scary motorway incident over the weekend!

[Einion Yrth]

Has noone considered the possibility that the 45mph driver was running on a spacesaver spare? Bloody awful things that shouldn't be allowed, but only good for 50mph tops.

[bryan35]

I think that what added to the scaryness was the fact that he might have been a BIB, but was infact a taxi.

[telecat]

I cannot remember the source but I did read that one cause of accidents at night and in low light was that it is easy to misjudge the distance and speed of a vehicle when the lights are on. My own observation is that "daylights" such as on Volvo's also seem to give some drivers this problem.

[Flat in Fifth]

OK in all this pontificating about what motorway speed traffic should and should not be and how one should be aware of slower moving vehicles, let the forum examine this scenario.

Location M6 Northbound J7-J8, dark wet night.

For those who don’t know on this stretch the on-slip from J7 turns into the off-slip for J8 to head down the M5(S).

HATO parked up all lights going retina searingly bright as they have been attending a stopped heavy who is now struggling to get away ahead at 25/30 mph in lane 1 of the off slip.

Clock the heavy and his slow speed, peg it back with the intention to slide out into lane 2 of the off slip when it becomes two lane.

Over the shoulder life saver and clock a Passat incoming at >100mph sans indicators straight from lane 3 of the main M6 heading for lane 2 of the off slip.

Delay the move to the right, knock some more speed off just to make sure, let the Passat by, but as Bryan35 so eloquently put it…

Bryan35 said:

“You don't think 'you see I'm a good driver because I left myself plenty of space' you do think ‘s**t, that could have been f*****g nasty' which is (what it) could have been.’”

And I put it to the forum in the case of a collision where would the contributory blame factors have been placed?

Lorry for going so slowly?
Mr Passat for driving like a twonk?
Me for initially misjudging just how slow the lorry was going.
Mr Hato for sitting there distracting everyone from the true hazard when he’d have been better as a following escort until the heavy got up to speed?

So then boys and girls do your worst.

FiF

>> Edited by Flat in Fifth on Tuesday 28th February 11:07

[jazzyjeff]

There is no clear black or white in this situation.

Driving at 45 mph joining/leaving a motorway - a bit slow for the conditions potentially but not illegal

Driving 70-75 mph joining/leaving a motorway - quite reasonable again

The mark of a good driver is the competence with which they handle their motor vehicle and their awareness and anticipation of other road users, not what speed they are travelling at at any one time.

In other words everyone - more eyes open and more mouths shut please ;-)

JJ

[7db]

Clearly the right answer is to charge everyone and let the courts sort it out...

However, in event of collision, where both you and Passat occupy start of a new lane, I think a charge of careless might be made to stick on both -- you for not checking lane clear before pulling out, and him for similar. Speed and lack of indication might be aggravating considerations in sentencing him. Would want to know about presence or otherwise of lane / hazard makings between the two of you and the new lane, also whether Passat boy crosses chevroned area. Both of these might change the charging.

HATO and Heavy (a 60s rock group?) both driving within law from what I understand, however, could have acted to make it less likely that accident would occur, but that's not sufficient to proceed with prosecution. I think.

Just a view.