Fatal Accidents near Swindon.
Discussion
cay said:
Sorry but I drive this road everyday
If you are having to stand in your brakes at every ( any ! ) junction your observation and anticipation skills are sadly lacking
They may not be the best junctions in UK but they aren't any different to the majority of dual carriageways either.
I drive from the Vale of Pewsey to Cheltenham and back daily and have also never had any issues with these junctions or any others on that route.If you are having to stand in your brakes at every ( any ! ) junction your observation and anticipation skills are sadly lacking
They may not be the best junctions in UK but they aren't any different to the majority of dual carriageways either.
Edited by cay on Monday 20th May 21:26
As much as loss of life is tragic, it happens and its part of life. If you don't want any road deaths then there's a simple solution; stop driving ton or heavier chunks of metal across the surface of the earth at speeds exponentially faster than human beings have evolved into travelling.
The UK has, last few times I've looked, about the safest roads of any major country in the world. And that's impressive as its a country of largely very congested, twisty narrow roads and motorway traffic often travels at rather high speeds.
Compare that to the USA where roads are generally straighter, wider, less congested and often have lower speed limits. Yet the roads in the UK are substantially safer.
At some point you've just got to accept that accidents will happen.
The UK has, last few times I've looked, about the safest roads of any major country in the world. And that's impressive as its a country of largely very congested, twisty narrow roads and motorway traffic often travels at rather high speeds.
Compare that to the USA where roads are generally straighter, wider, less congested and often have lower speed limits. Yet the roads in the UK are substantially safer.
At some point you've just got to accept that accidents will happen.
cay said:
Sorry but I drive this road everyday
If you are having to stand in your brakes at every ( any ! ) junction your observation and anticipation skills are sadly lacking
They may not be the best junctions in UK but they aren't any different to the majority of dual carriageways either.
The A90 out of Aberdeen heading south gets very busy at peak times, and there are a lot of side roads joining without slip roads, only one or two incidents a year, your right observation and anticipation, both for those on the dual carriageway and those joining it.If you are having to stand in your brakes at every ( any ! ) junction your observation and anticipation skills are sadly lacking
They may not be the best junctions in UK but they aren't any different to the majority of dual carriageways either.
Edited by cay on Monday 20th May 21:26
Captain Cadillac said:
If you don't want any road deaths then there's a simple solution; stop driving ton or heavier chunks of metal across the surface of the earth at speeds exponentially faster than human beings have evolved into travelling.
There were plenty of road deaths before mechanically propelled vehicles were invented. According to something I saw many years ago, there were more road traffic deaths on London roads in 1879 than in 1979.It would be a travesty if any mileage is made out of this in relation to the removal of speed cameras, since apart from when there were roadworks, there weren't any on the A419 to remove! There always have been and remain plenty of scamera vans on there. There have been some nasty accidents on the A419 in the valley of the Thames and the Ray by Cricklade - usually early morning, fog and ice. The scamera vans are usually only about late morning in good conditions, of course.
strudel said:
The bit preceding the accident spot is an uphill section - 5 up in a clio must have been going some to have an off at speed at that point. No dawdling going on there.
Unusual bit (or perhaps it's not?) is driver and front passenger both young girls 17 and 18 (so not long passed test even if the 18 year old was driving, but the older 3 blokes, all 20, were in the back. (and as said, in a Clio!).Crash looks like the downhill part of 419 (I drive that road fair bit) - 5 am wouldn't have been lot about. Images show 4 skid marks outside lane, prior to leaving carriageway. Was another car with them? Only reason to be in the outside lane - overtaking? Why brake on downhill outer lane?
dandarez said:
Unusual bit (or perhaps it's not?) is driver and front passenger both young girls 17 and 18 (so not long passed test even if the 18 year old was driving, but the older 3 blokes, all 20, were in the back. (and as said, in a Clio!).
Crash looks like the downhill part of 419 (I drive that road fair bit) - 5 am wouldn't have been lot about. Images show 4 skid marks outside lane, prior to leaving carriageway. Was another car with them? Only reason to be in the outside lane - overtaking? Why brake on downhill outer lane?
