Accident or stupidity?
Discussion
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/4342809.stm
The last thing I would do is allow my car to stop in the middle lane of a motorway. And the driver who allowed it to happen got away with it!
The last thing I would do is allow my car to stop in the middle lane of a motorway. And the driver who allowed it to happen got away with it!
Tragic !!
We don't know the full details, but I can't think of any likely scenario where you wouldn't be able to get to the hard shoulder. It says a lot about the observation of the drivers following the car.
My thoughts are with the bloke that survived, it's going to be difficult to come to terms with losing your partner and child.
Phil
We don't know the full details, but I can't think of any likely scenario where you wouldn't be able to get to the hard shoulder. It says a lot about the observation of the drivers following the car.
My thoughts are with the bloke that survived, it's going to be difficult to come to terms with losing your partner and child.
Phil
parrot of doom said:
And if the engine fell out of your car, and you had zero steering? Or what if the steering linkage broke? Or what if the car's computer turned itself off, and you were hit 2 seconds after the car shuddered to a halt?
Wait for the details, don't judge without knowing the facts.
Not jumping to conclusions, but if the engine simply stopped whilst I was in the middle lane I would get myself onto the hard shoulder ASAP before the car rolled to a stop, even if it meant potentialy cutting someone up. The risk of a serious collison greatly increases at the car slows down.
Engines don't just fall out and steering linkages don't just snap on a well maintained, roadworthy car. If it was not well maintained or roadworthy, it simply shouldn't have been there to begin with.
>> Edited by MR2Mike on Sunday 13th March 12:28
I am a complete newbie here but I really feel that we shouldn't make conclusions out of an article that gives so few details. The slow lane may have been filled with HGVs or similar...would you swerve your car in front of oncoming HGV with your wife and child in the car? It's not exactly cut and dried is it?
I'm not trying to cause trouble..just saying what I think.
I'm not trying to cause trouble..just saying what I think.
Davros81 said:
I am a complete newbie here but I really feel that we shouldn't make conclusions out of an article that gives so few details. The slow lane may have been filled with HGVs or similar...would you swerve your car in front of oncoming HGV with your wife and child in the car? It's not exactly cut and dried is it?
No it's not, and I agree we don't know the details.
However my point is that if I had the choice of stopping dead in the middle of motorway or having to swerve in front of an HGV whilst our relative speeds were still fairly close I would go for the later every time (and of course if you are in the middle lane you should be going faster than the HGV's anyway)
telecat said:
The last thing I would do is allow my car to stop in the middle lane of a motorway.
A good few yrs ago I was driving my Cavalier repmobile in lane 3 of the M62 approaching the part at Eccles where it turns into the M602. The traffic was stop/start and my cambelt snapped (one of the 4 occasions on that car that it snapped). The motorway was effectively 4 lanes wide at that point and my car was dead. Suddenly all the traffic was moving again and flashing past me.
By sheer chance the central reservation at that point was wide enough to fit my car so I moved it on the starter. I was standing in the central reservation with cars now flashing past – believe me, there’s no way I could’ve run across the motorway at that point. I called the police and they came after 40 minutes and rescued me.
I broke down in the middle lane of the M25. It's easily done, and here's how.
We were all in standing traffic, me in the centre lane. We were stationary for a good few minutes, so when the trafic ahead started to move I put my foot on the clutch and it when straight to the floor. Master cylinder had gone! By the time I had realised that the clutch wasn't just dicky the traffic arround me had built up speed.
I started the car in second gear and moved to the hard shoulder.
When the Police got over to us the idiot tried to have a go about "stopping" in the middle lane! Because, quite obviously, I must just be that stupid.
We were all in standing traffic, me in the centre lane. We were stationary for a good few minutes, so when the trafic ahead started to move I put my foot on the clutch and it when straight to the floor. Master cylinder had gone! By the time I had realised that the clutch wasn't just dicky the traffic arround me had built up speed.
I started the car in second gear and moved to the hard shoulder.
When the Police got over to us the idiot tried to have a go about "stopping" in the middle lane! Because, quite obviously, I must just be that stupid.
Liebchen - been in Vx Vectra once when computer cut out und car just stopped - und fortunately it started again immediately. Was mama-in Law's car und we were most rude at garage over this. 
- und as someone commented - if cambelt gives - you have no chance. I always ask this to be checked as routine when car ist being serviced - und I usually have a look at the belt to decide if ist worn anyway. Blobs of red nail varnish arre placed on bits identified as needing new on service und am at most wildy cat if find they have not looked this 
We do not know circumstances - but if I had been in this situation - then hazard lights would have been used und if possible und safe - would have placed the triangle und torch behind car to warn of the hazard.
Ist a tragic accident in any case....
- und as someone commented - if cambelt gives - you have no chance. I always ask this to be checked as routine when car ist being serviced - und I usually have a look at the belt to decide if ist worn anyway. Blobs of red nail varnish arre placed on bits identified as needing new on service und am at most wildy cat if find they have not looked this We do not know circumstances - but if I had been in this situation - then hazard lights would have been used und if possible und safe - would have placed the triangle und torch behind car to warn of the hazard.
