How not to join a motorway!

Avoriaz

This car joins a busy motorway and gets hit by a lorry and pushed sideways along for several hundred metres as the lorry slows down and pulls to the side.

Fortunately there were no serious injuries.

There is no sound so we don't know if the lorry sounded his horn.

Could the lorry driver have done anything to avoid the collision? Probably not, the car was probably in a blind spot.

Did the lorry driver leave sufficient gap between him and the lorry in front? I think there is about a one second gap. Certainly the gap was more than sufficient for a competent driver to pull into, even if it was shorter than 2 seconds.

100% the fault of the car driver I think.

Mr_Mink

Agreed 100% the driver of the car's fault.

peachyprice

I suppose the lorry driver could have slowed down to let the car into the gap but equally the car driver could have not accelerated and pulled in behind the lorry, but what kind of fool races a lorry for a gap?

Retrogamer

I've had a few people almost run into the side of me when they're joining the motorway.

Too many of them hover beside you at the same speed. They seem to think the people already on the motorway should be adjusting their speed so they can get out. Either speed up and get in front of me, or slow down and pull behind.
It's usually the people joining a 70mph limit whilst coming off the slip roads at 40mph that do this.

Equally, when i'm coming off a slip road i sometimes find i try and slow down to pull behind someone, only to find they'll slowing down to let me out as well because they're so used to other people who can't pull out on their own.

ariba10

The vidio only came to light because the car driver tried to claim for Whiplash.

OddballJamie

ariba10 wrote: »

The vidio only came to light because the car driver tried to claim for Whiplash.

Looks like the video came to light from self-promotion by Smart Witness.

No insurance claim was filed according to the article.
http://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/2013/12/17/dash-camera-prevents-costly-m25-insurance-claim/49129/

Mankysteve

All that car driver had to do was get his foot down a bit that gap was massive.

ACG

Whether the car is right or wrong (ftr I do think the car is in the wrong)... who tries to get a car in a gap that small between 2 lorries!

DominicH

Driver's fault obviously. His responsibility to fit into traffic already on the motorway, not the other way round.
That said, I wonder if the lorry wasn't being a tad... assertive, and could perhaps have backed off just a little to widen the gap. No obligation to do so, of course, but out of charity. You'll notice that his speed stays at about 82 kmh, presumably on a 50 mph limiter, right up to and indeed after the collision.

anotherbaldrick

Refer to previous thread about looking over your shoulder when entering from a slip road, without doing this you cannot be sure you do not have a blind spot with a bloody great HGV hiding in it.

NeededToChooseAUsername

70/30 driver/truck i'd say.

Driver shouldn't be trying to fit in that gap but at no point did the truck appear to try and brake to let the guy in either (not that he needs to ofc) but is it worth being right AND causing an accident? Don't think so. I've slowed down many times to let drivers in from sliproads whether that's correct or not.

Although ultimately driver is it at fault here...