Double post.
I totally understand the two comments above, but it still doesn`t remove the fact that the Police knew what was going to happen.
So…If you know what is going to happen, then you have an option to do something about it.
Would someone please tell me why you would ignore it and do nothing?
Derf:
The cogs and splines from inside the gearbox were scattered across the carriageway.
Those MANs must have been falling apart, they are more than 3yrs old…
You can all come up with different theories of how this happened but the only reason somebody drivers into the back of another vehicle at 50mph WITHOUT BRAKING is they are ASLEEP.
Reducing driving hours would be a major step in the right direction. The Volvo braking system looks like a good idea too.
Here’s a simple idea: produce better rear trailer lighting with brake lights separate to tail lamps or having a central mounted brake light like which has been produced on cars for many years now.
If someone brakes in front and it lights up like a Christmas tree its going to be a lot better to see than the traditional all in one lamp where brake lights are marginally brighter than tail…
I know there is no substitute for an alert driver but if its good enough for cars why isn’t is good enough for commercials ?
It’s quite common on TNT trailers so manufacturers are already doing it. It still makes F all difference if a drivers nodded off
10-08:
We can only hope he didn’t know about it with damage that bad.
I’m pretty sure the driver was either still asleep or in pain for a tiny amount of time looking at the aftermath.
Terrible way to go.
U don’t know he was asleep the lorry in front had just overtaken him I’m guess as he said he was lane two sore the traffic had stopped and moved back to lane one if the guy look at the phone or radio by the time he looked back it could of been to late. The closing speed means the gap would of closed very quickly and if they had just come off a bend and the lorry moving over could of blocked his view.
On the matix signs I do agree they are wrong a lot of the time, at night they seem to be wrong all the time.
Maybe the wording needs changing I don’t know but guess its said “40/50 accident or lane closed slow down”. Maybe it should read like “10/20”.
att:
I totally understand the two comments above, but it still doesn`t remove the fact that the Police knew what was going to happen.
So…If you know what is going to happen, then you have an option to do something about it.
Would someone please tell me why you would ignore it and do nothing?
They did’nt ignore it.
The matrix signs said ‘accident, slow down’.
The lorry hit the other lorry at 50mph, iirc, so what difference would it of made if a police car was there with its blue lights on?
It would of meant 2 dead police officers as well.
GasGas:
There is…the technology existsyoutube.com/watch?v=ridS396W2BY
I’ve sat in a truck doing this on that track.
From what they said in the program this system (now available on 63’reg Volvo’s and coming out on others before 2015) would have saved his life.
In a way, I’m kinda hoping the bloke was asleep at the wheel, that way he’d have gone without even knowing it.
Sobering, there must have been a foot between the 2 trailers 
I agree entirely with the previous post in that I too hope that the poor guy never knew a thing about it which IMO is no bad way to go, but still terrible, too soon and in a way terrible for everyone else involved. Whether asleep or not, he obviously could not have noticed the stationary traffic (no braking) which, being somewhat unexpected, is all too easy to overlook in certain circumstances and seems to happen a lot. Similarly, automatic braking technology or a longer (or any) bonnet would be worth it in this type of crash if it saved your life. And the amount of cab left after that squashing looked absolutely horrific. Also, the aftereffects, e.g. one accident leading to another and another, shows what perhaps a moment’s inattention can lead to.
rob22888:
thehairyarsedtrucker:
It just goes to show what 15hr shifts and 70 plus hours a week can do for you.
The sooner driving hours are reduced the safer for ALL road users. The driver of the front artic was lucky that he didn’t smash into the back of another wagon, or he could have been killed too. Long hours is not macho, its just putting the crash off to another day.I think the number of accidents involving HGV’s is more to do with poor driving standards to be honest. I’ll go out on a limb and say that the vast majority could have been avoided if drivers were keeping a safe distance, driving at an appropriate speed and reading the road properly. You might be able to attribute the latter to being tired but no excuse for the other two.
I agree with both these posts, where is the correlation between 15hrs on/9hrs off with health and safety, or does it just apply to us in the negative sense. The macho Billy Bigbollox types amongst us say there is nothing wrong with a long work short rest ratio, and would do it 7 days if asked 
but normal human beings do feel tired after this…whether they are aware of it or not 
As for driving standards today compared with previous times, the calibre of drivers has gone from high standard professionalism displaying competence, courtesy, and helping each other out, to the… ■■■■ you pal special needs types, armed with a licence that makes them think that they can drive a truck, but thankfully these dickwhits are still in the minority.
