Car & caravan crash on M40
Comments
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sorry posted a similar thread within a few minutes, can one (mine) be closed
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I can understand confusion at night on an unfamiliar junction but in daytime....
It's not an isolated occurrence either, there have been others. I find it surprising that it doesn't seem to occur to the driver that the crash barrier is on the wrong side and is therefore alerted to the error. Are they that oblivious to their surroundings?
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Do you remember the one a couple of years back on the M23, our friends who live in Tenerife where over here on holiday and were driving south to visit family and had to swerve to avoid that car.
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yes, a tragic accident
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It is indeed a terrible tragedy.
Watching the dash cam footage one can only wonder what was going on in the mind of the car & caravan driver who obviously could have done something to avoid this once he (should have) realised his mistake.
We have have just had to go through the difficult, painful & unpleasant process of confiscating the car from the in-laws who are 84 years old and not fit to drive. But seeing this makes me realise it may just have been worth all the grief....
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mind you the main head line appears slightly inaccurate and perhaps anti-caravan? Implying the caravan was a cause or even a factor ?
Three dead after caravan travels wrong way
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It was not an accident but, as the police would say, a road traffic collision.
The driver towing the caravan was clearly at fault. You have to be very determined to drive the wrong way down a slip road and then against the traffic on a motorway.
A tragedy for all concerned.
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The report I read said driver and passenger in the car towing the caravan were in their 80s. The driver may have had a medical incident and, if so, the passenger would have been in a horrific situation. Who knows but still very tragic for all concerned.
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I don't find all junctions in foreign parts as crystal clear as they might be so am reticent to jump to conclusions on "why". I could say even our road markings leave a lot to be desired. Many roundabouts guide you into the wrong lane for example; get in the lane indicated for it to be switched part way through and those more familiar delight in cutting up those towing.
It is terribly sad for all involved and I am sure was not in any sense a deliberate act just a tragic mistake. The only bit I struggle to comprehend is the lane it got into, but that could have been just in panic to avoid the more populated nearside ones?
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just looking at google maps based on the info that the vehicle was travelling south and the incident was between jct 8a and 6.
if you look at where the vehicle 'might' have made an error, I could see that it wouldn't be impossible to get off the roundabout at 8a and swing into the slip road which is for northbound traffic getting off there.
there are two roundabouts to negotiate there.
ok there are no entry signs but someone glancing at the sat nav at the wrong moment 'could' miss them...
similarly, the adjacent A40 junction leading to the (actually from) the M40 involves a very long (unoccupied) slip road.
they wouldn't realise they were even on (heading for) the Mway (on the wrong side) for quite a long distance (it's a very long exit slip road) and when they hit the MW itself, their 'instinct' would be to ease into the left lane, which, of course, is the fast lane for the opposing traffic....
its perfectly possible that they got on the mway before this, but it seems unlikely they would have got very far.
just surmise on my part based in the location given, but quite a complicated section of access, perhaps, for an unfamiliar driver.
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A very sad day for a number of families.
Probably controversial and making sweeping assumptions in this case but driving the wrong way on a motorway is inexcusable. It is not an accident it is an error of judgement that cost lives.
It is about time older drivers stopped being pig headed and accepted the limitations in their abilities and acted responsibly.
There are many postings on here of seasoned tourers who post that they have decided to sell their pride and joy after 30, 40 or 50 years of adventure. Their posts are sad and there are many heartfelt responses. I salute them.
I hope when the time comes I have the sense to realise my time behind the wheel is up. And if I don't then I hope my family has the sense to force me to stop before I kill someone.
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My father, a former police patrol car driver, reached the point where we were concerned about his driving but medical issues overtook the situation and we were therefore spared the confrontation that would have ensued.
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Today, Thursday, there is a report on the news that the vehicle that caused the collisions had been involved in another accident three days earlier. We might presume it was the same driver.
The police force concerned did not take any action and has now refered itself for review to a higher authority.
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But how old is 'too old'? My Dad is 81 & not only drives, but also still works .... he's an undertaker 🙄 and I've no worries about being his passenger (as long as he's not at work
) I've been passenger in other cars with much younger drivers and couldn't wait to get out. Though you can't really argue against another driving test or assessment when 'older'0 -
Agree that it's not always age that's the issue. I'd do anything to avoid being a passenger with my daughter (45 years) but would put my life in the hands of my son (43 years) with him as my driver.
Some people's driving is calm and 'second nature' but, for others, it's very stressful and jerky'.
It would be interesting to eventually learn the full story of this incident but we may never know.
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We travelled South on the M40 after NEC on Tuesday and the motorway was closed between 8 and 8a for about 45 minutes. When we got moving again we saw that the the North carriageway was closed with many police etc. and a totally wrecked car being cleared. Not sure if this was the aftermath of the Monday incident. So what caused the southbound carriageway to be shut? You can probably guess; “rubbernecking” followed by a shunt in the outside lane. Eyes Front!
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" Rubbernecking" ?? HG ??
How do you know ??
Personally, I keep my eyes open and, should I see as I come over a hill or round a bend ( they do exist even on motorways, ) a cloud of smoke or dust, a mass of flashing blue or orange lights or something similar, even on the opposite carriageway I SLOW DOWN !!.
I certainly would not carry on at 70 mph towards some hazard, the extent of which I cannot be aware. The possibility of meeting some metal object, fuel or oil etc, or even a section of the central barrier having arrived on my side of the carriageway whilst I carry on with my 'eyes front at 70 mph' way would seem to be rather silly { I Could phrase it rather stronger but then I'm a nice old man }
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“How do I know?” Well, when the motorway is closed with many police and rescue vehicles present then on your, previously clear, section of the motorway directly opposite one car has nudged the back of the other in the outside lane and both drivers are out of their cars scratching their heads and there are no other accidents, roadworks etc. it seems fairly obvious that rubbernecking was the cause.
The (rather obvious) point I was making is that it is far better to look ahead at what is happening in front of you that to drive with your head swivelled to the right to see what is going on in the opposite carriageway out of idle curiosity or morbid fascination.
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Well, as they say, “if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck then it probably is a duck”.
Anyway, the whole point is that rubbernecking is dangerous and causes many accidents.
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The other 'Bleedin Obvious' point to make is . No matter what Country you are driving in, IF all the other traffic is coming towards you, and swerving to avoid you, it might be wise to slow down...and even stop before something nasty happens....NOT carry on at high speed hoping they will go away, .....as seems to be happening here. Scary...And not an Accident.
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I missed this accident by about 1 minute heading north. The reason for the south bound delays was there was a minor bump at the same time which i presume could have been a reaction to such a major incident happening northbound. It was horrendous to see the wreckage.
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