He was 80 years old so might have been on the motorway by mistake but, if not, taking a vehicle like that on a modern motorway seems nuts.
Although it is a bloody tipper yet again, also.
anything really old [50yrs+] shouldnt be allowed on any road the things are untested for one thing . these old tractors snails pace driving lands end to john o groats that i sometimes suddenly come across comes to mind . + old warplanes are often crashing long after the sell by date ,its just a fact theyre being asked to do too much . i once had a classic car myself and it was capable of 60mph but had really creppy 1950s type brakes
Is a vehicle like that even legal on a motorway? Cant remember the exact requirements without looking up, but top speed of 35 (when new) sounds like it shouldn’t be.
Looking at the pics, it seems the driver bullseyed the truck windscreen but was hit from behind (can see car headlights untouched).
At the end of the video it shows 3 lane options and seems the truck was in M25 lane as it came round that quite sharp corner (in relative terms) which wouldn’t give a lot of warning of anything ahead.
If you’re coming round there at say 55mph and the car is only doing 25 - 30mph, you’re not going to have a lot of time before you’re right on top of it (unfortunately literally). I guess these cars aren’t as large as modern ones.
Horrible for all concerned but this time it might not be the tipper drivers fault.
Taken the wrong lane here? or perhaps been bullied into taking the wrong lane by overtaking traffic? I can just imagine the BMWs, Mercs and Audis screaming past and then cutting in so he couldn’t get over. Me first, me first.
trevHCS:
Is a vehicle like that even legal on a motorway? Cant remember the exact requirements without looking up, but top speed of 35 (when new) sounds like it shouldn’t be.Looking at the pics, it seems the driver bullseyed the truck windscreen but was hit from behind (can see car headlights untouched).
At the end of the video it shows 3 lane options and seems the truck was in M25 lane as it came round that quite sharp corner (in relative terms) which wouldn’t give a lot of warning of anything ahead.
If you’re coming round there at say 55mph and the car is only doing 25 - 30mph, you’re not going to have a lot of time before you’re right on top of it (unfortunately literally). I guess these cars aren’t as large as modern ones.
Horrible for all concerned but this time it might not be the tipper drivers fault.
IF and it’s a big IF what happened was anything like what you described then how’s it not the tippers fault in that scenario? IF that’s the case he was going too fast to be able to stop his vehicle in the distance he could see to be clear.
Always expect the unexpected is always a good policy. 
It doesn’t help that the M23 stretch J8-10 from the M25 @ Merstham - is an accident black spot with narrow roadwork lanes, merging lanes on corners, and of course that “gatwick lane drop” where cars suddenly realize they are in the wrong lane overtaking all the slow stuff - barging across in front to try and make the lane-drop junction… Even Artic drivers get it wrong sometimes…
Minimum speed on a motorway is 45mph from memory. Car could do 35 max supposedly but could have been doing a whole lot less
Driver deviated from the official and checked route - Those routes exist for a reason
Did driver’s age or eyesight have anything to do with it ?
Did driver’s abilities and awareness have anything to do with it ?
Driver certainly deserves a big portion of blame for putting himself and his wife in that position in the first place
Reserving judgement on the tipper driver until video footage comes to light. I would expect much more damage if the tipper had simply gone over the car, suggesting tipper had taken averting action to try and prevent this.
Was the anual London to Brighton classic car run
So maybe there allowed on motorway have to.follow a set route?
Saying that I’d of thought an event like this the police would put in a rolling roadblock.
As the route is bound be lined with spectators
Hyh:
Minimum speed on a motorway is 45mph from memory. Car could do 35 max supposedly but could have been doing a whole lot less
Driver deviated from the official and checked route - Those routes exist for a reasonDid driver’s age or eyesight have anything to do with it ?
Did driver’s abilities and awareness have anything to do with it ?Driver certainly deserves a big portion of blame for putting himself and his wife in that position in the first place
Reserving judgement on the tipper driver until video footage comes to light. I would expect much more damage if the tipper had simply gone over the car, suggesting tipper had taken averting action to try and prevent this.
