mafya Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Dangerous driving is a combination of too fast and too close; even at 10mph a lorry could be too close behind you to be safe. It appears, in this specific incident, that the coach was broken down in the inside lane, in one of the sections with no hard shoulder, and the lorry was unable to stop in time to avoid ramming it. Thick fog was prevalent in the area, but it's hard to see how any driver can ever use "it was too foggy" as an excuse for hitting something. You're required to take the weather conditions into account. There may be other relevant details; that's all that we have so far, and it comes from coach passengers' statements. My Bold= The coach didn't have it's fog lights on= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17498865 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeadingNorth Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 My Bold= The coach didn't have it's fog lights on= http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-17498865 I did see that, but I still don't see how it excuses anyone from driving into it. A fallen piece of bridge stonework wouldn't have fog lights on it, but nobody would blame the rubble for being hit from behind; the same goes for any stationary object. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinfoilhat Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Whilst we idly speculate about what has sadly happened, IMHO the standard of car driving in motorways at a weekend is alot worse than during the week. Don't be surprised if a car did something daft for the coach to be too close the lorry. Desperate dan, if you have lorries "whizzing" past you on a motorway you are either very unlucky and have lorries driving illegally past you (in which case take the name of haulier and complain) or you drive too slow. Most lorries are limited. They can't whizz past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resident Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 I did see that, but I still don't see how it excuses anyone from driving into it. A fallen piece of bridge stonework wouldn't have fog lights on it, but nobody would blame the rubble for being hit from behind; the same goes for any stationary object. Fallen masonary isn't fitted with foglights, the coach was. You can't compare the two at all. In the interests of fairness, why didn't the coach have it's foglight(s) on and why didn't the driver, in full knowledge that he was unable to move whilst in a live lane, remove the passengers to the embankment where they would have potentially been safe? From the audio statement on that link, the impact happened 10 mins after the witness called the emergency services and the bus was already stationary at that point so it's not like the coach was hit immediately after it stopped. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resident Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Does that mean the lorries going too fast.? We've had lorries passing us on the A1. At scary speeds.. I don't feel safe on any motorway now.. I missed this post earlier. If trucks are "passing you at scary speeds" then you're driving too slow and there for a danger to other road users yourself. I believe all trucks and even some large vans are limited to 56mph, hardly a scary speed if you're doing similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeadingNorth Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Fallen masonary isn't fitted with foglights, the coach was. You can't compare the two at all. Yes I can; in fact, I just did. A stationary object, whatever it might be, cannot cause an accident; it is the responsibility of moving drivers to be able to stop within the distance they can see, so that they will not collide with stationary objects. A coach broken down and not showing lights falls into the category of "stationary object," just as does a piece of fallen masonry. Neither can be at fault for an accident. That said, police have arrested the coach driver, and as I pointed out originally we don't yet have all the details. My point is a general one and may not be relevant to this incident. (The lorry driver is in a critical condition in hospital; whether they intended to arrest him or not they couldn't do so until he recovers.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Overall Posted March 24, 2012 Author Share Posted March 24, 2012 My Bold= Car drivers are guilty of this more than lorry drivers, I have an hgv licence and let me say that as lorry drivers we know if we make a mistake the consequences can be serious. When you are heavily laden ie 40 odd tons of weight and some pillok in a car causes you to swerve or enters your blind spot than i'm sorry but the lorry drivers only have so much control. I don't know the details of the crash you are on about but it seems you are putting all the blame on lorry drivers not following procedure which is a bit unfair. Most of the times lorries are involved on motorway incidents, and I'm not blaming all lorry drivers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeadingNorth Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 Most of the times lorries are involved on motorway incidents That isn't true. It is true that most fatal motorway accidents involve lorries, but that tells us nothing about the standard of lorry drivers. It just highlights the fact that 38 tonnes is more likely to kill you than one tonne is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Overall Posted March 24, 2012 Author Share Posted March 24, 2012 Whilst we idly speculate about what has sadly happened, IMHO the standard of car driving in motorways at a weekend is alot worse than during the week. Don't be surprised if a car did something daft for the coach to be too close the lorry. Desperate dan, if you have lorries "whizzing" past you on a motorway you are either very unlucky and have lorries driving illegally past you (in which case take the name of haulier and complain) or you drive too slow. Most lorries are limited. They can't whizz past. I'm not the driver in our family, my hubby is, and he drives for a living, and even he's saying motorways are getting dangerous. He's a sensible man, he must be he's married to me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANGELFIRE1 Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 I get fed up of hearing about accidents on motorways and some A roads involving lorries, what is it with these people. Are they trained enough do you think? I know not everyone is to blame for these horrific accidents, but they do seem to be involved more lately.. "UPDATE: Police this afternoon arrested a 49-year-old coach driver on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. He has been released on bail pending further enquiries" Seems our trucker is innocent after all. Angel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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