Ist a tragic accident in any case....
Think your missing some of the tragedy here whatever the circumstances..and yes I've had a car cut out in the middle lane with HGVs on the inside..not nice..mother was blind panic no doubt as instinct to protect child is overidingly inate at that stage post birth, should be asking why father wasn't helping too or is that too contentious? Anyway 4 weeks old on this merry go round is no where near long enough, should be thinking of the traffic guys who had to deal with it and the family not critisizing the semantics...
MR2Mike said "Engines don't just fall out and steering linkages don't just snap on a well maintained, roadworthy car. If it was not well maintained or roadworthy, it simply shouldn't have been there to begin with"
Some years ago, my "well maintained" hired car, and I were travelling up the M11, when the enging blew up, luckly the road was relatively empty, shit does happen, and as others have said, dont judge until you have all the facts, I dont believe for one minute drivers stop on purpose in middle lanes of motorways, do you?
Some years ago, my "well maintained" hired car, and I were travelling up the M11, when the enging blew up, luckly the road was relatively empty, shit does happen, and as others have said, dont judge until you have all the facts, I dont believe for one minute drivers stop on purpose in middle lanes of motorways, do you?
Vipers said:
Some years ago, my "well maintained" hired car, and I were travelling up the M11, when the enging blew up, luckly the road was relatively empty, shit does happen, and as others have said, dont judge until you have all the facts, I dont believe for one minute drivers stop on purpose in middle lanes of motorways, do you?
Well, actually yes! I have seen somebody stop to change a flat in the outside lane of a motorway.
When your engine blew you would still have enough momentum to get off the road before stopping, similarly the clutch failure still allowed the driver to get the car off the road. I had a situation last year where the engine just stopped, I still got it off the road.
If it happens when stationary then cars behind are also stationary so less of a problem.
kevinday said:
If it happens when stationary then cars behind are also stationary so less of a problem.
Cars behind don't stay stationary - I have had to manneuver around a seven and a half tonner that was stationary in the middle lane on the M25 before now - fast moving traffic to both sides. Shit happens - you can't always find someone to blame.
Vipers said:
MR2Mike said "Engines don't just fall out and steering linkages don't just snap on a well maintained, roadworthy car. If it was not well maintained or roadworthy, it simply shouldn't have been there to begin with"
Some years ago, my "well maintained" hired car, and I were travelling up the M11, when the enging blew up, luckly the road was relatively empty, shit does happen, and as others have said, dont judge until you have all the facts, I dont believe for one minute drivers stop on purpose in middle lanes of motorways, do you?
If your engine "blows up" you can disengage the clutch or just put the gearbox into neutral and the car will still coast. It would be the first thing I would do if I felt the engine dying, removing the drag of a dead engine gives you more time to get to safety.
Having experienced it, its not always that simple.
I had a rear tyre blowout in lane 3 of the M1 in busy traffic. Trying to get to the hard shoulder was harder than not crashing it in the first place. Even with hazards on no-one would let me pull over, and with no tyre I could only limp along.
I had a rear tyre blowout in lane 3 of the M1 in busy traffic. Trying to get to the hard shoulder was harder than not crashing it in the first place. Even with hazards on no-one would let me pull over, and with no tyre I could only limp along.
Pulsatingstar said:
Having experienced it, its not always that simple.
I had a rear tyre blowout in lane 3 of the M1 in busy traffic. Trying to get to the hard shoulder was harder than not crashing it in the first place. Even with hazards on no-one would let me pull over, and with no tyre I could only limp along.
I had this happen years ago. M4 saturday afternoon travelling west through Wiltshire in my mates Rover p6. Rear tyre blows out at about 80mph and the car goes out of control. Back end swinging from one direction to the other each time being over corrected by my mate who to his credit kept the bloody thing pointing the right way.
He got the car under control at about 10mph but with no chance of getting over to the hard shoulder as when the throttle is floored the now tyreless wheel spins happily and is miles from the road surface, plus cars undertaking us at 70 mph. so we parked in the outside lane and ran for it.
Police were less than complementary but I really don't know what else could have been done.
Further to the news article at the top of this thread, my sincere condolences go out to the family who have lost so much in this tragedy.
Jinx said:
If it happens when stationary then cars behind are also stationary so less of a problem.
Cars behind don't stay stationary - I have had to manneuver around a seven and a half tonner that was stationary in the middle lane on the M25 before now - fast moving traffic to both sides. Shit happens - you can't always find someone to blame.
As described in the previous post the person was stopped in a traffic jam, so yes, the cars behind are stopped.
telecat said:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/south_yorkshire/4342809.stm
The last thing I would do is allow my car to stop in the middle lane of a motorway. And the driver who allowed it to happen got away with it!
The last thing ANYONE wants is their car stopping in any lane, I have also been in a similar predicament, when the offside front tyre blew at 85 in the outside lane - wall to wall hgvs in the other 2 lanes, took the tyre completely off the rim and finished the alloy rim off before i got it to the hard shoulder, much to the annoyance of the hgvs.
My sincere condolences to the victims, we should not even think about judging them on here.
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