How not to join a motorway!

darkmatter101

80/20 car driver and lorry driver fault respectively. I ALWAYS doubel check when switching lanes and never solely rely on the wing mirror alone.

As for that car trying to join the motorway in a tight spot, that's taking a very stupid risk, especially if you don't have the ommpphh to accelerate quick enough.

I have found myself switching lanes and joining motorways in tight spots in my M3, but then I can because I know I have the capability to do so. If I were in a Yaris for example, I would never take such risks

Idiophreak

NeededToChooseAUsername wrote: »

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.

It's hard to tell if the driver could actually have seen the car, though...as the camera is ahead and to the left of where the driver would be....If the driver could see the other car, I quite agree that he should have braked to let the doofus in.

ACG

NeededToChooseAUsername wrote: »

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...

There could have been another lorry right up his !!!... as they do sometimes do. Meaning breaking potentially causes another accident and that could be why the driver of the car decided to give it a go as there was no gap behind?

I have no idea and we could second guess til the cows come home. Ultimately though the car should not have tried to get into that gap.

colino

Funny that anyone can view this as anything other than a crash for cash. What was the poor car driver meant to do? He could either choose to drive under the wheels of an LGV/slow down/accelerate into space/veer left to that open expanse of tarmac.

Avoriaz

Looking at the video again, are the two lorries travelling together, perhaps in communication with each other?

Almost immediately after the lorry hits the car, the hazards or brake lights of the lorry in front come on once and then again. The lorry ahead also slows down, pulls to the left and appears to stop ahead of the lorry/car combo.

I doubt if the lorry ahead would have noticed the collision unless he was looking for it so perhaps he was alerted by his mate in the lorry behind.

OddballJamie

Bit of running commentary in this one
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/video/watch/great-escape-as-car-smashes-into-lorry/vi-aa073e3d-fa8f-4b12-b238-b6bc747bd767

Retrogamer

colino wrote: »

What was the poor car driver meant to do? He could either choose to drive under the wheels of an LGV/slow down/accelerate into space/veer left to that open expanse of tarmac.

How about adjust their speed so they can join the motorway without crashing into people?
The truck's speed is steady as per the video, they had plenty of time to speed up and get in front.
Failing that, they could have slowed down and pulled behind or moved over to the left until truck went past.
Either of them would have been better than driving into the side of the lorry.

andygb

anotherbaldrick wrote: »

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.

This is something which I have always done, since I passed my bike test before my car test. It is drilled into you to do a "lifesaver" glance over your shoulder before committing to a manouvre.
I had someone tell me that I shouldn't be looking over my shoulder when I am driving, because I can't see ahead:( They obviously have no idea about the blindspots on vehicles.
I am guessing that this car driver could not have been concentrating (on a phone maybe?), because the lorry would have been visible in front of him at some point, and we see from the video that the car comes from behind and then alongside the lorry.

JustinR1979

I've run several people onto the hard shoulder. I'm doing 55mph, don't do 55mph and sit alongside me for the length of the ACCELERTION lane.
And if you're not indicating, I'm not moving out because I would have to indicate, and if you can't be bothered neither can I.

Captaincodpiece

The car appears to make no effort to avoid this, my guess is he's not paying attention.

By either taking off a bit of right hand or applying some left he would have run the chevrons. Or a little bit of right foot would have got him clear.

Makes you wonder if it was a set up.