AoWW Posted 5 November 2011 Posted 5 November 2011 What a tragic, tragic accident. My heart goes out to all those that were involved in it, their families and friends. Also to the members of the emergency services who had to deal with it, I'm sure you never get hardened to witnessing scenes like that. Although I'm the other side of the country, it was certainly foggy last night (here, at least) - perhaps that was a contributing factor? It seems there was heavy rain in the area too.
DANGEROUS TIGER Posted 5 November 2011 Posted 5 November 2011 Really dreadful. What a tragedy. My heart goes out, to those affected.
Bob Weasel Fox Posted 5 November 2011 Posted 5 November 2011 A video with a BBC reporter here. Looks horrific. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/8871553/M5-crash-several-dead-in-worst-ever-smash-in-Somerset.html looks horrible, i genuinely didnt even realise, so sorry for the families of people involved
smallpauldj Posted 5 November 2011 Posted 5 November 2011 Before being made redundant I was a courier and the one thing that stuck out was the crash is just after a junction. Every day without fail on motorways I saw car drivers with no clue how to join a motorway and the ones that cant wait to get to the 3rd lane quick enough. The company I now work for lost 2 trucks last nite in that and one driver lost his life. I really feel for the family's affected by last nights events.
DB11 Posted 5 November 2011 Posted 5 November 2011 Before being made redundant I was a courier and the one thing that stuck out was the crash is just after a junction. Every day without fail on motorways I saw car drivers with no clue how to join a motorway and the ones that cant wait to get to the 3rd lane quick enough. The company I now work for lost 2 trucks last nite in that and one driver lost his life. I really feel for the family's affected by last nights events. Aren't lorry drivers quite safe, being so high up??
Jimothy Posted 5 November 2011 Posted 5 November 2011 Just seen an anti speed campaign on the news blaming this crash on speed and using this to oppose the increase in the speed limit. Whatever people think about speed, I find this so disrespectful. Nobody knows what happened last night and what caused it, and to use the death of 7 people to back your campaign when you don't know how it happened is disgusting.
sdb Posted 5 November 2011 Posted 5 November 2011 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15608179 my mate - legend!
AoWW Posted 5 November 2011 Posted 5 November 2011 Aren't lorry drivers quite safe, being so high up?? Have you actually seen any of the footage or the pictures of the crash? Do you seriously think being a few feet higher than the average car-driver would save those lorry drivers when they're engulfed in flames?
Rincewind Posted 5 November 2011 Posted 5 November 2011 The condititions were not suitable to drive at the speed limit so if anyone was, it was bad driving not speed and whatever the limit was there would still be some who dont compensate for the conditions. It was possible that it was caused by a slight error of judgement skidding and others behind not breaking in toime because of the fog and rain.. The argument the campaigher gave is the same as always but over the years limits have gone up and accidents have gone down. She should be campaigning for better education on motorway driving. Abad drive is the same wheter going 20/30/40/50 or 70.
MPH Posted 5 November 2011 Posted 5 November 2011 The condititions were not suitable to drive at the speed limit so if anyone was, it was bad driving not speed and whatever the limit was there would still be some who dont compensate for the conditions. It was possible that it was caused by a slight error of judgement skidding and others behind not breaking in toime because of the fog and rain.. The argument the campaigher gave is the same as always but over the years limits have gone up and accidents have gone down. She should be campaigning for better education on motorway driving. Abad drive is the same wheter going 20/30/40/50 or 70. errm... yes and no. undoubtably the faster you are going the more risk of serious injury and death should an accident occur.. Below is footage of a 259 car pile up on the german autobahn .. the only contributory factors were rain and speed.. so people could still see where they were going ( unlike yesterdays tragic accident) but couldnt stop the pile up.... http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8159096.stm
Rincewind Posted 5 November 2011 Posted 5 November 2011 Yes I understand the risks are greater at a higher speed but speed is not a factor where a bad driver is concerned. It's just the level of damage thats different.
StanSP Posted 6 November 2011 Posted 6 November 2011 So many people can't drive at all. I'm sure any of you who drive on motorways to get to work see it every morning, some people just can't drive. Are you blaming the crash totally on bad driving then? Mate, there's a huge difference between bad drivers and drivers being hampered by extremely bad weather. If you take a look at the interviews after, nearly all of them mention a 'huge thick fog descending out of nowhere' or something along those lines. You can't blame this accident purely just because 'some people can't drive'.
