Damage to cars by rubbish on motorways
Discussion
Dear Piston Heads
Recently travelling north on the M1 between J 28 & J29, a type caucus spun-out from the side of the road probably dislodged by an artic, into the front of the car. If anyone knows how many sensors, wiring parts & fibre-optic links are under the front spoiler you'l know what's coming. After repairs the bill was £710.10... My insurance company basically said even with a picture / camera action of the tyre spinning from the side of the road into the car, the Highways agency would not be interested in paying.
What worries me is the number of busted tyres you see on their central reservation or hard shoulder, it a crime to see so many tyres left abandoned.
I'm sure we have all seem this rubbish, but this incident and other like it could be very dangerous and cause a pile-up. If an inexperienced driver hit a tyre and braked hard from 70mph - what next?
HIOw hard would it be to get the highways agency to clear-up the roads, I would at least see something for the road tax shelled out.
Regards
Taylor
Recently travelling north on the M1 between J 28 & J29, a type caucus spun-out from the side of the road probably dislodged by an artic, into the front of the car. If anyone knows how many sensors, wiring parts & fibre-optic links are under the front spoiler you'l know what's coming. After repairs the bill was £710.10... My insurance company basically said even with a picture / camera action of the tyre spinning from the side of the road into the car, the Highways agency would not be interested in paying.
What worries me is the number of busted tyres you see on their central reservation or hard shoulder, it a crime to see so many tyres left abandoned.
I'm sure we have all seem this rubbish, but this incident and other like it could be very dangerous and cause a pile-up. If an inexperienced driver hit a tyre and braked hard from 70mph - what next?
HIOw hard would it be to get the highways agency to clear-up the roads, I would at least see something for the road tax shelled out.
Regards
Taylor
Dear Taylor
Its not 'Road Tax' its VED. Roads are funded via council tax and other general taxation. Currently the services provided by the highways agency do not cover more regular clean ups like you suggest so this extra service would need to be paid for. Would you prefer more council tax or the VAT rate to go up, more Income Tax or what? You could just let you insurance pay (that's what its for).
Regards
John
Its not 'Road Tax' its VED. Roads are funded via council tax and other general taxation. Currently the services provided by the highways agency do not cover more regular clean ups like you suggest so this extra service would need to be paid for. Would you prefer more council tax or the VAT rate to go up, more Income Tax or what? You could just let you insurance pay (that's what its for).
Regards
John
This has bugged me for years, loads of time spent in road closures to recover accidents, vehicles eventually get moved but the debris pushed to the central reservation to stay there for years. 10 years ago on the A1 heading north an artic in front of me dislodged a huge wheel guard previously left on the reservation, I couldn't avoid it and it slammed into my co car, £1500 worth of damage that the co car insurer who paid for the repair basically said it was a no fault claim but it still appeared on my co driving record?
John Strangways said:
Dear Taylor
Its not 'Road Tax' its VED. Roads are funded via council tax and other general taxation. Currently the services provided by the highways agency do not cover more regular clean ups like you suggest so this extra service would need to be paid for. Would you prefer more council tax or the VAT rate to go up, more Income Tax or what? You could just let you insurance pay (that's what its for).
Regards
John
Its not 'Road Tax' its VED. Roads are funded via council tax and other general taxation. Currently the services provided by the highways agency do not cover more regular clean ups like you suggest so this extra service would need to be paid for. Would you prefer more council tax or the VAT rate to go up, more Income Tax or what? You could just let you insurance pay (that's what its for).
Regards
John
Its not Road Tax or VED its vehicle tax.
Dear Taylor,
Thank you for your suggestion, what an excellent idea. We will take this on board immediately and commence regular clean ups of all our motorways. However, please be aware that due to health and safety precautions our operatives cannot carry out these works in a live lane, therefore we will be introducing rolling lane closures on all networks 24/7.
Also, in order to fund these operations we will be introducing a brand new tax of £500 per year for all vehicles - this will be called "Road Tax" and will pay for the clean up operation.
Regards,
National Highways (formerly Highways England, formerly The Highways Agency)
Thank you for your suggestion, what an excellent idea. We will take this on board immediately and commence regular clean ups of all our motorways. However, please be aware that due to health and safety precautions our operatives cannot carry out these works in a live lane, therefore we will be introducing rolling lane closures on all networks 24/7.
Also, in order to fund these operations we will be introducing a brand new tax of £500 per year for all vehicles - this will be called "Road Tax" and will pay for the clean up operation.
Regards,
National Highways (formerly Highways England, formerly The Highways Agency)
Considering the dangers to anyone who is trying work on a live motorway, clearing debris that is not in active lanes and is not an immediate danger has a very low priority. If you have sat broken down on the hard shoulder you will know how safe that feels.
Yes it would be nice if all the rubbish got removed, I have seen tyres, a handbag, shoes, gold bar, cuddly toy, etc but shutting the motorway for most of this just isn't worth the risk or cost.
As for the damage to your car, this is what car insurance is for and falls into the 'stuff just happens' category.
Yes it would be nice if all the rubbish got removed, I have seen tyres, a handbag, shoes, gold bar, cuddly toy, etc but shutting the motorway for most of this just isn't worth the risk or cost.
As for the damage to your car, this is what car insurance is for and falls into the 'stuff just happens' category.
