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Warning ! : Expect ANYTHING on the motorway..

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Be warned, expect the totally unexpected on motorways, and all roads in fact.....

 

Today I saw the most dangerous thing I`d ever seen on the motorway. In fact I`ve never seen it before. As we were going northbound on the M1, just past Woolley services, in damp conditions, there`d been an accident, a van was upside down on the hard shoulder with half a dozen cars also parked in front and behind it on the hard shoulder. Nothing out of the ordinary, apart from the fact there was a second van stationary* on the inside lane ! It had its hazards on but also with its reversing lights on ! ! So, just when many (most ? ) motorists attention would be diverted by the accident, a van was stood still, in a live running lane, right next to it **...... I don`t know how long that van was there but a serious accident was a certainty.

 

Other than a vehicle which had been in an accident, and (usually) obviously so, I`ve never ever seen a vehicle stopped on a live running lane on a motorway. Has anyone else ? And this particular stretch of motorway has got a hard shoulder, many motorways are having their hard shoulders removed !

 

* He wasn`t even right over on the left side of the inside lane, he was bang in the middle !

 

** This is what the police say, most accidents are caused by more than one thing going wrong at the same time. This was a classic case of that.

Edited by Justin Smith

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Be warned, expect the totally unexpected on motorways, and all roads in fact.....

 

Today I saw the most dangerous thing I`d ever seen on the motorway. In fact I`ve never seen it before. As we were going northbound on the M1, just past Woolley services, in damp conditions, there`d been an accident, a van was upside down on the hard shoulder with half a dozen cars also parked in front and behind it on the hard shoulder. Nothing out of the ordinary, apart from the fact there was a second van stationary on the inside lane ! It had its hazards on but also with its reversing lights on ! ! So, just when many (most ? ) motorists attention would be diverted by the accident, a van was stood still, in a live running lane, right next to it *...... I don`t know how long that van was there but a serious accident was a certainty.

 

Other than a vehicle which had been in an accident, and (usually) obviously so, I`ve never ever seen a vehicle stopped on a live running lane on a motorway. Has anyone else ? And this particular stretch of motorway has got a hard shoulder, many motorways are having their hard shoulders removed !

 

* This is what the police say, most accidents are caused by more than one thing going wrong at the same time. This was a classic case of that.

 

I'd bet rubbernecking is a major one. Eyes front Justin.

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When I passed my driving test my lovely Dad told me to always expect other drivers to do the most ridiculous things imaginable and I would never be disappointed. Expect the unexpected.

I have now been driving for over 32 years and I will say it was very good advice.

Edited by Daven

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I don`t know how long that van was there but a serious accident was a certainty.

 

Did that van actually cause a serious accident then?

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Did that van actually cause a serious accident then?

 

I don't know, I didn`t stop to find out......

 

---------- Post added 16-01-2017 at 10:14 ----------

 

I'd bet rubbernecking is a major one. Eyes front Justin.

 

Rubbernecking is recognised as a major cause of accidents. Human beings are inherently curious, but they`re incapable of looking in two directions at the same time, thus it`s a big problem. Rubbernecking is most likely to cause accidents when it`s combined with something else, e.g. the car in front suddenly braking. I`d have thought that would be the most common cause of accidents involving rubberneckers. But the vehicle in front actually being stopped, that`d be rather rarer.

Have you ever seen a vehicle (not involved in an accident) actually stopped on a live running lane of a motorway ?

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Other than a vehicle which had been in an accident, and (usually) obviously so, I`ve never ever seen a vehicle stopped on a live running lane on a motorway. Has anyone else ?

 

Only on those Facebook pages which show daft driving or dashcam footage, where its been some sort of cutting up / road rage incident.

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Have you ever seen a vehicle (not involved in an accident) actually stopped on a live running lane of a motorway ?

 

Yesterday. Someone had lost all power and had stopped in lane 1 - because of course it's that oh so safe all lane running the car had nowhere to go...

 

I didn't see the need to post it on a forum though. I have eyes - you look for hazards drive round them as needed and carry on.

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Be warned, expect the totally unexpected on motorways, and all roads in fact.....

 

 

* This is what the police say, most accidents are caused by more than one thing going wrong at the same time. This was a classic case of that.

 

An accident by definition is a catalog of errors.

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I saw that accident too, although the police were on location and I didn't notice a van in lane 1.

 

Perhaps the accident had only just happened when Justin saw it??

Maybe the other van was involved or something?

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I saw that accident too, although the police were on location and I didn't notice a van in lane 1.

 

Perhaps the accident had only just happened when Justin saw it??

Maybe the other van was involved or something?

 

One wonders what that van in the inside lane with its reversing lights on was doing........ It seemed to be trying to get back to the other van, I`m not sure because I was concentrating on driving. If so, the obvious question, is what is so important that one van has to get next to another as soon as possible by doing something so extraordinarily dangerous as reversing up the motorway ? ! ? Interesting......

 

---------- Post added 16-01-2017 at 11:15 ----------

 

Yesterday. Someone had lost all power and had stopped in lane 1 - because of course it's that oh so safe all lane running the car had nowhere to go...

 

I didn't see the need to post it on a forum though. I have eyes - you look for hazards drive round them as needed and carry on.

 

I have seen cars which are broken down on the inside lane of our "safe" non hard shoulder motorways. Not safe of course, but they are at least over on the side as far as possible, and, crucially, looking like they`re stationary. They`re also doing so without the distraction of a accident just to the left of them.

Put it all together and, like I say, I`ve never seen anything so dangerous. Pure luck that there wasn`t, apparently, a serious accident.

Edited by Justin Smith

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I always keep a look out for the Spanish Inquisition on the M6.

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