M5 crash

But we don't know if that speed was 40mph, or 100mph.

Sadly, the safety groups will point to speeding drivers as the cause, rather than inappropriate speed.

I drive it every day (further to the east) and its not too bad. The problem is that some drivers won't move from the outside lane and following drivers close up on their tail to try and get them to move over. There are times when I've resorted to overtaking on the inside because the driver in front has had no intention of moving over even when the road ahead is clear for half a mile. I'm sure its the same in other parts of the country.

Or the lack of distance between vehicles. The normal distance between lorries at their 56mph limited speed is about ten feet. By the time the brake lights are seen to have come on, the lorry behind has already hit the one in front in these circumstances, assuming the driver of the one behind can even *see* the brake lights. The picture on the front of the papers this morning shows cars all pointing in the direction of travel, more or less, and lorries at very srange angles indeed.

Articulated lorries will jack knife when forced to stop at high speed or if they collide with anything if they are not in a perfect straight line

Of course..

As much as that?. I've seen them on the A14 where you could easily couple them together and call it a road train;!...

It said they jack knifed which they aren't supposed to do now, but under the circumstances seemingly did..

They still do if they hit something.

In message , MattF writes

Plus a possible "Wow! Look at those fireworks"!

In message , tony sayer writes

If the limit is increased to 80, that's probably the end of my motorway driving, there are loads of 100mph cars on the road, but many drivers who can't cope safely with even 70mph.

One guy who escaped the carnage said that he saw a bank of fog or smoke and immediately slowed right down and took to the near side lane, only for idiots to charge past him at 60+.

Then he heard the crashes up ahead...

Plenty of vehicles use Viton rubber hoses though - same hazard.

I dunno, but that wagon load of Ginsters Pies was well done.

Apparently one of the lorries was carrying boxes of aerosol containers. Nearly all the propellant gasses used in common aerosols are very flammable (propane, n-butane, isobutane). Once a fire had reached that load a small fire would rapidly have become a very impressive one.

If ever there was a case for average speed cameras anywhere on the planet then IMHO the A14 deserves an installation along the entire length.

I'd also ration truck movements by allocating them slots (make them wait at the ends in lorry parks if the road is already 'full') and if any are seen to be tailgating then they get pulled over and made to wait in a 'sin bin' until a new slot is available. If that is hours later then tough :)

Equally, things like hairspray and deodorant are mostly spirit-based.

Chris

The trouble is that he was quite lucky not to be hit from behind.

You might want to reconsider that remark as the lorry driver has been confirmed as one of the fatalities. Dave

snot"

So that one can be marked down as being caused by the environmentalists that banned CFC's.