Wrong way during traffic jam on A34

Mildly_Miffed

ris2015 said:

For clarification.
I live by the A34 and it's a car park on most days caused by incidents.
It is a two lane road and does not have a hard shoulder.

It's over 150 miles long.

Betterthanlife

Mildly_Miffed said:

ris2015 said:

For clarification.
I live by the A34 and it's a car park on most days caused by incidents.
It is a two lane road and does not have a hard shoulder.

It's over 150 miles long.

They might have a big garden

saajan_12

Mildly_Miffed said:

imulsion said:

Thanks @maman and @Car_54 for your inputs. I will certainly explain the extenuating circumstances given the opportunity. With hindsight it was a pretty stupid thing to do but at the time it seemed reasonable. Either way I'll be more than willing to pay an FPN or go on a course.

I'm not sure what the "extenuating circumstances" are.

imulsion said:

An unlimited fine? Does that not seem harsh?

Unlimited makes sense as it would include angry driver barrelling down and weaving between 100s of moving cars. 

Equally there needs to be a way of differentiating between that and the OP's case. Maybe extenuating is the wrong word but the context and details of the offence are relevant to calibrating the level of punishment. 

400ixl

LightFlare said:

the only time I have see anything like this scenario happen the police started at the back and worked forward to the incident

Yes, that's how they do it when they have to. They go back to the last exit and start from there towards the scene. That way you will not see any traffic going against the stationary vehicles and they are in control and will instruct the manoeuvres and also control the traffic coming towards the accident at that previous junction.

Other than pleading guilty and being very apologetic I would not be trying to plead any extenuating circumstances unless that is guidance for a legal counsel you engage.

prowla

I was once caught in a queue on the motorway after a big crash; they cut the central reservation and fed people through to go back upin the opposite direction.

ThorOdinson

It might get abandoned. There have been similar cases where many cars were involved and the prosecutions were dropped because each driver could say they were just following the flow of traffic, seemed like a police instruction etc.

Not likely but you never know.

Hoenir

ThorOdinson said:

It might get abandoned. There have been similar cases where many cars were involved and the prosecutions were dropped because each driver could say they were just following the flow of traffic, seemed like a police instruction etc.

Not likely but you never know.

Highly unlikely when it's slam dunk. The inherent danger is that drivers will do it again in the future. 

kimwp

400ixl said:

LightFlare said:

the only time I have see anything like this scenario happen the police started at the back and worked forward to the incident

Yes, that's how they do it when they have to. They go back to the last exit and start from there towards the scene. That way you will not see any traffic going against the stationary vehicles and they are in control and will instruct the manoeuvres and also control the traffic coming towards the accident at that previous junction.

Other than pleading guilty and being very apologetic I would not be trying to plead any extenuating circumstances unless that is guidance for a legal counsel you engage.

Yes, when I was in that situation on the motorway once, they moved a length of one lane of cars at a time, starting with cars closest to the exit. As far as I recall, the police came and spoke to every driver to tell them what was happening, then indicated when to turn around and where to line up. Then I think the car at the front of the mini line was told when to go and they then started assembling the next mini-line. There were police cars and police forming the route to the exit and it was otherwise clear of traffic. All very controlled, every driver informed individually about the situation and what to do.

soolin

I got  taken off the M25 many many years ago after several hours stuck (nearly 4 hours from memory) . It took the police (possibly other organisations in hi vis as well) ages to sort out, but they seemed to deal with the jam logically. As far as I gleaned later from news reports they closed the motorway behind us and moved people back to the last junction. I believe those nearer the front were taken to the other carriage way, but can’t be sure as I was possibly nearer the back as I was turned round - which was an odd feeling going the wrong way on a motorway). 

It might all depend on where the crash is is relation to junctions. That particular stretch of the M25 had short distances between junctions so was probably easier to deal with. I certainly waited hours and hours though, not the 40 minutes mentioned in the OP. 

Last year I sat for 2 hours on the M11 after a large crash, but on that occasion we weren’t moved at all, just left until a single lane to the next junction could be used. 

mr_stripey

as frustrating as being stuck in a jam can be, always consider how much more fortunate you are than the poor folk in the actual crash. There but for the grace of God go us all...