Hey! Let's block lane 3 at rush hour for my trivial accident
Discussion
SteveSteveson said:
Playing devils advocate here, but perhaps whatever caused the bump meant they had to stop (Person in front slamming anchors on then the two cars behind come together). Once you are stopped it is very hard to get from lane 3 to the hard shoulder even in slow moving traffic.
Well since the lane in front of them is totally empty they could just move off and make their way to the hard shoulder. It's not difficult.
On motorways in Florida, there's fairly regular signs with a pictogram of a rear-end shunt and "Move crash vehicles out of traffic lanes" - then again, they have hard shoulders on both sides & you regularly see breakdowns/shunts parked on the left hand side!
One idea they use over there that I've thought was sensible (and seems to be practiced at night on quieter motorways here) is a rule that if you see a police car or (I think) breakdown van stopped on the hard shoulder, you have to either leave a full lane or pass at 20mph below the posted limit or slower. Might help cut down the number of hard shoulder collisions.
One idea they use over there that I've thought was sensible (and seems to be practiced at night on quieter motorways here) is a rule that if you see a police car or (I think) breakdown van stopped on the hard shoulder, you have to either leave a full lane or pass at 20mph below the posted limit or slower. Might help cut down the number of hard shoulder collisions.
A few weeks back, I saw an accident happen on the M60 near the Trafford Centre.
Traffic in the outside lane was doing about 40, and the middle lane slightly faster, perhaps 45/50.
A Pug 106 in the middle lane suddenly had a rear tyre give out, and spun the car into the outside lane (fortunately missing all the cars in the outside lane) and backwards into the centre reservation. This happened in front of the car in front of me.
Needless to say, all the traffic in the outside lane piled on the brakes, and no one took out the car that had spun, and had ended up across lane 3.
The guy in the car in front of me got out and was seeing if the old dear driving was ok, and I got out to see what I could do to help. There was a wagon driver in the middle lane that put his truck across lanes 2 and 1 and jumped out, and between the three of us pushed the old dear onto the hard shoulder, and picked up the big pieces of debris in the outside lane.
We all then got back into our cars/trucks, and either went on our way, or pulled over onto the hard shoulder to help the old dear. Motorway was stopped for less than 5 mins, and everything dangerous cleared to the hard shoulder.
A bit of consideration, and desire to help others, and there needn't be huge tailbacks around a minor accident.
Traffic in the outside lane was doing about 40, and the middle lane slightly faster, perhaps 45/50.
A Pug 106 in the middle lane suddenly had a rear tyre give out, and spun the car into the outside lane (fortunately missing all the cars in the outside lane) and backwards into the centre reservation. This happened in front of the car in front of me.
Needless to say, all the traffic in the outside lane piled on the brakes, and no one took out the car that had spun, and had ended up across lane 3.
The guy in the car in front of me got out and was seeing if the old dear driving was ok, and I got out to see what I could do to help. There was a wagon driver in the middle lane that put his truck across lanes 2 and 1 and jumped out, and between the three of us pushed the old dear onto the hard shoulder, and picked up the big pieces of debris in the outside lane.
We all then got back into our cars/trucks, and either went on our way, or pulled over onto the hard shoulder to help the old dear. Motorway was stopped for less than 5 mins, and everything dangerous cleared to the hard shoulder.
A bit of consideration, and desire to help others, and there needn't be huge tailbacks around a minor accident.
PurpleMoonlight said:
Hackney said:
Rubber necking is an urban myth.
Yes, you may end up slowly driving by an incident on the opposite carriageway but it's not because people slow down to have a look, it's natural slow down when the incident happens and / or knock-on effect of the actual accident.
bYes, you may end up slowly driving by an incident on the opposite carriageway but it's not because people slow down to have a look, it's natural slow down when the incident happens and / or knock-on effect of the actual accident.
ks.I was driving down to Glasgow the other week and saw a similar scene the A82 just before the bridge on the Police had coned off ~30m of lane 2 and was blocking a car with theirs with there blues on. All so someone could change a flat front tyre. There was a fking junction about 150m infront of where he had stopped for crying out loud.
Whats worse is the plod, instead of telling him to move his ass over to L1 or escorted him to the junction at low speed decided he was in the right and helped him block more of the lane so he could change a bloody tyre.
He didnt even have nice alloys lol it was an old renault on steelys im sure he probably couldve made it all the way to his destination before doing serious damage to the steel rim.
king junction about 150m infront of where he had stopped for crying out loud.Whats worse is the plod, instead of telling him to move his ass over to L1 or escorted him to the junction at low speed decided he was in the right and helped him block more of the lane so he could change a bloody tyre.
He didnt even have nice alloys lol it was an old renault on steelys im sure he probably couldve made it all the way to his destination before doing serious damage to the steel rim.
Al U said:
Slightly off topic but relevant, am I the only one that looks at those snaking skid marks on the motorway that end at the central reservation and nice paint scrape down the concrete and think you talentless prick?
I see them, but I usually assume someone other clown had just swerved or changed lanes, and the skids were from the car trying to avoid them.jmorgan said:
PurpleMoonlight said:
Hackney said:
Rubber necking is an urban myth.
