trailer
It was some way before the BP station, and before the signs for the Islip turn, can’t really see how it could be confused for a slip road, but who knows?
Actrosman:
Does anybody else think that it is about time that truck/trailer manufacturers are obliged to install some kind of l.e.d. lighting (flashing,red,as used in F1 or yellow as seen on some Euro wagons) on the rear of trailers for use when visibility is pish poor and parked up on the side of a d/c at night? Might just stop this kind of thing happening…again.
thamesvalley.police.uk/newse … ?id=157707
What’s the point?..most truckers wouldn’t bother putting them on anyway. Rule 249 of the highway code, which is in red and therefore a law, says “All vehicles MUST display parking lights when parked on a road or a lay-by on a road with a speed limit greater then 30mph.”
Now how many trucks do you see with sidelights on in lay-bys whilst drivers have their breaks and daily rests at night time?..I leave mine on during my breaks, but I’ve only ever seen a handful of other drivers do it in the 2 and a half years I’ve been driving trucks.
its a good idea to fit low power led lights that can be operated on just one side during the night, the problem with leaving side lights on like we should is the danger of a flat battery in the morning.
but i doubt if this tragic accident would’ve been prevented
I’ve been working on the roadworks just up the road so asked the site staff today-Highways people think he misstook the layby for the sliproad and hit the trailer at almost 70mph. Apparently it “blew up on impact” so car driver wouldn’t have known much…
I’d say theres a good chance the layby was mistaken for a slip road, its one of those set back behind a kerbed island so looks more like a sliproad that a normal layby does
maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ie= … 89,0,2.61
But then you would have to be going at a fair whack in the fog or whatever to not see the trucks parked up until it was too late.
Mondays’ Oxford Mail said police still hadnt discovered whether it was a male or female driver. Re. The parking lights, We’ve got low power LED flashers that work in tandem with our roof beacons-people still don’t see us!
I have been pondering purchasing some led red bike lights and then with a bit of modification being able attach them to the back of my trailer at night, after reading this I think I will do so.
Dogmatix:
I have been pondering purchasing some led red bike lights and then with a bit of modification being able attach them to the back of my trailer at night, after reading this I think I will do so.
just steal a traffic cone flashing light lol 
truckerjon:
I went past this accident about 9am, the lorry was in a layby with a partition from the main carraigeway
Adam_Mc:
What’s the point?..most truckers wouldn’t bother putting them on anyway. Rule 249 of the highway code, which is in red and therefore a law, says “All vehicles MUST display parking lights when parked on a road or a lay-by on a road with a speed limit greater then 30mph.”Now how many trucks do you see with sidelights on in lay-bys whilst drivers have their breaks and daily rests at night time?..I leave mine on during my breaks, but I’ve only ever seen a handful of other drivers do it in the 2 and a half years I’ve been driving trucks.
Correct, although: when a layby is directly next to the road it is considered part of the highway & so subject to the lighting regs. But when a layby has a physical seperation from the carriageway as in this case, it doesn’t apply.
Mr B:
its a good idea to fit low power led lights that can be operated on just one side during the night, the problem with leaving side lights on like we should is the danger of a flat battery in the morning.
but i doubt if this tragic accident would’ve been prevented
A good idea yes. But in places where the truck is required to be lit, not legal.
Its all or nothing, either the law requires you to be lit, or not. Hence the parking light feature on some cars (leaving the indicator switched on with ignition of) was rather a waste of time in the UK.
Yes, bring on 100% LED side lights.
truckerjon:
Actrosman:
could it be possible that the entrance was mistaken for the slip road into BP or for Midleton Stoney B430?It was some way before the BP station, and before the signs for the Islip turn, can’t really see how it could be confused for a slip road, but who knows?
Its very easy to become disorientated in fog. If you know the road a bit you always think you’ve got to somewhere before you have. Also remember vision is much less in fog in cars than trucks because you’re sat right behind the light beam being reflected back, wheras in a truck you’re looking down onto a lit road.
Driveroneuk:
Its very easy to become disorientated in fog. If you know the road a bit you always think you’ve got to somewhere before you have. Also remember vision is much less in fog in cars than trucks because you’re sat right behind the light beam being reflected back, wheras in a truck you’re looking down onto a lit road.
That’s true, there’s been more than one incident like this, people who are not driving every day for a living don’t have the experience we have, they fail to take the conditions into account, it’s easy to mistake a large layby for a slip road, especially if you’re driving too fast, there’s also the tendancy to relax a little when you get off the main road, all of a sudden you find yourself in a layby full of parked, unlit, trailers, by the time you think about hitting the brakes BANG 
I never thought about the headlight thing, I drive a bonneted truck and suffer from this phenomenon, I didn’t realise that until I read your post 
At corley services you can buy a small LED triangle, which you can have in 3 settings, Red, White, or flashing red. Its got a little hook on it or a magnet on the back you can stick it on your trailer with the red leds on. It was about £6 I got one.
Dogmatix:
At corley services you can buy a small LED triangle, which you can have in 3 settings, Red, White, or flashing red. Its got a little hook on it or a magnet on the back you can stick it on your trailer with the red leds on. It was about £6 I got one.
I can just see it still being there in the morning! 
I also purchased a doberman to attach to the other side of my trailer to protect the light 
Ofcourse we, as in professional drivers, all know that a slip would have green cats eyes accross its mouth, whereas a layby wouldn’t…don’t we■■?