Closing the motorway

[Dixy]

The M5 is closed both ways near Taunton following a fatal accident.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-4300...
As far as I know this has no effect on me and I have no axe to grind. The road is likely to be closed all day. I know the area well and their are no good alternative routs.
I fully accept that the police have to investigate and that the loved ones of those involved will want to know what happened.
But.
I find it hard to believe this is proportionate or a good use of scarce resources. It is rare for there to be much of a prosecution and to see photos of lots of SOCO in white suits walking up an empty motorway seems unjustifiable.
I look forward to PH explaining why I am wrong.

[Durzel]

Amen brother.

The Police love nothing more than closing an arterial road, and relish all the disruption that causes. Gives them something to do.

I know someone might've died but I've got a meeting to get to. Can't they just cone off the body parts?

[revvingit]

Because somebody has died and more may die and the police force has a duty to investigate the death of anyone who dies in suspicious circumstances. As people are at pains to tell us there is no such thing as a road traffic accident only a road traffic collision is entirely justifiable for the police to try and ascertain who is at fault for it and do them for dangerous driving to prevent them potentially causing another crash like in future.

[Phil Dicky]

revvingit said:

Because somebody has died and more may die and the police force has a duty to investigate the death of anyone who dies in suspicious circumstances. As people are at pains to tell us there is no such thing as a road traffic accident only a road traffic collision is entirely justifiable for the police to try and ascertain who is at fault for it and do them for dangerous driving to prevent them potentially causing another crash like in future.

Not just dangerous driving but death by dangerous driving......which very often results in the guilty party being in prison.

[Phil Dicky]

Durzel said:

Amen brother.

The Police love nothing more than closing an arterial road, and relish all the disruption that causes. Gives them something to do.

I know someone might've died but I've got a meeting to get to. Can't they just cone off the body parts?

[anonymous-user]

Durzel said:

Amen brother.

The Police love nothing more than closing an arterial road, and relish all the disruption that causes. Gives them something to do.

I know someone might've died but I've got a meeting to get to. Can't they just cone off the body parts?

A few cones and a jetwash, sorted.

[captain_cynic]

Durzel said:

Amen brother.

The Police love nothing more than closing an arterial road, and relish all the disruption that causes. Gives them something to do.

I know someone might've died but I've got a meeting to get to. Can't they just cone off the body parts?

Or just throw them into the nature strip for the foxes to get rid of (or in true PH style, freeze them and hammer them into the gardens of known criminals).

[RemyMartin81D]

Dixy said:

The M5 is closed both ways near Taunton following a fatal accident.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-somerset-4300...
As far as I know this has no effect on me and I have no axe to grind.

Although takes the time to post a thread on it, lol.

[Ninja59]

Like the other 2 above. The coning off the body parts was the bit that got me.

I do appreciate however that someone has lost a loved one probably unexpectedly today and like the others have said the police have a duty to investigate how and why it happened. If someone is found to be the cause then clearly yes very much on the agenda is something serious to be investigated.

Four cars, 1 dead, 10 hurt.

[LosingGrip]

If it was one of your loved ones who had died I'm sure you would want the police to do everything they could to make sure whoever was responsible was dealt with. As soon as the road is reopened and vehicle start going over the scene they can't then go back in a months time because they forgot something.

Yes its a pain, but needs to be done.

[jeremyh1]

LosingGrip said:

If it was one of your loved ones who had died I'm sure you would want the police to do everything they could to make sure whoever was responsible was dealt with. As soon as the road is reopened and vehicle start going over the scene they can't then go back in a months time because they forgot something.

Yes its a pain, but needs to be done.

I agree it is more important that they do what they have to do The attitude just get the road open is just saying I dont care about those people

I cant believe that members of this site could joke about road accidents when the very hazzard of a PHer means him or her is at risk of the same fate

Edited by jeremyh1 on Friday 9th February 14:13

Edited by jeremyh1 on Friday 9th February 14:13

[S11Steve]

Many many moons ago on PH, I too posted about a road being closed after an accident - but with a twist.

I do understand why a road needs to be closed, and appreciate the efforts that the police make to ensure all evidence and information is captured properly - I have no problem with that whatsoever.

But when a road is closed, twice, for some chav-ass family to pay their respects in cheap flowers, football shirts and teddy bears towards some hoodrat scrote who died in a stolen car, then I have a bit of an issue with it.

It caused a debate back then - https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[anonymous-user]

The cause of this accident appears to be someone being ejected from a moving car on the motorway. Surely a hell of a lot of investigation is needed?

[rallycross]

It's a load of health and safety nonsense just open the road asap in these situations and write up the report as best as can reasonably done while the road is made open as quickly as possible. Other countries don't piss about like we do with stuff like this.

[jeremyh1]

rallycross said:

It's a load of health and safety nonsense just open the road asap in these situations and write up the report as best as can reasonably done while the road is made open as quickly as possible. Other countries don't piss about like we do with stuff like this.

But other countries follow and learn from us We dont have to do what they do We lead the way Greece are actually looking at the UK model in accident investigation

[v8ksn]

Dixy said:

The M5 is closed both ways near Taunton following a fatal accident.
....
I fully accept that the police have to investigate and that the loved ones of those involved will want to know what happened but.....I find it hard to believe this is proportionate or a good use of scarce resources.

You unsympathetic, unkind, uncaring imbecile.

Imagine the cops knocking on your door and saying 'Your kids dead, no idea how but we managed to open the motorway back up in half an hour"

You horrible, thoughtless fkwit!

[jeremyh1]

v8ksn said:

You unsympathetic, unkind, uncaring imbecile.

Imagine the cops knocking on your door and saying 'Your kids dead, no idea how but we managed to open the motorway back up in half an hour"

You horrible, thoughtless fkwit!

I agree so there are decent people on this forum .!

Just because we like flooring it does not mean we have to be totally ignorant

[saaby93]

thread here
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
Both sides closed

[Dixy]

v8ksn said:

You horrible, thoughtless fkwit!

Thinking about it is exactly what I am doing.
I have no issue with the road being closed nor do I think the police should not investigate, my question is at what point have they dotted every I and crossed every T but are just double, triple and quadruple checking.
My other question is as the technology exists to capture all the information at the scene down to a M8 nut digitally in a few minutes, that can then be gone over and over and presented in court, why is this not routine.

[Durzel]

rallycross said:

It's a load of health and safety nonsense just open the road asap in these situations and write up the report as best as can reasonably done while the road is made open as quickly as possible. Other countries don't piss about like we do with stuff like this.

Diversions and having your journey extended by a few hours (worst case) pales into insignificance compared to the fact that someone, maybe more than one person, is no longer living.

It is of paramount importance that Police & forensics are able to establish what happened in an orderly, structured and uncompromised manner, without any risk of contamination. If this means completely closing the road (a decision that I'm sure isn't taken lightly) then so be it.

I also don't think it's particularly helpful or healthy from a psychological point of view for passing traffic to be able to witness the immediate aftermath of an accident involving serious injury or death, or witnessing life-saving activities or even extraction of bodies & body parts by medical personnel, not least of which because of the considerable risk of subsequent accidents from rubbernecking.

Better to close the road off, divert the traffic as best as can be done, and let those people - who are still living and able to go home to their families - suffer a minor inconvenience.