I wondered about those skid marks and took a guess that they were already there. If made by the Clio I think they'd be classed as evidence and the bib wouldn't be parked and/or walking about on them.Crash looks like the downhill part of 419 (I drive that road fair bit) - 5 am wouldn't have been lot about. Images show 4 skid marks outside lane, prior to leaving carriageway. Was another car with them? Only reason to be in the outside lane - overtaking? Why brake on downhill outer lane?
worsy said:
Lived in Swindon for 15 years so feel qualified to comment on the road and I have to disagree with the posters about how good that road is. This was the north bound carriageway and the junctions are:
1. GWH hospital, long entry, hence high speed, un-sighted by long fencing. Traffic controlled M4 traffic bunched at this point.
http://goo.gl/maps/2MvF3
2. Dorcan, very short entry slip, un sighted by 90 degree approach.
http://goo.gl/maps/XR8zK
3. A420. short entry, up hill, compromised by very slow left hander entering slip.
http://goo.gl/maps/9HNx3
4. Highworth, best of them all, no issues here, especially as traffic from M4 will have thinned out by here.
http://goo.gl/maps/JMojb
5. Hyde rd -Probably the most dangerous, positive for the fact it is a quiet and seldom used junction. Also impacted by the close proximity of the next exit junction.
http://goo.gl/maps/2ul3h
I understand that this particular event looks likely to be unaffected by the road layout, but those of you who do travel this every day will know it's a high speed carriageway and you'll be standing on your brakes at any of the points above regularly. Especially if an artic is joining the carriageway.
Spot on that. 1. GWH hospital, long entry, hence high speed, un-sighted by long fencing. Traffic controlled M4 traffic bunched at this point.
http://goo.gl/maps/2MvF3
2. Dorcan, very short entry slip, un sighted by 90 degree approach.
http://goo.gl/maps/XR8zK
3. A420. short entry, up hill, compromised by very slow left hander entering slip.
http://goo.gl/maps/9HNx3
4. Highworth, best of them all, no issues here, especially as traffic from M4 will have thinned out by here.
http://goo.gl/maps/JMojb
5. Hyde rd -Probably the most dangerous, positive for the fact it is a quiet and seldom used junction. Also impacted by the close proximity of the next exit junction.
http://goo.gl/maps/2ul3h
I understand that this particular event looks likely to be unaffected by the road layout, but those of you who do travel this every day will know it's a high speed carriageway and you'll be standing on your brakes at any of the points above regularly. Especially if an artic is joining the carriageway.
heebeegeetee said:
I wondered about those skid marks and took a guess that they were already there. If made by the Clio I think they'd be classed as evidence and the bib wouldn't be parked and/or walking about on them.
I thought the skid marks were from a truck with 4 wheels on an axle, maybe it was my imagination though.dandarez said:
strudel said:
The bit preceding the accident spot is an uphill section - 5 up in a clio must have been going some to have an off at speed at that point. No dawdling going on there.
Unusual bit (or perhaps it's not?) is driver and front passenger both young girls 17 and 18 (so not long passed test even if the 18 year old was driving, but the older 3 blokes, all 20, were in the back. (and as said, in a Clio!).Crash looks like the downhill part of 419 (I drive that road fair bit) - 5 am wouldn't have been lot about. Images show 4 skid marks outside lane, prior to leaving carriageway. Was another car with them? Only reason to be in the outside lane - overtaking? Why brake on downhill outer lane?
I think a lot of people simply have no comprehension on how dangerous it is to drive tired (yet sober) or what the true consequences of being unbelted are in a major accident.
If people knew, they'd be less inclined to be in a car unbelted and certainly not in the car with a tired driver.
Being late, inconvenienced or lighter in cash is far better than dead and yet it seems this life saving tip is rarely communicated.
I sat in the passenger seat of some talentless idiots who thought they were the next Richard Burns and I reminded every one of them that I was quite keen to get where we were supposed to be going without crashing, it worked in all but one case and in that we scrubbed off so much speed with all the fishtailing that we walked away with only the driver's ego and wallet dented.
If people knew, they'd be less inclined to be in a car unbelted and certainly not in the car with a tired driver.
Being late, inconvenienced or lighter in cash is far better than dead and yet it seems this life saving tip is rarely communicated.
I sat in the passenger seat of some talentless idiots who thought they were the next Richard Burns and I reminded every one of them that I was quite keen to get where we were supposed to be going without crashing, it worked in all but one case and in that we scrubbed off so much speed with all the fishtailing that we walked away with only the driver's ego and wallet dented.
Well, just reading the local paper, (Aberdeen), councillors have backed plans to lower a speed limit from 60 to 40 despite opposition from the police.
So I take back some of my comments previously on reducing speed limits.
The chief inspector argued the change was unwarranted and would set an unwanted precedent for that type of road across the city.
The limit was put forward by a Marie Boulton. Hmmmmmm.
So I take back some of my comments previously on reducing speed limits.
The chief inspector argued the change was unwarranted and would set an unwanted precedent for that type of road across the city.
The limit was put forward by a Marie Boulton. Hmmmmmm.
Gassing Station | News, Politics & Economics | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff