Italian Motorway Crash

[kevinday]

Unfortunately there was a bad crash on one of Italy's motorway, resulting in 14 deaths.

http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/03/13/italy.pileup/index.html

At least the reporting is fair and does not blame speed for this, although to me it seems that 'inappropriate speed' and lack of attention were the main causes. I just hope our 'glorious' government does not link this with the recent raise in Italian motorway speed limits and use it as an argument against any increase in the future.

[AlexHancock]

The speed limit in Italy is not due to increase until next year and will not apply in foggy conditions when the speed limit is very low (50 kmh if I remember correctly).

Italians often drive very fast but do not maintain any safety gap - I often had someone follow me at speeds exceeding 120 mph but only leaving a 2 or 3 metre gap! They don't understand why we (foreign) drivers find this annoying. Unfortunately they don't slow down much in foggy conditions and still don't leave a decent gap - these pile-ups are a regular occurance in Italy.

[JMGS4]

AlexHancock said: The speed limit in Italy is not due to increase until next year and will not apply in foggy conditions when the speed limit is very low (50 kmh if I remember correctly).

Italians often drive very fast but do not maintain any safety gap - I often had someone follow me at speeds exceeding 120 mph but only leaving a 2 or 3 metre gap! They don't understand why we (foreign) drivers find this annoying. Unfortunately they don't slow down much in foggy conditions and still don't leave a decent gap - these pile-ups are a regular occurance in Italy.

And in Germany for exactly the same reason, innapropriate speed and no distance to the car in front.
I've been down the Mway (Nov 83) and literally seen 200km of smashed vehicles, body bags etc the east german police were lighting tyres to try and get the eejits to slow. I drove to berlin following a bus at 3m distance at about 10kph as I couldn't even read the MWay signs!!!!! and the eejits were still screaming past!!!! 'kin frightening!

[v8thunder]

I came accross one of these situations in Italy last summer - pileup going back about 2 miles - mainly trucks. There must have been some fatalities but it was being cleared up by the Police when I went past. One of the casualties, however, was the burned-out wreck of a 1961 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spyder - rather unfortunate. I can't understand why we don't adopt a similar system to the French - with different speed limits for different conditions. Our weather is changeable enough to merit it, or has the Government dumbed us down to the point where such a system would be too complicated to implement.

[cazzo]

I can't understand why we don't adopt a similar system to the French - with different speed limits for different conditions. Our weather is changeable enough to merit it, or has the Government dumbed us down to the point where such a system would be too complicated to implement.

Unfortunately our system would be likely to be 50mph in the clear and 30mph in the Fog - "Speed kills" don't you know!

Seriously though I lived in Italy for many years and can agree that a big problem over there is not leaving a big enough gap at speed, particularly in adverse weather conditions.

I recall many, years ago, passing the result of a big RTA on an Icy Autostrada to witness a Carabinieri (Cop) car tearing along to the scene, on the other carriageway only to lose control on black ice and hit the wall of a tunnel a few hundred yards from the original RTA, and although it is fair to say that Black-Ice is rare in that particular area it is not unheard of