Yes, you may end up slowly driving by an incident on the opposite carriageway but it's not because people slow down to have a look, it's natural slow down when the incident happens and / or knock-on effect of the actual accident.
bYes, you may end up slowly driving by an incident on the opposite carriageway but it's not because people slow down to have a look, it's natural slow down when the incident happens and / or knock-on effect of the actual accident.
ks.Blaster72 said:
jmorgan said:
PurpleMoonlight said:
Hackney said:
Rubber necking is an urban myth.
Yes, you may end up slowly driving by an incident on the opposite carriageway but it's not because people slow down to have a look, it's natural slow down when the incident happens and / or knock-on effect of the actual accident.
bYes, you may end up slowly driving by an incident on the opposite carriageway but it's not because people slow down to have a look, it's natural slow down when the incident happens and / or knock-on effect of the actual accident.
ks.
jmorgan said:
Blaster72 said:
jmorgan said:
PurpleMoonlight said:
Hackney said:
Rubber necking is an urban myth.
Yes, you may end up slowly driving by an incident on the opposite carriageway but it's not because people slow down to have a look, it's natural slow down when the incident happens and / or knock-on effect of the actual accident.
bYes, you may end up slowly driving by an incident on the opposite carriageway but it's not because people slow down to have a look, it's natural slow down when the incident happens and / or knock-on effect of the actual accident.
ks.TwistingMyMelon said:
Its also bloody difficult to get across to the hard shoulder, more so when the lanes are all at a standstill. I remember when my car cut out at 90 in fast lane, no power nothing,, traffic around moving quickly, getting across to the hard shoulder was a nightmare, car behind beeping , cars in middle not letting me in, I was a sitting duck
That is seriously scary when that happens. In lane 3 of 4 moving at decent pace, probably around 60 in busy traffic when my transit cut out. No power to get over and it slowing down pretty quickly. Indicator on, then hazards but if a truck on my left hadn't realised I was powerless I've got not idea how I'd have made it.Couple of minutes on the hard shoulder and it started, kept going and never did the same thing again.
Small bump in the outside lane though is stupid not to move over if possible.
Petrol Only said:
Seesure said:
Bloody rubbers need to be shot !!!
What I can't understand is that there has been millions upon millions of £s spent on replacing the central armco with concrete blocks... why didn't someone think to make these a couple of feet higher which would effectively block the majority of drivers from rubber necking across oncoming carrigeways....
Plus reduce headlight glare. Cost I'd guess.What I can't understand is that there has been millions upon millions of £s spent on replacing the central armco with concrete blocks... why didn't someone think to make these a couple of feet higher which would effectively block the majority of drivers from rubber necking across oncoming carrigeways....
Helps reduce noise transfer to properties adjacent to motorways
Only drawback is its harder for emergency services to 'leap' the barrier if needed.
Overall I think its a better option to raise them to higher levels.
Hackney said:
jmorgan said:
Blaster72 said:
jmorgan said:
PurpleMoonlight said:
Hackney said:
Rubber necking is an urban myth.
Yes, you may end up slowly driving by an incident on the opposite carriageway but it's not because people slow down to have a look, it's natural slow down when the incident happens and / or knock-on effect of the actual accident.
bYes, you may end up slowly driving by an incident on the opposite carriageway but it's not because people slow down to have a look, it's natural slow down when the incident happens and / or knock-on effect of the actual accident.
ks.Surely the only reason that a car completely unaffected by an accident on the other side of the motorway would slow down is if the driver did so consciously...ie, they've diverted attention away from their own carriageway to what's happening on the other side of the reservation. That's surely the very definition of "rubbernecking".
Unless you drive Herbie who automatically slows down out of respect for his fallen automotive brethren.
Edited by Conscript on Monday 19th October 14:04
Conscript said:
How can it be a natural slow down or a "knock on effect" of the accident if it occurs on the opposite carriageway?
Surely the only reason that a car completely unaffected by an accident on the other side of the motorway would slow down is if the driver did so consciously...ie, they've diverted attention away from their own carriageway to what's happening on the other side of the reservation. That's surely the very definition of "rubbernecking".
Unless you drive Herbie who automatically slows down out of respect for his fallen automotive brethren.
I dunno, if I was driving in lane 3 and a car crashed into the central reservation 5 feet away from me I might be tempted to dab at the brakes. Wouldn't you?Surely the only reason that a car completely unaffected by an accident on the other side of the motorway would slow down is if the driver did so consciously...ie, they've diverted attention away from their own carriageway to what's happening on the other side of the reservation. That's surely the very definition of "rubbernecking".
Unless you drive Herbie who automatically slows down out of respect for his fallen automotive brethren.
Edited by Conscript on Monday 19th October 14:04
Hackney said:
I dunno, if I was driving in lane 3 and a car crashed into the central reservation 5 feet away from me I might be tempted to dab at the brakes. Wouldn't you?
Honestly I'm not sure, but I don't think I would unless I could see that there was going to be a physical impact on my own carriageway such as debris crossing over, or something like that. If it happened only 5 feet away, then by the time I'd realised what was going on, I'd probably be well past it before I thought to brake, or if it did end up on my side, I'd be part of it anyway 
Either way, I still reckon that the likelihood of that being the cause of the slowdown is less likely than people further back slowing down to view the accident.
Edited by Conscript on Thursday 22 October 17:32
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