Motorway pileups in bad weather

[Dave B]

Fog across parts of England this morning, so predictably there was a pile-up on the M1 in Hertfordshire. Ten vehicles were involved and one person has died.

BBC lunchtime news has just run a report sounding all sympathetic about "how little time people had to react" but, without wanting to sound harsh, the simple fact is they would have had plenty of time if they'd been driving at a speed appropriate for the conditions.

When I drove back from Susy's a couple of weeks back it was raining like mad, but vehicles kept pulling into the gap I'd left to the car in front or driving right up my backside.

If we're going to have all these speed cameras, surely it wouldn't be beyond the wit of man to program them to time the gap between vehicles and prosecute / fine those who tailgate?

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Only a fool forgets the 2 second rule ;)

Some people have no common sense, others are just ignorant.

I also find it very annoying when people pull into the gap I have in front of cars when on a wet road, not just because it takes longer to slow in the wet but because I don't want to have a windscreen full of spray. :mad:

[Iain]

I hate driving on motorways in the rain. The spray makes it so much worse than it actually is. I had to drive back from the WTCC the other week at 4am in the morning and the dark combined with the spray and heavy rain was awful. At times like that I end up coming off to the services and waiting for 10 mins to see if it'll ease off. :s

They're as bad as the people who speed in roadworks zones on motorways. I like it when the lanes are coned off, so that there's no overtaking. If I'm doing 40, then you'll be doing 40. ;) Then at the end I floor it and they get a cloud of soot in their face. :p :

[Daniel]

I hate driving on motorways in the rain. The spray makes it so much worse than it actually is. I had to drive back from the WTCC the other week at 4am in the morning and the dark combined with the spray and heavy rain was awful. At times like that I end up coming off to the services and waiting for 10 mins to see if it'll ease off. :s

They're as bad as the people who speed in roadworks zones on motorways. I like it when the lanes are coned off, so that there's no overtaking. If I'm doing 40, then you'll be doing 40. ;) Then at the end I floor it and they get a cloud of soot in their face. :p :
That's my man! Unburnt diesel is a great weapon :) I find it works best if you wet their car with your wipers first (if it's not already wet with spray or rain). Water and diesel are a good combination!

It annoys me too. I usually leave enough space in front of me for someone to come in and still be a safeish distance in front. But still some people insist on pull in right in front of me :rolleyes:

Some motorways are worse than anothers. The A55 is usually ok because there's usually a crosswind as the bit I drive through is not too sheltered.

As for what Dave said it's people who don't alter the speed limit and safe following distances to suit the conditions who cause this sort of needless problem.

I was wondering if I should retrofit some foglights to the front of my 406 but it's probably difficult and I'm more worried about people crashing into me from behind and I already have a rear foglight.

[LotusElise]

I think that people caught on camera driving too close to others (and I mean proper tailgating, with adjustments for conditions like everyone has said) should be prosecuted. I swear it's more dangerous than straying a few mphs over the limit.

[Curryhead]

I work in Leicester, and travel the M1 daily, been doing so for just over a year, when I first started, I could'nt believe the way some people drive, and I have been driving over 25 yrs. Many a time I have been tooteling along and everything seems to slow a little, people are cautious before overtaking and giving plenty of time signaling( yes, they do actually use their indicators!) and maneuvering, then a few miles further on I see the reason.....yup, a Police car traveling around 60mph :\ why I usually ask myself, don't folk drive like that all the time? And of course, a few miles further on, when the police are a few miles back, all hell breaks loose again.
I would say, I witness this around once a week :\ oh, and when I'm on lates, I finish at midnight, its almost bliss, just a few lorries, except the very outer lane is usually out of bounds as it gets used for racing driver training :dozey:

[martinbalmer]

If we're going to have all these speed cameras, surely it wouldn't be beyond the wit of man to program them to time the gap between vehicles and prosecute / fine those who tailgate?

It's funny you should say that as for a while I've been wondering whether some kind of camera or set of cameras could be used to catch tailgaters.

A system would need to take account of situations whereby it isn't necessarily the fault of the car behind, such as when someone changes lanes and moves into the gap between two cars.

[GridGirl]

Well its not all about driving too closely, paying attention and reacting to what you see helps too. A relative of mine (not a blood relative thank God) who is a comple moron ended up being the last car in a 10 car pile up on the M5 in July. He saw that there had been a crash, infact he even managed to register that people who had already crashed were begining to get out of their cars, but did enter his head that if he didn't brake at that point he was going to crash into them himself......No. Because he hadn't actually been paying attention his car was a complete write off as he'd hardly managed to slow down, yet other cars infront had less damage as they actually tried to avoid the accident.

[Drew]

At one point when in heavy rain (I mean heavy rain and the road was already soaked) I was driving at 55mph, I was surprised just how many people literally flew past. I couldn't see that far infront and people even had their fog lights on.

[Paul Hudson]

It really bugs me that the tossers who will happily do 100mph in the pissing rain and fog with zero visibility are the same ones who when we have the first sprinkling of snow are the ones who are now driving at 20 mph because its slippy !!!!!!!!!!! .

[Dave B]

At one point when in heavy rain (I mean heavy rain and the road was already soaked) I was driving at 55mph, I was surprised just how many people literally flew past. I couldn't see that far infront and people even had their fog lights on.
Sorry to be pedantic but you've just reminded me of a pet hate: improper use of the word "literally" as in Murray Walker's famous "Panis is almost literally laughing his head off" :p

If I were on a motorway and saw people literally flying past, I'd crap myself ;)

[Daniel]

Sorry to be pedantic but you've just reminded me of a pet hate: improper use of the word "literally" as in Murray Walker's famous "Panis is almost literally laughing his head off" :p

If I were on a motorway and saw people literally flying past, I'd crap myself ;)
Since when did BDunnell post under the name of Dave Brockman? :p

[Daniel]

Sorry to be pedantic but you've just reminded me of a pet hate: improper use of the word "literally" as in Murray Walker's famous "Panis is almost literally laughing his head off" :p

If I were on a motorway and saw people literally flying past, I'd crap myself ;)
I forgot to mention that I also think it's ironic :p