Smart motorway death
Author
Discussion

Dixy

Original Poster:

3,592 posts

232 months

Wednesday 18th February
quotequote all
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8r1k0d2nreo
Driver carries the blame for state failure.

Bill

58,177 posts

282 months

Wednesday 18th February
quotequote all
I get what you're saying, OTOH other people avoided the stopped car but he made no attempt to. And to compound matters he was exceeding the speed limit.

Mabbs9

1,636 posts

245 months

Wednesday 18th February
quotequote all
People who drive in a way that they can't stop for something hazardous in front of them are dangerous. I believe smart motorways are also dangerous.

Mr.Chips

1,226 posts

241 months

Wednesday 18th February
quotequote all
Driver carries the blame for not paying attention. Other drivers safely managed to avoid the car that was broken down in the outside lane of the motorway. The driver of the vehicle that drove into the back of the stationary vehicle and caused the death of a passenger, was seen on CCTV to have not even attempted any emergency avoidance. He was also travelling at speeds of up to 77mph in the moments leading up to the collision.
Travelling too fast + not paying attention -> collision = conviction.
The fact the the “smart” motorway mechanisms were not working is immaterial. Everyone who drives on any road is expected to do so safely, this driver did not and someone died as a result.

Drumroll

4,434 posts

147 months

Wednesday 18th February
quotequote all
I don't see with it being a smart motorway, has to do with this particular accident. The car had stopped in the outside lane.

Signs fail, show false information all the time. Not just on smart motorways

kestral

2,193 posts

234 months

Wednesday 18th February
quotequote all
Watch the video. He clearly was not even looking out through the windscreen.

markymarkthree

3,539 posts

198 months

Wednesday 18th February
quotequote all
I guess he wasn't on his phone but he was doing something wrong that was distracting him from seeing the stationary car.

E-bmw

13,052 posts

179 months

Wednesday 18th February
quotequote all
Dixy said:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8r1k0d2nreo
Driver carries the blame for state failure.
Not really, watch the video rather than the headline.

Multiple other drivers were easily able to avoid the car.

He had what looks like around 6 seconds of clear unobstructed view from the lofty cab of a van.

Everyone else that avoided the car had much less & from just the viewpoint of a car height.

Try again.

Sheepshanks

40,380 posts

146 months

Wednesday 18th February
quotequote all
Drumroll said:
I don't see with it being a smart motorway, has to do with this particular accident.
Absolutely nothing. I was gobsmacked when it became apparent they weren't talking about a lane 1 incident.

Super Sonic

13,719 posts

81 months

Wednesday 18th February
quotequote all
Tho overhead gantry signs weren't working for five days before the accident. They were repaired hours after.

Dixy

Original Poster:

3,592 posts

232 months

Wednesday 18th February
quotequote all
E-bmw said:
watch the video rather than the headline.

n.
Will you post a link to the video please

butchstewie

66,322 posts

237 months

Wednesday 18th February
quotequote all
Drumroll said:
I don't see with it being a smart motorway, has to do with this particular accident. The car had stopped in the outside lane.

Signs fail, show false information all the time. Not just on smart motorways
Unless I misunderstood that was my first thought too.

Presumably vehicles break down in dangerous places up and down the country on a daily basis and thankfully this kind of accident seems vanishingly rare.

Not sure I'm seeing this as being down to the Smart system issues as I'm sure there's a world where even with everything working the timelines might have meant the lanes weren't closed or marked off etc.

A terrible tragedy.

NowWatchThisDrive

1,302 posts

131 months

Wednesday 18th February
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Not to take anything away from his culpability, but you have to wonder what on earth they were thinking still sitting in a stationary car in lane four six minutes after it had failed.

ac.cobra

126 posts

53 months

Wednesday 18th February
quotequote all
Precisely, why the occupants were still in the vehicle when broken down, its always advice to remove your self to safer place, ie, on to the embankment.

BlindedByTheLights

1,994 posts

124 months

Wednesday 18th February
quotequote all
ac.cobra said:
Precisely, why the occupants were still in the vehicle when broken down, its always advice to remove your self to safer place, ie, on to the embankment.
Not many safe places to go from the ‘fast lane’

bigmowley

2,614 posts

203 months

Wednesday 18th February
quotequote all
Having watched what I understand to be the crash video the car was stopped on the inside lane not the outside lane?? Perhaps it’s a crap video.
However it was bloody busy and there wasn’t much opportunity to jump out and leg it to safety. Agree with the other posters quite a few other cars moved over and avoided the collision prior to our inattentive chappy driving straight into the back of it. I am surprised he survived given the severity of the hit.

Pica-Pica

16,383 posts

111 months

Wednesday 18th February
quotequote all
bigmowley said:
Having watched what I understand to be the crash video the car was stopped on the inside lane not the outside lane?? Perhaps it s a crap video.
However it was bloody busy and there wasn t much opportunity to jump out and leg it to safety. Agree with the other posters quite a few other cars moved over and avoided the collision prior to our inattentive chappy driving straight into the back of it. I am surprised he survived given the severity of the hit.
He wasn't wearing a seat belt either, his airbag helped it seems.
Always 'drive several cars ahead'.

Mr Tidy

30,708 posts

154 months

Wednesday 18th February
quotequote all
Sheepshanks said:
Drumroll said:
I don't see with it being a smart motorway, has to do with this particular accident.
Absolutely nothing. I was gobsmacked when it became apparent they weren't talking about a lane 1 incident.
I was thinking exactly the same thing when I read the article in the media.



Getragdogleg

10,104 posts

210 months

Wednesday 18th February
quotequote all
E-bmw said:
Not really, watch the video rather than the headline.

Multiple other drivers were easily able to avoid the car.

He had what looks like around 6 seconds of clear unobstructed view from the lofty cab of a van.

Everyone else that avoided the car had much less & from just the viewpoint of a car height.

Try again.
A Transit connect does not have a "lofty view". In fact sitting in one is much like a car, its a car based van, not a traditional transit with a higher sitting position.

I don't like driving them for the exact reason that I feel like I'm very low down.

I am not arguing that he was not negligent for failing to see the stopped car but your view comments are simply wrong.

Randy Winkman

21,813 posts

216 months

Wednesday 18th February
quotequote all
Apparently he said there was "Nothing to warn him of the car". rolleyes It's a flippin' car! Why do you need something to "warn you"?