Nasty crash, M26 Kent, closed both ways

[CAPP0]

M26 in Kent has been closed both ways since earlier this morning with a very nasty crash. At least 2 air ambulances in attendance and apparently multiple casualties.

BBC are showing an aerial view where there is something small and red which looks totally destroyed Can't make out what it was.

Not easy to avoid the area if you're travelling that way, local roads don't usually cope well. HA saying motorway will remain closed pending police investigation, which usually indicates fatalities....

[anonymous-user]

There's the BBC link

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-27049165

Follows an earlier massive tailback and closure due to a vehicle fire this morning.

This time of year seems to be stupid for accidents, year in year out, Don't know if it's the change of seasons and a bit of sun that sends everyone silly.

http://www.sevenoakschronicle.co.uk/Multi-vehicle-...

[Daniel1]

speedyguy said:

There's the BBC link

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-kent-27049165

Follows an earlier massive tailback and closure due to a vehicle fire this morning.

This time of year seems to be stupid for accidents, year in year out, Don't know if it's the change of seasons and a bit of sun that sends everyone silly.

http://www.sevenoakschronicle.co.uk/Multi-vehicle-...

I normally find its the people who are going away for the Easter holidays who dont normally travel on motorways with the added distraction of happy holiday feelings etc

[A900ss]

Daniel1 said:

I normally find its the people who are going away for the holidays who dont normally travel on motorways

This.

I drive a lot during the weekdays and although traffic is flowing faster than at weekends, I feel safer as the majority or people are regular motorway drivers.

Either way, best of luck to those involved in the accident.

[jamieduff1981]

Ican't even make out anything small and red. There appears to be a campervan squashed in between the two lorries at the front though.

[CAPP0]

That's how bad it is - the red vehicle is, I think, in front of the panel van alongside the rearmost artic. It was visible in one of the TV clips at lunchtime.

At a wild guess, the foreign truck may have pulled out to overtake the one in front without looking/checking properly on his RH side, and clipped something alongside him with resultant chaos. It's a 2-lane motorway and feels quite narrow at times.

[Raify]

Kent traffic twitter feed:
TRAFFIC: Coastbound #M26 traffic being moved & one lane being reopened asap.
Londonbound #M26 will remain closed until the evening
Thanks

[aw51 121565]

A900ss said:

I drive a lot during the weekdays and although traffic is flowing faster than at weekends, I feel safer as the majority or people are regular motorway drivers.

same here with regard to feeling safer on the motorway during the week.

[mybrainhurts]

CAPP0 said:

At a wild guess, the foreign truck may have pulled out to overtake the one in front without looking/checking properly on his RH side,.

It's not a matter of not checking. It's the blind spot, common to all left hand drive lorries. See it constantly, all over the country. Why they're not required to carry an extra mirror is a mystery to me. We get zealous farts like Blair's government piling all their resources into speed limits, yet stuff like this is ignored.

Before Mr Pedantic comes barrelling in, I'm not suggesting this happened here, although I do spy truck with a foreign logo involved.

[CAPP0]

mybrainhurts said:

CAPP0 said:

At a wild guess, the foreign truck may have pulled out to overtake the one in front without looking/checking properly on his RH side,.

It's not a matter of not checking. It's the blind spot, common to all left hand drive lorries.

That's what I meant really - if you haven't got the blind spot mirror then you need to be a lot more diligent in checking and being certain that there's nothing there, as in, monitor the mirrors for a while before going for the overtake.

[anonymous-user]

CAPP0 said:

mybrainhurts said:

CAPP0 said:

At a wild guess, the foreign truck may have pulled out to overtake the one in front without looking/checking properly on his RH side,.

It's not a matter of not checking. It's the blind spot, common to all left hand drive lorries.

That's what I meant really - if you haven't got the blind spot mirror then you need to be a lot more diligent in checking and being certain that there's nothing there, as in, monitor the mirrors for a while before going for the overtake.

http://www.driven-ltd.co.uk/foreign-lorries-in-the-uk.htm

https://www.shop.fta.co.uk/p-782-truckview-fresnel...


Personally i'd charge them a tenner a go at the point of entry or send them back on the next ferry/eurostar.
I did use to hand them out. For some reason i still have 3 sat in my locker



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-499831/Sid...

Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 16th April 15:53

[mybrainhurts]

speedyguy said:

http://www.driven-ltd.co.uk/foreign-lorries-in-the...

https://www.shop.fta.co.uk/p-782-truckview-fresnel...


Personally i'd charge them a tenner a go at the point of entry or send them back on the next ferry/eurostar.
I did use to hand them out. For some reason i still have 3 sat in my locker

Duff link...

Edit...ah, came alive in quote.

[TooMany2cvs]

mybrainhurts said:

It's not a matter of not checking. It's the blind spot, common to all left hand drive lorries. See it constantly, all over the country. Why they're not required to carry an extra mirror is a mystery to me.

No different, of course, to the one all RHD trucks have on the other side. Which is why all trucks have to have a myriad of blind-spot mirrors covering just about every feasible spot.

Looking at the pics, though, I don't think that's necessarily what happened anyway. The rear truck's at too sharp an angle to be pulling out for overtaking, and the Ducato (think it's a fairing on a tall luton, rather than a camper) is sandwiched between them. Gawd knows what did happen, but it's spoiled a few weekends, that's for sure.

Edited by TooMany2cvs on Wednesday 16th April 18:17

[s p a c e m a n]

That's no blind spot accident. The traffic from the fire earlier was stupid and the queue was back to there, that's a foreigner running into the back of stationary traffic.

[anonymous-user]

s p a c e m a n said:

the queue was back to there, that's a foreigner running into the back of stationary traffic.

If that is the case it reminds me of a job nearly 6 years ago with a worse outcome and a family of 6 dying.

I'll probably get flamed for this.

But the truckers (even though I have held a c+e licence over 20 years) seem to be under the impression most of these accidents are caused by illness or mechanical failure etc rather than driver error.

It's stating the obvious but having dealt with a hundreds accidents and the damage caused by shunting truckers caused it's pretty impressive and in a different league compared to cars .

Anyway thoughts of all full recovery to those involved in what is becoming far too regular an occurence.

[carl_w]

speedyguy said:

But the truckers (even though I have held a c+e licence over 20 years) seem to be under the impression most of these accidents are caused by illness or mechanical failure etc rather than driver error.

It's stating the obvious but having dealt with a hundreds accidents and the damage caused by shunting truckers caused it's pretty impressive and in a different league compared to cars .

They used to be the "knights of the road"

[s p a c e m a n]

speedyguy said:

But the truckers (even though I have held a c+e licence over 20 years) seem to be under the impression most of these accidents are caused by illness or mechanical failure etc rather than driver error.

Nope, I'm with you. That's a long old boring road and the last time that he had to do anything was probably the roundabout with the petrol station in Dover, he wasn't looking out of the windscreen.

Speculation of course, but I've been driving the things for 20 years and drove past that in the opposite direction about half an hour before it happened.

[toerag]

speedyguy said:

CAPP0 said:

mybrainhurts said:

CAPP0 said:

At a wild guess, the foreign truck may have pulled out to overtake the one in front without looking/checking properly on his RH side,.

It's not a matter of not checking. It's the blind spot, common to all left hand drive lorries.

That's what I meant really - if you haven't got the blind spot mirror then you need to be a lot more diligent in checking and being certain that there's nothing there, as in, monitor the mirrors for a while before going for the overtake.

http://www.driven-ltd.co.uk/foreign-lorries-in-the-uk.htm

https://www.shop.fta.co.uk/p-782-truckview-fresnel...


Personally i'd charge them a tenner a go at the point of entry or send them back on the next ferry/eurostar.
I did use to hand them out. For some reason i still have 3 sat in my locker



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-499831/Sid...

Edited by speedyguy on Wednesday 16th April 15:53

Dunno what your talking about, blind spots are the least of their worries..

footage from my dash-cam a couple of weeks back:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjAgvmqDptc

[anonymous-user]

toerag said:

Dunno what your talking about, blind spots are the least of their worries..

footage from my dash-cam a couple of weeks back:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjAgvmqDptc

See my post above that'll be mechanical failure rather than driver error, steering wheel on the wrong side you see

Anyway according to BBC news now sadly 2 people are confirmed dead

[toerag]

speedyguy said:

See my post above that'll be mechanical failure rather than driver error, steering wheel on the wrong side you see

Anyway according to BBC news now sadly 2 people are confirmed dead

very sad