DB11 Posted 6 November 2011 Posted 6 November 2011 Have you actually seen any of the footage or the pictures of the crash? Do you seriously think being a few feet higher than the average car-driver would save those lorry drivers when they're engulfed in flames? I'm not referring to the M5 crash at all, I was just generally wondering / assuming that lorry drivers would be less at risk in an accident than those driving a car because they are higher up and so the impact will be on their cab / load as opposed to themselves
accessory Posted 6 November 2011 Posted 6 November 2011 I've seen a lot of online chat in which it's alleged Chesterfield fans made sick taunts about the tragedy. Their side were playing Yeovil yesterday. If this is true, the club need to take action against these oxygen thieves who have shamed their fellow supporters, their club and their town.
Jon the Hat Posted 6 November 2011 Posted 6 November 2011 Tragic scenes. RIP. Speed may well be a factor, but speed limit not. The point being if conditions dictate driving slower than the limit, the limit is irrelevant, in the same way as crashing at a corner at 60 on a country road might not have been speeding re the limit but was too fast for the corner itself. To start claiming increasing the limit to 80 would have had an affect here is incorrect if the conditions should have seen everyone driving at 40.
Phube Posted 6 November 2011 Posted 6 November 2011 Tragic scenes. RIP. Speed may well be a factor, but speed limit not. The point being if conditions dictate driving slower than the limit, the limit is irrelevant, in the same way as crashing at a corner at 60 on a country road might not have been speeding re the limit but was too fast for the corner itself. To start claiming increasing the limit to 80 would have had an affect here is incorrect if the conditions should have seen everyone driving at 40. I completely agree... Still shocking picture in the papers today...
Rincewind Posted 6 November 2011 Posted 6 November 2011 Thats the point I was trying to put across re drivers who do not adjust their driving to the conditions. Correct me if I'm wrong but the speed for those conditions should be 40-50 max.
smallpauldj Posted 6 November 2011 Posted 6 November 2011 Aren't lorry drivers quite safe, being so high up?? Obv not all 3 from where I work have passed away. 2 were agency and burnt alive which I couldn't even imagine. The other got out but had a chest injury was found in a field but died in hospital. Truck drivers you would think would be safe but how many do you know or see who wear there seat belt?
Guest DavidJCW Posted 6 November 2011 Posted 6 November 2011 Big crash on the M6 in Lancashire too...
MPH Posted 6 November 2011 Posted 6 November 2011 Tragic scenes. RIP. Speed may well be a factor, but speed limit not. The point being if conditions dictate driving slower than the limit, the limit is irrelevant, in the same way as crashing at a corner at 60 on a country road might not have been speeding re the limit but was too fast for the corner itself. To start claiming increasing the limit to 80 would have had an affect here is incorrect if the conditions should have seen everyone driving at 40. but if people enter that sort of situation going 80 instead of 70 then there would most likely be more deaths and worse injuries. Yes the conditions dictated a slower speed was needed , but those ignoring the conditions going 80 will create more of an issue than those going 70. Also you have to consider the stopping distances needed.. if you are going 60mph instead of 30mph its nearly four times the stopping distance needed not twice. dont ask me how that all works.. ( will post link below). so people may only see the 10mph increase and think its not much but its actually an increase of 85ft stopping distance. which is a huge increase for a nation to get used to when they have been so used to travelling at 70 for so long... Its also a much larger stopping distance needed if the conditions are wet.. from 70mph to 80mph it increases to a huge 165 feet longer you will travel after applying the breaks to slow down. Thats a huge huge difference.... Stopping distances
dave the caveman Posted 6 November 2011 Posted 6 November 2011 If you really think the whole nation has been driving at 70mph on motorways then you must not have been on very many motorways.
Rincewind Posted 6 November 2011 Posted 6 November 2011 I'm not a driver but I would say sometimes it is not possible to drive at the correct distance. Mainly because of the number of cars on the road. Many drivers if they see a 100ft plus gap ahead they are going to go in it whether its raining or not.
DB11 Posted 6 November 2011 Posted 6 November 2011 Obv not all 3 from where I work have passed away. 2 were agency and burnt alive which I couldn't even imagine. The other got out but had a chest injury was found in a field but died in hospital. Truck drivers you would think would be safe but how many do you know or see who wear there seat belt? I meant from impact; nothing to do with being burnt alive, which I also could not even comprehend. I can't say that I've ever come across someone driving who is not wearing a seatbelt. That is also something I could not even imagine
Reynard Bleu Posted 7 November 2011 Posted 7 November 2011 It sounds like the Police are thinking that smoke from a nearby Fireworks display may have caused a thick bank of dense fog-like stuff that drivers just drove in to not knowing there was at least one jackknifed lorry across the carriage way. The unusual thing was the huge fireball, fires are not uncommon in m-way crashes but to explode with such violence suggests something mighty combustable was being carried by one of them
Fox92 Posted 9 November 2011 Posted 9 November 2011 Anybody read any of the eye-witness reports? One man said "a driver over took me at like 80mph, and then smashed into the back of a lorry" Sickening.
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