There is NO minimum speed on UK motoways! I would suggest not judging anyone until the facts are published.
> corij:
> anything really old [50yrs+] shouldnt be allowed on any road the things are untested for one thing .
Saw an LPS merc rigid (possibly a 1924 - circa 1973) in Greece recently - absolutely immaculate and still earning a crust - and there’s still someone with an F88 working on the logs in the UK + the Punchards Fodens 
cav551:
Taken the wrong lane here? or perhaps been bullied into taking the wrong lane by overtaking traffic? I can just imagine the BMWs, Mercs and Audis screaming past and then cutting in so he couldn’t get over. Me first, me first.
I would agree with this, where the A23 splits to the M23 staying to the left, which any slow vehicle would be inclined to do, would take them straight onto the M23 at that spot - a recipe for disaster.
Was similar to this.
My sympathies go out to him and his family.
There’s no form of.protection or safety. .
But in it’s day it was perfectly road.legal and safe.but things change .
Also as side side note cars over 40 years old are mot exempt.
Which I think is stupid . Yes there owners look after them a bit like.scania drivers so. Spend there weekends polishing them etc.
But they should still be mot to make sure there road worthy
edd1974:
Was similar to this.
My sympathies go out to him and his family.
There’s no form of.protection or safety. .
But in it’s day it was perfectly road.legal and safe.but things change .Also as side side note cars over 40 years old are mot exempt.
Which I think is stupid . Yes there owners look after them a bit like.scania drivers so. Spend there weekends polishing them etc.
But they should still be mot to make sure there road worthy
most if not all will put there car through an MOT check for thier own saftey even though they arent required to if you are using something of very high value on the public highway you do a lot more than “polish” them to protect your investment
edd1974:
Was the anual London to Brighton classic car run.
It was and according to them this car had diverted off the official route which includes no motorways.
The route guide appears from this page (PDF).
veterancarrun.com/route-guide
Comparing that guide to the other map, I wonder if the driver has simply gotten off the A23 by accident and ended up on that top bit of the M23.
Very easy even for someone in a modern vehicle at std speeds, but likely terrifying in a car like that especially around London. Hopefully he didn’t see it coming behind.
The daily mail article suggests to me the elderly driver had gone the wrong way into the road works area that the tipper truck was driving or stationary in. It states he was thrown into the windscreen of the truck. If the truck had hit the car he would have been thrown out of thr car forwards not backwards. Article also states the elderly driver had left the designated route.
Sad story all round it seems.
Hyh:
Minimum speed on a motorway is 45mph from memory. Car could do 35 max supposedly but could have been doing a whole lot less
Driver deviated from the official and checked route - Those routes exist for a reasonDid driver’s age or eyesight have anything to do with it ?
Did driver’s abilities and awareness have anything to do with it ?Driver certainly deserves a big portion of blame for putting himself and his wife in that position in the first place
Reserving judgement on the tipper driver until video footage comes to light. I would expect much more damage if the tipper had simply gone over the car, suggesting tipper had taken averting action to try and prevent this.
There’s no actual minimum speed limit for a motorway in the UK. Of course it’s recommended to do at least 50 if safe to, but no legal minimum.
It seems to me that the driver of the vintage Knox maybe Ron Carey from Alberta in Canada. Ron has a well known collection of antique vehicles and was on tour in England. RIP Ron Carey.
Here is a link to an article on his collection:In photos: A vintage car buff's dream come true in Calgary - The Globe and Mail
Apparently such an ancient car and driver, though a liability, is not illegal, per se, on a motorway, as according to the legislation (legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1980/66/schedule/4) it is a requirement that “the motor vehicle is capable of attaining a speed of 25 m.p.h. on the level under its own power, when unladen and not drawing a trailer”, otherwise there is no minimum speed unless otherwise signed and I don’t recall ever seeing one on a motorway. This is assuming a Knox Runabout can still make 35 and has pneumatic tyres, which is another requirement. Apparently some of their models literally had back seat drivers!