I’ll use this to give an example ( and I don’t give a ■■■■ if I bore the arse off you in doing so 
)
Aberdeen today, I pull over and flash out a local artic coming out of a service station, get alongside and he keeps me out by speeding up approaching a roundabout rather than let me in, I indicate to pull in and he flashes his row of bloody Hellas at me and blasts his train horns …absolute knob… and a classic example of what I am on about 
Just to add I am not referring to the lad that lost his life, he paid dearly for his mistake, and it does make you think about near misses in the past and how they could have turned out.
A photo of that squashed unit should be super imposed on the back of every lorry. Maybe then we would stop tailgating each other, cutting in to soon.
robroy, sounds like someone not only with no consideration but no short-term memory either! Wouldn’t be worth remonstrating with as they wouldn’t remember.
Wayne:
A photo of that squashed unit should be super imposed on the back of every lorry. Maybe then we would stop tailgating each other, cutting in to soon.
+1
How fast was that bloke going that hit the bridge?
The cops said there was no indication that he even slowed down.,and he was a good way down the road after the bridge.
■■■■ me! Even if a bridge says it’s 3 inches higher than my trailer I slow down,running out of time or whatever.
I would have liked to hear what he said in THE 'phone call…
att:
they could have prevented at least one fatality by merely putting a blue light vehicle at the back of the queue, or something that would make the drivers look and slow down…Matrix signs are so often incorrect that people seldom take any notice.
Watch it again and count the number of vehicles with yellow and blue flashing lights around the first jack knifed lorry which would have been clearly visible to approaching traffic, then count how many times the officer flagging the traffic around the incident yelled at HGV’s that still weren’t slowing down.
Now tell me why they would slow down for a police car with flashing blue lights further down the road when they certainly had no intention of slowing for god knows how many HATO’s, police vehicles, ambulances and fire appliances all with bright flashing lights.
bestbooties:
How fast was that bloke going that hit the bridge?
The cops said there was no indication that he even slowed down.,and he was a good way down the road after the bridge.
[zb] me! Even if a bridge says it’s 3 inches higher than my trailer I slow down,running out of time or whatever.
I would have liked to hear what he said in THE 'phone call…
Did anybody recognise the firm he worked for??
Thought I might apply for his old job 
You could have a million different driver aids, but in the end, it boils down to the driver.
robroy:
rob22888:
thehairyarsedtrucker:
It just goes to show what 15hr shifts and 70 plus hours a week can do for you.
The sooner driving hours are reduced the safer for ALL road users. The driver of the front artic was lucky that he didn’t smash into the back of another wagon, or he could have been killed too. Long hours is not macho, its just putting the crash off to another day.I think the number of accidents involving HGV’s is more to do with poor driving standards to be honest. I’ll go out on a limb and say that the vast majority could have been avoided if drivers were keeping a safe distance, driving at an appropriate speed and reading the road properly. You might be able to attribute the latter to being tired but no excuse for the other two.
I agree with both these posts, where is the correlation between 15hrs on/9hrs off with health and safety, or does it just apply to us in the negative sense. The macho Billy Bigbollox types amongst us say there is nothing wrong with a long work short rest ratio, and would do it 7 days if asked
As for driving standards today compared with previous times, the calibre of drivers has gone from high standard professionalism displaying competence, courtesy, and helping each other out, to the… [zb] you pal special needs types, armed with a licence that makes them think that they can drive a truck, but thankfully these dickwhits are still in the minority.
I’ll use this to give an example ( and I don’t give a [zb] if I bore the arse off you in doing so
Aberdeen today, I pull over and flash out a local artic coming out of a service station, get alongside and he keeps me out by speeding up approaching a roundabout rather than let me in, I indicate to pull in and he flashes his row of bloody Hellas at me and blasts his train hornsJust to add I am not referring to the lad that lost his life, he paid dearly for his mistake, and it does make you think about near misses in the past and how they could have turned out.
Spot on, today driving up the M6 Toll one of Stan Robinsons finest was sat right up my backside for 20 minutes, if I had braked hard he would have had no chance at all, all he had to do was pull out and I would have just slowed down to let him pass. As for the programme, he was obviously doing something or asleep the matrix signs were on, and all this rubbish about them being wrong most of the time, well always assume the are correct. Very clever though how they figured out he had not braked by looking at the bulbs.