Rubbernecking

[PetrolTed]

M40 on Tuesday. Took me an hour and a half to get through the jam and this is why:

[dan]

At least you got to see why you were held up.

There is nothing more frustrating than been heldup for hours with no apparent reason why.

By the way I don't condone rubberneckers or their ilk

[Roadrunner]

It always amazes me how the feck anyone can get into a mess like that driving on a long straight road?!

[Marshy]

quote:There is nothing more frustrating than been heldup for hours with no apparent reason why.

Although occasionally you get to the head of the queue to wish you hadn't seen the cause of it all

[Don]

quote:
It always amazes me how the feck anyone can get into a mess like that driving on a long straight road?!

I know! It stretches credence doesn't it. Its straight. You hold the wheel. Nothing in front - pedal on right. Stuff in front - pedal on left. How hard can it be!!!!?

[thub]

I think this accident also involved two cars, one of the drivers of which has been charged with a motoring-related offence. The lorry driver unfortunately didn't make it out of this incident.

[Roadrunner]

Probably a vectra cutting up a mondeo, causing everyone else to over apply brakes.

[Jason F]

quote:
Probably a vectra cutting up a mondeo, causing everyone else to over apply brakes.

And as we've mentioned before, a 10tonne truck does not stop as well as the ABS assisted Vectra and so screech / Crunch is the outcome, especially when 90% of lorry drivers that appear in my rear view mirror would need a condom if they got much closer

[englishman in LA]

What the hell are those bull bars on the front of the scania???

Mind you being hit by one of those, its not going to make any difference to a pedestrian whether its got bull bars or not....

[PetrolTed]

Do lorry drivers wear seatbelts?

[johno]

quote:
Do lorry drivers wear seatbelts?

Not legally obliged to wear them. Companies such as Stobarts have made it compulsory but that is only compnay policy and not legal requirement.

Mark

[PetrolTed]

Well looking at the pictures you can understand why the driver didn't survive. It'd be tempting to think he might still be around if he was strapped in.

[johno]

quote:
Well looking at the pictures you can understand why the driver didn't survive. It'd be tempting to think he might still be around if he was strapped in.

They should be made to wear at minimum a lap belt to prevent them being flung out of the cab. I don't care how big and tough you think you are when 42 tonnes of lorry decide to flip you about you aren't going to hold on !!

I have a friend who has turned over a lorrly and survived with a couple of broken bones. He admits he was very lucky and now teaches English !!

My old trunker driver used to say that when you lose control of one these lorries someone is going to die. It may be the driver or whoever he/she hits. Thats the way they look at it.

Scary pie. I have been in a 38 tonn lorry when we lost control at 10mph on sheet ice. My friend was driving (same one as before - he was a good driver - honest !) and he turned to me and said "I hope we stop soon !" I messed my underwear and eventually we were stopped by ripping a 4 metre hole in the dirt bank. At 10mph !!!!

Stay away ! A long way away !!

[CarZee]

quote:Well looking at the pictures you can understand why the driver didn't survive. It'd be tempting to think he might still be around if he was strapped in.

Is that going to save truckers' lives? Supposing it would, will it incline them to feel more secure and hence drive less safely, being lulled into the sense of security that a belt gives?

If you've done any reading on the seat-belt argument.. umm.. ahh.. you'd have said exactly what you said to provoke comment.. duh..

[ultimapaul]

I used to get pi$$ed off when sat in that kinda jam .... Now i just think I'm only being held up for a while, not up in front of the holly one!

[Jason F]

I think lorry drivers would crash less if they remembered how big those f****ng things they drive are.. Sitting 2" from my tail is not good for my health, and when they overtake in the rain, they practically blow me off the damn road..

PS, my Dad is a lorry driver and I KNOW his attitude to other road users.

[JMorgan]

I remember reading somewhere in the letters section of a car mag. Upshot was lorry driver saying he drives close as he can see further due to the hieght of his cab.

[stc_bennett]

why is it that Lorry's can have bull bars and Land rovers/ Range rovers dont. They just have the plastic imitation crap on there???

[ultimapaul]

I now know how hostile the roads can be .... I used to have a Tiger Cat, sat about 3-inches above the ground with no sides to the car, made you realise how bloody scarry those lorries really are, even a mini would be intimerdating if it stuck it's nose out of a side road!

[hertsbiker]

ha ! the van I hired had the stopping distance of the QE2. So I got a good view over everyones car, shortly before driving over most of them.... (joke, I didn't actually hit anything).

C