What to do if you come across a recent motorway crash??

[firemanbob]

I passed an accident that had clearly just happened on the M18 this morning. It looked like a car in the 3rd lane had hit the central reservation, bounced off and was now stationary in the 3rd lane (fast lane). The driver was still in the car.

No other cars seemed to be involved and all other cars were taking evasive action and driving on.

I realised that I hadn’t a clue what you should do in this situation. I passed by in the middle lane and called the police- but kept going. I figured stopping in the fast lane just beyond the crashed car to check on the driver was dangerous. Stopping on the hard shoulder to make your way over to the driver would be pointless as you cant start crossing motorways lanes potentially causing more accidents.

Are there any police who can advise what a driver should do in this situation?

 

When you say evasive action, do you mean the traffic in lane three was still traveling at speed and swerving into the center lane to avoid hitting the stationary vehicle, or had the traffic slowed down substantially to avoid hitting the car.

 

What speed was the tragic flowing at in.

 

Lane 1

Lane 2

Lane 3

 

Why did you consider it to be dangerous to stop in lane three after the crash?

 

Stopping on the hard shoulder would have only been useful if you didn't know your exact location and didn't have a mobile phone.

 

There wouldn't have been any moving traffic in lane three after the crash, so you could have pulled up in that lane to call for assistance assuming you had a mobile and new your location.

 

 

08/02/2013 10:07

 

A MAN has died following a crash on the M18 this morning (Friday).

 

Emergency services are still dealing with the multi-vehicle collision which happened on the southbound carriageway just after 7am.

 

It is believed that a man, thought to be in his 50s, got out of his vehicle after he was involved in a crash before being hit by another vehicle or vehicles travelling in an adjoining lane. He suffered fatal injuries.

 

A number of other vehicles have then collided as a result.

 

The M18 southbound remains closed between junction four and junction two. Other surrounding roads have reopened but are heavily congested.

 

Officers dealing with the collision urge motorists to find an alternative route. It is expected that the carriageway will be closed for several hours.

 

The man in the above accident was probably suffering from shock, and in his confused state he caused a larger accident. If there was an opportunity to help him before he walked into other traffic it might have been avoided.

[angos]

What to do if you come across a recent motorway crash??

 

What to do if you witness an accident ahead of you on a motorway will be determined by the amount of traffic on the motorway.

 

 

 

Apply hazard warning lights and slow down.

Don't swerve into another lane unless you know that lane is clear and you have no other choice.

Don't brake harder than necessary because this could cause another accident.

If you are in the lane of the accident and the motorway is busy, continue slowing to a stop, this will cause the lane behind you to slow to a stop.

If you have a mobile phone call emergency services, they will advise you of your next cause of action.

You can help casualties if the area is safe so this largely depends on what other driver are doing.

In your situation you could have applied hazard lights, slowed down gradually and moved into lane three were you would come to a stop, at which point you would call emergency services for advise.