My daughter drove up from Cornwall passing (thankfully) Taunton just before the crash. She is a fairly experienced driver doing 20k plus each year but said she was never more pleased to see Junction 13 on the motorway that night.

Lorries tailgating, spray and variable amounts of mist/fog. In addition idiots at 80mph plus in the fast lane.

I suspect that given the atmospherics that night, coupled with some smoke, a fog descended where a river passes beneath the motorway just before the crash site. The fog would have been held by the colder air.

As an earlier poster has said, "Motorway Madness" will be the main culprit. MY 09 GS manual in Lago Grey, Wood Co arm rest and side bumper strips - now sold.

MY 15 SD4 SE Auto Orkney Grey with colour coded Bumper Door Mouldings

See this article about the possible impact of the increase in the limit to 80, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15620146
I am happy at 80, 85 on motorways but am very consious of having space around me and will pull over if I think the car behind is too close. I also recognise my failings and acknowledge I am not a perfect driver........ I do enjoy driving fast on country roads, a lot more dangerous than on motorways......... JT Upgraded to an ex demo, 7 mth old, Rimini Red/Ebony Napoli Auto HSE on 28th Jan 2011, added roof rails, mudflaps and side strips.
Gone - A great 57 Plate, Auto SE, Bought Feb 2009, Roof Rails and Mudflaps added on purchase. Blue colour, anything but drug dealer black.....

There are already many motorists traveling at 80+ so I can't see the 80 mph making a lot of difference to the accident statistics as many are doing this speed already, all it would mean is a lot more motorists would be travelling within a legal limit. But if it does come in I can see it being more rigorously enforced, but how unless they put more Police out there, there are more and more Motorways where gantry style cameras have apppeared, the M25 now has gantry cameras round to J9 whereas the the variable speed limit starts at 11, but then with the allowance for speedo inaccuracies you are really saying 90 will be the new limit. With some of the vehicles you see today such as a newly qualified driver, just passed his test, hurtling down the outside lane in a clapped out Saxo is a bit scary.

ad210358 wrote:

the M25 now has gantry cameras round to J9 whereas the the variable speed limit starts at 11, but then with the allowance for speedo inaccuracies you are really saying 90 will be the new limit. With some of the vehicles you see today such as a newly qualified driver, just passed his test, hurtling down the outside lane in a clapped out Saxo is a bit scary.

Mr Saxo Man, Corsa Man etc already do drive like that & worse as some do it on country lanes!  (Past) Freelander 2 HSE 2010 MY In Rimini Red.
(Past) RR Evoque Dynamic Lux Si4 In Firenze Red.
(Past) RR Evouque Pure Tech in Barollo Black with bespoke Firenze Red colour coding.
(Present) Freelander Metropolis 2015 MY In Santorini Black with Ivory Premium Leather.

its a shame that its not practical to make part of the driving lessons/test a big crash at high speed , when you have been in a biggy its very sobering and may be also make everyone drive an artic for a day ! & a motorcycle too ! then everyone would have more respect for everyone else & those that don't then remove their licence for good !
It would be fun at least

Not a bad idea, if other drivers had some experience of what it is like to drive other vehicles they may think twice before some of the manoeuvres they do, also why can there not also be a staged test, the theory part is ok but then the next bit could be staged so that after the main test which would allow you to drive, but not allow motorway driving until another test is taken after compulsary lessons say two or three months later, but then some of the drivers school trainers have little idea on lane discipline. Only problem is people who live some distance from the motorway network.

oldgeezer wrote:

its a shame that its not practical to make part of the driving lessons/test a big crash at high speed , when you have been in a biggy its very sobering and may be also make everyone drive an artic for a day ! & a motorcycle too ! then everyone would have more respect for everyone else & those that don't then remove their licence for good !
It would be fun at least

As my dad says, the idiotic drivers are fully paid up members of the 'It will never happen to me brigade'.

If you were to lecture these people and show them horrific crash footage, they would probably smirk and laugh and say it can't happen to them because their car is superior in some way and they are gods gift to driving etc. LL.B (Hons) - University of Derby
LOT (Lord of Time) - University of Gallifrey

There will always be a minority of idiots, but i think for the majority of those who are sensible it can be a very useful learning aid.
I've seen it so. Another member of the failed FL2 clutch/DMF club, twice.

Then of course we have foreign drivers be it truck drivers or immigrants whose cars would not pass a UK MOT, all LHD and very little experience of driving in the UK, my brother was hit by a Turkish truck some years ago and the police had more sympathy for the truck driver then my brother, (the poor guys are under pressure to get the job done ) was there response, what t S. Gone, 2007 TD4 SE Auto Baltic blue, clear side repeaters, full sized alloy spare.

English by birth..... Yorkshire by the grace of God.

ad210358 wrote:

There are already many motorists traveling at 80+ so I can't see the 80 mph making a lot of difference to the accident statistics as many are doing this speed already, all it would mean is a lot more motorists would be travelling within a legal limit. But if it does come in I can see it being more rigorously enforced, but how unless they put more Police out there, there are more and more Motorways where gantry style cameras have apppeared, the M25 now has gantry cameras round to J9 whereas the the variable speed limit starts at 11, but then with the allowance for speedo inaccuracies you are really saying 90 will be the new limit. With some of the vehicles you see today such as a newly qualified driver, just passed his test, hurtling down the outside lane in a clapped out Saxo is a bit scary.

Quote:

If you were to lecture these people and show them horrific crash footage, they would probably smirk and laugh and say it can't happen to them because their car is superior in some way and they are gods gift to driving etc.

absolute bang on ! Sophie Alltoft

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colinrr wrote:

By the way, there is no allowance given for speedo inaccuracies. Speedometers (since 1986) have to be designed to have no minus reading error but are allowed to read 10% (+4kph I think) high. Only very old vehicles had spedos subject to a +/- 10%. This is different to the ACPO enforcement guidelines of a threshold of 10% + 2 mph for speeding offences.

But the fact remains at current guidelines they will allow 10% above the 80mph which is as near as dammit 90mph and bang on with the 2%.

I beg to differ on the ACPO guidelines, it is up to the individual traffic areas, around here there is no +2mph, just the 10% on Camera Vans and Gatso's

No 10% here I got a speed awareness course at 32mph in a 30 and my speedo reads exactly the same as my tomtom so no 10% error there either.

And I thought I was hard done by at 34 in a 30 even the guy at the speed awareness course was surprised at it, mine was on a Gatso and the wife for the same speed an a camera van.