TAYLOR1010 said:
Dear Piston Heads
Recently travelling north on the M1 between J 28 & J29, a type caucus spun-out from the side of the road probably dislodged by an artic, into the front of the car. If anyone knows how many sensors, wiring parts & fibre-optic links are under the front spoiler you'l know what's coming. After repairs the bill was £710.10... My insurance company basically said even with a picture / camera action of the tyre spinning from the side of the road into the car, the Highways agency would not be interested in paying.
What worries me is the number of busted tyres you see on their central reservation or hard shoulder, it a crime to see so many tyres left abandoned.
I'm sure we have all seem this rubbish, but this incident and other like it could be very dangerous and cause a pile-up. If an inexperienced driver hit a tyre and braked hard from 70mph - what next?
HIOw hard would it be to get the highways agency to clear-up the roads, I would at least see something for the road tax shelled out.
Regards
Taylor
Quoted before the flounce. Recently travelling north on the M1 between J 28 & J29, a type caucus spun-out from the side of the road probably dislodged by an artic, into the front of the car. If anyone knows how many sensors, wiring parts & fibre-optic links are under the front spoiler you'l know what's coming. After repairs the bill was £710.10... My insurance company basically said even with a picture / camera action of the tyre spinning from the side of the road into the car, the Highways agency would not be interested in paying.
What worries me is the number of busted tyres you see on their central reservation or hard shoulder, it a crime to see so many tyres left abandoned.
I'm sure we have all seem this rubbish, but this incident and other like it could be very dangerous and cause a pile-up. If an inexperienced driver hit a tyre and braked hard from 70mph - what next?
HIOw hard would it be to get the highways agency to clear-up the roads, I would at least see something for the road tax shelled out.
Regards
Taylor
Next week on PH: 'It's outrageous the bloody Highways Agency are cleaning the side of the road AGAIN they've closed a lane and put a 40mph limit on it's taking me ages longer to get to/from work because of the traffic what harm is the odd bit of tyre at the side of the road doing if people looked where they were going it wouldn't be a problem why are my taxes paying for this.'
Howabout using the resource we already have that is traffic officers?
Instead of them taking it in turns for a sleep on the raised hard shoulders of m/ways or comparing lunch they could do abit of litter picking
Obs the central res will have to wait while they have the opportunity to deploy cones
Job jabbed! Saving the tax payer £ and making the TO's more valued members of motorway traffic rather than just yellow lights and cone deployers
Instead of them taking it in turns for a sleep on the raised hard shoulders of m/ways or comparing lunch they could do abit of litter picking
Obs the central res will have to wait while they have the opportunity to deploy cones
Job jabbed! Saving the tax payer £ and making the TO's more valued members of motorway traffic rather than just yellow lights and cone deployers
Patio said:
Howabout using the resource we already have that is traffic officers?
Instead of them taking it in turns for a sleep on the raised hard shoulders of m/ways or comparing lunch they could do abit of litter picking
Obs the central res will have to wait while they have the opportunity to deploy cones
Job jabbed! Saving the tax payer £ and making the TO's more valued members of motorway traffic rather than just yellow lights and cone deployers
Perfect work for a "womble". Instead of them taking it in turns for a sleep on the raised hard shoulders of m/ways or comparing lunch they could do abit of litter picking
Obs the central res will have to wait while they have the opportunity to deploy cones
Job jabbed! Saving the tax payer £ and making the TO's more valued members of motorway traffic rather than just yellow lights and cone deployers
Old Merc said:
John Strangways said:
Dear Taylor
Its not 'Road Tax' its VED. Roads are funded via council tax and other general taxation. Currently the services provided by the highways agency do not cover more regular clean ups like you suggest so this extra service would need to be paid for. Would you prefer more council tax or the VAT rate to go up, more Income Tax or what? You could just let you insurance pay (that's what its for).
Regards
John
Its not 'Road Tax' its VED. Roads are funded via council tax and other general taxation. Currently the services provided by the highways agency do not cover more regular clean ups like you suggest so this extra service would need to be paid for. Would you prefer more council tax or the VAT rate to go up, more Income Tax or what? You could just let you insurance pay (that's what its for).
Regards
John
Its not Road Tax or VED its vehicle tax.
Why don't people just pick up their own s
t, or not drop it in the first place?
Bit hard when it's a thai cactus in the middle of a six lane stretch of M25, I realise. But surely there could be a weekly womble night shift to pick up the things that the everyday folk wouldn't have left behind because they have a little more respect for their environment goddamnit.
t, or not drop it in the first place?Bit hard when it's a thai cactus in the middle of a six lane stretch of M25, I realise. But surely there could be a weekly womble night shift to pick up the things that the everyday folk wouldn't have left behind because they have a little more respect for their environment goddamnit.
donkmeister said:
Why don't people just pick up their own st, or not drop it in the first place?
Bit hard when it's a thai cactus in the middle of a six lane stretch of M25, I realise. But surely there could be a weekly womble night shift to pick up the things that the everyday folk wouldn't have left behind because they have a little more respect for their environment goddamnit.
They could wear thick gloves I guess...t, or not drop it in the first place?Bit hard when it's a thai cactus in the middle of a six lane stretch of M25, I realise. But surely there could be a weekly womble night shift to pick up the things that the everyday folk wouldn't have left behind because they have a little more respect for their environment goddamnit.
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