Was 'Deathrace 2012' filmed on the M1 today?

[Clivey]

Today I drove from Derby to Heathrow and back (M1, M25) and whilst the average SCAMeras on the M1 made that part of the trip mind numbingly boring, I found it unsettling that I passed at least 8 serious accidents including these:

- Lexus IS lying upside down on the nearside crash barrier
- Mercedes C-Class & Vauxhall Zafira in what looked like the result of a PIT manoeuvre
- VW Golf on fire after what looked like a rear impact
- Honda Jazz having it's roof cut off by firemen and the burnt-out remains of another vehicle on the road just outside Heathrow
- Peugeot 307 SW with no front end having ended-up in the trees on the M1 northbound
- Ford Puma missing it's front end after taking on the nearside crash barrier

I know there's been a lot of wind and rain but are so many motorists that incompetent (If I've seen 8 accidents on one trip, how many more have there been across the country) in these conditions?

Utter madness!

[xreyuk]

I live by the idea that everyone else is incompetetant unless proved otherwise.

[tbc]

some people can;t drive and got their licence in a cornflakes packet

I have to say that it's not speed that causes accidents

90% of the accident I see are the result of someone not looking while changing lanes

or not paying attention and then braking suddenly while driving at 20mph in the fast lane

[mat777]

xreyuk said:

I live by the idea that everyone else is incompetent unless proved otherwise.

[Speed_Demon]

People get away with their incompetence and lack of giving a fk in the dry, and they just aren't aware of how much things change when it's wet.

[aka_kerrly]

People who think that rain has no impact on stopping distances never fail to amaze me and are often the main cause of lots of accidents the moment the tarmac becomes anything beyond mildly moist.

[WhoseGeneration]

Speed_Demon said:

People get away with their incompetence and lack of giving a fk in the dry, and they just aren't aware of how much things change when it's wet.

Sums it up.

[RWD cossie wil]

Clivey said:

Today I drove from Derby to Heathrow and back (M1, M25) and whilst the average SCAMeras on the M1 made that part of the trip mind numbingly boring, I found it unsettling that I passed at least 8 serious accidents including these:

- Lexus IS lying upside down on the nearside crash barrier
- Mercedes C-Class & Vauxhall Zafira in what looked like the result of a PIT manoeuvre
- VW Golf on fire after what looked like a rear impact
- Honda Jazz having it's roof cut off by firemen and the burnt-out remains of another vehicle on the road just outside Heathrow
- Peugeot 307 SW with no front end having ended-up in the trees on the M1 northbound
- Ford Puma missing it's front end after taking on the nearside crash barrier

I know there's been a lot of wind and rain but are so many motorists that incompetent (If I've seen 8 accidents on one trip, how many more have there been across the country) in these conditions?

Utter madness!

And there my friend is half the problem, 28 miles ( I think) of mind numbing boredom, with nose to tail, side to side packed 50mph rolling traffic. No one lets anyone change lane, people driving 8" away from the car infront to make sure no one "steals" their place.

Hence destruction assured in good weather, let alone the crap we have had the last few days.....

[HairbearTE]

I use the M1 quite a bit and it's ridiculous how many accidents there are. It's only the fact that not all of them lead to multiple deaths that we don't hear more about it. Most caused by drivers day-dreaming or nodding off. I think the law allowing service stations to fine for more than 2 hours parking is an absolute disgrace and puts people off stopping for a rest when really they should. The sad thing is that we'll all have some draconian electronic motorway driving "aid" thrust upon us shortly because of the actions of a few. Then we can all have a little sleep until the car wakes us up at our destination

[NadiR]

Machine gun Joe took them all out in his Navigator.

[Guybrush]

It's the camera / speed control mentality, wrong from every point of view - too slow much of the time, lulling a driver into a comatose state, causing drivers to obsess about the speedo, keeping them at a very low level of driving so they never explore and experience how the car reacts beyond the stupidly low speeds enforced (why new drivers are so poor - they never experience higher speeds and consequently how the car reacts in any of their time learning). Speed control doesn't make it safe.

[Jasandjules]

xreyuk said:

I live by the idea that everyone else is incompetetant unless proved otherwise.

That's what my driving instructor told me (but in a less polite way!)

