Where do I stand on a motorway driving mistake?
Discussion
sps01267 said:
Hi all
When you read this, please first understand, I’m not the idiot we all see on Police Camera Action but think I’ve made one huge mistake. Currently my licence is spotless but now I’m concerned about something that could really change this. I’m really worried actually.
I was driving along the M25 (Heading West) at about 1am last night and saw Highways Agency signs saying that the motorway was closed between junctions 8/9. My decision was to carry past junction 6 where the sign was and come off at junction 7 to avoid the closure.
Just as I passed the slip road off and came parallel with the slip road onto the motorway from Junction 6 the traffic stopped abruptly and we all basically sat there for what seemed an hour plus. Cars around me were empty / abandoned and other drivers were wandering all over the motorway, (Including a bunch of drunks who had fallen out of a minibus next to me). I was in the slow lane and just sat with everyone else.
I had noticed a continuous line of traffic travelling up the hard shoulder, back up the slip road of the joining junction and this went on without a pause, so I guessed it was an exit system that had been set up to clear the motorway, as there was no way of going forward. A guy on a mobile who seemed to be talking to someone further up the jam shouted across that they were turning us all back, and using the slip road to get us off the motorway as there had been a huge fuel spill and accident ahead.
I stayed where I was until I realised the car in front was empty/abandoned and it seemed my turn to pull out of my lane and join the traffic that was being redirected. At this point I honestly assumed that The Police were organising it and that this was what I had to do to. I turned off left, with others, onto the slip road and drove up its hard shoulder expecting to find Police Officers directing traffic onto a roundabout or some kind of way of getting traffic away.
BUT - We got to the end of it and there were no Police at all - Cars were , one at a time, doing a sharp left onto the ajoining carriageway. It was just a sporadic system that everyone else had taken on themselves as we were not getting any assistance from the POlice and all the Highway info signs were giving incorrect info. I was in a continuous queue of cars and when my turn came, I signalled, checked that there was no oncoming traffic and joined the junction that was at the top of the slip road and was able to get away. Yes, it was a hazard but I had no other option at this point and the same thing had happened to hundreds of other people.
Am I about to loose my licence along with everyone else that did it because of a camera that may have picked it up? I honestly thought the Police had set it all up as it was so organised and flowing traffic away really well until I found it wasn't.But by this time I was committed in a line of traffic. I totally understand that driving the wrong way is crazy but really though this had been set up as an organised thing by The Police on the hard shoulder of this slip road. No cars were using the lanes, just the hard shoulder.
Any advice?
Apart from that ^^ I think you should be okay When you read this, please first understand, I’m not the idiot we all see on Police Camera Action but think I’ve made one huge mistake. Currently my licence is spotless but now I’m concerned about something that could really change this. I’m really worried actually.
I was driving along the M25 (Heading West) at about 1am last night and saw Highways Agency signs saying that the motorway was closed between junctions 8/9. My decision was to carry past junction 6 where the sign was and come off at junction 7 to avoid the closure.
Just as I passed the slip road off and came parallel with the slip road onto the motorway from Junction 6 the traffic stopped abruptly and we all basically sat there for what seemed an hour plus. Cars around me were empty / abandoned and other drivers were wandering all over the motorway, (Including a bunch of drunks who had fallen out of a minibus next to me). I was in the slow lane and just sat with everyone else.
I had noticed a continuous line of traffic travelling up the hard shoulder, back up the slip road of the joining junction and this went on without a pause, so I guessed it was an exit system that had been set up to clear the motorway, as there was no way of going forward. A guy on a mobile who seemed to be talking to someone further up the jam shouted across that they were turning us all back, and using the slip road to get us off the motorway as there had been a huge fuel spill and accident ahead.
I stayed where I was until I realised the car in front was empty/abandoned and it seemed my turn to pull out of my lane and join the traffic that was being redirected. At this point I honestly assumed that The Police were organising it and that this was what I had to do to. I turned off left, with others, onto the slip road and drove up its hard shoulder expecting to find Police Officers directing traffic onto a roundabout or some kind of way of getting traffic away.
BUT - We got to the end of it and there were no Police at all - Cars were , one at a time, doing a sharp left onto the ajoining carriageway. It was just a sporadic system that everyone else had taken on themselves as we were not getting any assistance from the POlice and all the Highway info signs were giving incorrect info. I was in a continuous queue of cars and when my turn came, I signalled, checked that there was no oncoming traffic and joined the junction that was at the top of the slip road and was able to get away. Yes, it was a hazard but I had no other option at this point and the same thing had happened to hundreds of other people.
Am I about to loose my licence along with everyone else that did it because of a camera that may have picked it up? I honestly thought the Police had set it all up as it was so organised and flowing traffic away really well until I found it wasn't.But by this time I was committed in a line of traffic. I totally understand that driving the wrong way is crazy but really though this had been set up as an organised thing by The Police on the hard shoulder of this slip road. No cars were using the lanes, just the hard shoulder.
Any advice?
I came of the M23 and could see that the queuing clockwise round the M25 was getting worse so opted to go anti....
Then promptly had a blowout just after Dartford.
Reason I mention this is that when the Highways Agency chaps turned up, they pointed out the motorway is so well covered by cameras that they could see the trouble that happened and could respond.
In your case they'd be able to see that a lot of people were taking that particular action and it's very unlikely you or anyone would be penalised.
Don't worry, basically.
Then promptly had a blowout just after Dartford.
Reason I mention this is that when the Highways Agency chaps turned up, they pointed out the motorway is so well covered by cameras that they could see the trouble that happened and could respond.
In your case they'd be able to see that a lot of people were taking that particular action and it's very unlikely you or anyone would be penalised.
Don't worry, basically.
Sorry to hear about your blow out!
It must have been the M23 slip that we went back up then. I had originally thought it was a B road entering the M25 and that's where we were being sent.
I wouldn't have just gone and done it myself, but was convinced it was an organised thing by The Police, so I joined the line of ducks in the queue
Did they tell you what the accident was, as Ive not seen cars abandoned or people out of cars like that for years?
It must have been the M23 slip that we went back up then. I had originally thought it was a B road entering the M25 and that's where we were being sent.
I wouldn't have just gone and done it myself, but was convinced it was an organised thing by The Police, so I joined the line of ducks in the queue
Did they tell you what the accident was, as Ive not seen cars abandoned or people out of cars like that for years?
sps01267 said:
Am I about to loose my licence along with everyone else that did it because of a camera that may have picked it up?
All these cameras have really had the desired effect haven't they? Be afraid, be very afraid!Nothing's going to happen. If you do get caught red handed doing similar one day though I doubt it'll pass muster to say you thought the police were organising it if you hadn't seen an officer.
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