Second driving incident

[bmw114]

This incident is definitly more serious than the last one i posted and it could happen to you, if you get it wrong, well it does`nt bare thinking about.

I was travelling north on the M6 inbetween the off and on ramp of Cawley services,early hours of the morning (I was in an artic)nothing in front of me.

Then i noticed one indicator flashing as though some one was passing something way in the distance but it did`nt have any red lights and the thing that it appeared to be passing did`nt have any red lights either, now its got my full attention.

I am now off the gas and for one minute thought it was a car trying to do a U turn through a gap in the armco (there is no gap there).

Then i pass over what looks like a girder in the road,I`ve got main beam on and can see that its a black Audi sat on its arse, all the tyres are gone and every corner is smashed except the drivers side rear.
So the flashing indicator i saw was his hazard lights.
He is 3/4 in the fast lane and 1/4 in the centre lane.
I decide to pull up 75 yards back of him, blocking the two lanes and put every light i have on, on.

The simply dilemma is do you protect the unlit car with your well lit car (or truck) which enables you to see to the possible trapped and injured passengers ,or do you park on the hard shoulder and walk out into the darkness and chance getting everybody including yourself killed.

I feel i did the right thing because when i got to the car there was nobody in it, but in was a convertable and when a few more trucks had stopped when started to look for people in the long grass.
As it turned out the two occupants were OK they had hit a ramp that had fallen off a breakdown truck, spun round and bounced off the armco.
When they came to stop they quickly ran back down the road to shift the ramp (girder) so that no one else would hit it.

I stayed were i was untill the BIB showed up, they hooked a Range Rover up to the wrecked car, dragged it across 3 lane,swept the road, took my name and we all carried on.

A driver that i work with said he would have parked on the hard shoulder and that i was very lucky the BIB did`nt book me.

What would you do if it happened to you driving home tonight or more to the point what would you expect me to do next time if its you that upside down in the fast lane on a dark night?.

[Don]

Highway_Code said:

257: If you are involved in an accident or stop to give assistance * use your hazard warning lights to warn other traffic ask drivers to switch off their engines and stop smoking * arrange for the emergency services to be called immediately with full details of the accident location and any casualties (on a motorway, use the emergency telephone which allows easy location by the emergency services. If you use a mobile phone, first make sure you have identified your location from the marker posts on the side of the hard shoulder) move uninjured people away from the vehicles to safety; on a motorway this should, if possible, be well away from the traffic, the hard shoulder and the central reservation * do not move injured people from their vehicles unless they are in immediate danger from fire or explosion * do not remove a motorcyclist's helmet unless it is essential to do so * be prepared to give first aid as shown in Annex 7 stay at the scene until emergency services arrive. If you are involved in any other medical emergency on the motorway you should contact the emergency services in the same way.

Highway_Code said:

If something falls from your vehicle: 254: Motorways. On a motorway do not try to remove the obstruction yourself. Stop at the next emergency telephone and call the police.

Highway_Code said:

215: You MUST NOT stop or park on the carriageway or the hard shoulder of a motorway except in an emergency (see Rule 244)

Highway_Code said:

Stopping 244: You MUST NOT stop on the carriageway, hard shoulder, slip road, central reservation or verge except in an emergency, or when told to do so by the police, an emergency sign or by flashing red light signals. MT(E&W)R regs 7(1),9,10 & 16 & MT(S)R regs 6(1),8,9 & 14 245: You MUST NOT pick up or set down anyone, or walk on a motorway, except in an emergency. Laws RTRA sect 17 & MT(E&W)R reg 15

It looks to me like the above are the rules that apply. The one that would seem to be most relevant is 244. And note: Its says except in an emergency. IMO a badly visible, crashed car blocking the carriageway in a position where other drivers might whack into it at 70mph is an emergency.

Whilst the cops may have disagreed with your course of action there is no doubt in my mind that your intent was to do the right thing. In my car I would not have stopped on the carriageway. I would have stopped on the hard shoulder. In your well lit, highly visible truck I think I might have done exactly what you did.

I hope you got a pat on the back and a thank you...

>> Edited by Don on Friday 9th September 14:25

[bmw114]

I must admit the gut that said he would stop on the hard shoulder did add that just before he came to a stop he would swing his nose left onto the grass and then turn right so that his main beam was illuminating the obsticle.

When i first started driving for a living a fellow driver was coming over Shap south bound on the M6 in the dark when up ahead he saw activity on the shoulder, at least 3 cars and people milling around.
He assessed the danger and moved out into the centre lane and watched the people to make sure no one suddenly ran out.
Unfortunatly he did not see the upside down car in the carriageway and wacked the tail end and spun it like a kids spinning top.
Sometimes when you see people on the hard shoulder they might be there because they stopped to deal with something on the carriageway.
Best advice is don`t just look at them, cast your eyes further, if you see any danger at all a little 5 second flick of the hazard lights will get peoples attention further back up the road.

[Don]

bmw114 said:

I must admit the guy that said he would stop on the hard shoulder did add that just before he came to a stop he would swing his nose left onto the grass and then turn right so that his main beam was illuminating the obsticle.

Now that's some clever thinking...

Thanks for sharing the story. I think we can all learn something from it.

[volvos70t5]

bmw114

You did what I would have done in the circumstances (if I had been driving a lorry that is).

[Paul.B]

In a well lit lorry I would have probably done the same thing. I doubt it in a car though!

Well done mate. How many would have (blindly) driven past?

Paul.B

[Kinky]

Paul.B said:

... How many would have (blindly) driven past ...

Excellent story. And something I'll remember.

K

[bmw114]

I forgot to add to this story, I got a letter from the Chief constable for Warwickshire thanking me for my assistance so if ever it happens to you, Think quick because you will only get a split second to get it right and if you get it wrong you are dead.
This might sound bad but if in doubt drive past.
Look after number one......

[BOF]

Good reaction and good result!

Assuming that the Chief Constable was not a personal witness to the incident it was nice of him to write to you.

This would mean that a Traffic Officer gave you credit for your action...wrote a report in his own time...the Boss read the report and wrote to you.

This could indicate that Traffic Police are not just out there with Scameras...and that all of the frigging numpties who complain when they get nicked for breaking the law are right?

Nah - just a thought...

BOF