[Baryonyx]

I felt like I was in a bloody death race driving home from work there! I very rarely drive at 07:30am, mainly because I tend to be home from work by 7AM.

But jesus christ, the fking stunts some people were pulling out on the road this morning. I was quite concerned by a BMW X5 which was following me way too closely down a dual carriageway. Luckily he backed off after a while, only for a white Corsa in lane 1 to try and move over to overtake some slow movers. The Corsa driver didn't look and see the X5 next to him, causing the X5 to swerve badly. Due to the high speeds involved, the 'jink' performed by the X5 driver unsettled the vehicle on the wet road. Luckily, the weight of the beast kept it in check but if the same avoidance manoeveur had been attempted by a RWD car like an MX5 it would have been tank slapping it's way into the Corsa or the central reservation.

I then had some dozy moron try and pull out in front of me, ignoring the fact I was mid-roundabout at the time. This fool thought her Mini would be away, and ended up slamming the brakes on as I passed. Another near death experience luckily avoided. As I got nearer to home, there was a BMW 3 series coupe at the roadside, looked like a 318i. The entire N/S was utterly destroyed from a serious crash. It's been a funny old night.

NB: Speed cameras and average speed camera zones do nothing to help. Everyone is sweating, looking at their speedo and making sure they're not indicating 1mph over so they can avoid a ticket. They are not looking out of their window, in their mirrors, they are not thinking about what is going on in front of them, behind them or beside them. They are not looking for hazards because they are not even thinking about hazards. The whole driving experience is geared towards keeping their speed down at the expense of proper observation.

But someone realised that the government can fill it's coffers by fining people over minor 'speeding' offences, whilst the real problem of drivers paying no regard to their surroundings does not need addressing, mainly because there is no way of scamming money out of it.

Edited by Baryonyx on Monday 30th April 08:09

[Clivey]

I agree that driving standards are woeful and that many on the road are incompetent, but it just goes to show how much they do get away with during normal weather. - The slightest bit of standing water, ice, snow, fog etc. tends to bring out the mongs in droves.

However, the sheer amount of RTAs yesterday was appalling. I said I saw at least 8 but they were just the bigger ones where I remember the cars involved. I probably saw about a dozen incidents in total.

[Matt p]

Speed_Demon said:

People get away with their incompetence and lack of giving a fk in the dry, and they just aren't aware of how much things change when it's wet.

This all the way.

[CBR JGWRR]

It amazes me how some people got their licence.

[Greg_D]

Baryonyx said:

The Corsa driver didn't look and see the X5 next to him, causing the X5 to swerve badly. Due to the high speeds involved, the 'jink' performed by the X5 driver unsettled the vehicle on the wet road. Luckily, the weight of the beast kept it in check but if the same avoidance manoeveur had been attempted by a RWD car like an MX5 it would have been tank slapping it's way into the Corsa or the central reservation.

I'm not wishing to come across as argumentative, but i'd take an mx5 any day over an x5 if i needed to perform an 'elk test'

Anyway, carry on...

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

aka_kerrly said:

People who think that rain has no impact on stopping distances never fail to amaze me and are often the main cause of lots of accidents the moment the tarmac becomes anything beyond mildly moist.

People of a certain mindset drive faster and closer in bad weather - fact. They think they're good drivers and are immune to prevailing weather conditions.
You can often see extreme examples of this when there is snow on the ground and 4x4 drivers go mental.

[CBR JGWRR]

Dr Doofenshmirtz said:

aka_kerrly said:

People who think that rain has no impact on stopping distances never fail to amaze me and are often the main cause of lots of accidents the moment the tarmac becomes anything beyond mildly moist.

People of a certain mindset drive faster and closer in bad weather - fact. They think they're good drivers and are immune to prevailing weather conditions.
You can often see extreme examples of this when there is snow on the ground and 4x4 drivers go mental.

What makes it worse is when you are on a bike in those conditions, and you see one of those in a ditch...

[Clivey]

CBR JGWRR said:

What makes it worse is when you are on a bike in those conditions, and you see one of those in a ditch...

Actually, I joked with the only biker I saw yesterday. - He'd retreated to the service station car park because visibility through his visor was so poor. - It wouldn't have helped that the traffic was densely packed and the spray was like standing in front of a waterfall.