In common with most of you, I suspect, I commute along a single boring road.
This morning a couple of things happened;
Firstly I was contemplating that I was getting into the habit of driving this road on auto-pilot and I really needed to start paying more attention.
Then I decided I was driving faster than I normally do and should slow down, which I did.
The temperature was 4 degrees outside and the roads were damp, certainly not wet. I was heading south east.
A little while after Aston Clinton I saw an accident on the other side of the road. It looked like some car had completely lost it, spun and taken out another couple of cars in the process. Strangely there was no queue of traffic, and whilst an ambulance was just leaving the scene in a real hurry, no police.
I was wondering about the lack of police and what might have caused it.
About another mile further on there was another car also on the other side of the road, which looked like it had spun and ended up on the dirt next to the central barrier. People in it, and not looking happy, but no-one in attendance.
Weird.
About another 3 ish miles further on there is another accident, also heading the opposite way whihc also looked like a car had spun out and taken others with it. This time there was people trapped in the car and there was police, fire & ambulance presence. Not surprising that the police were not at the others, they were here. Still, you'd think there would be more police than that available.
Another mile further on and there is yet another accident. This time a Securicor Van is on its side looking like it had spun, trashed another couple of cars and then flipped. Again police, ambulance and fire in attendance. Their lack at the other two accidents got more understandable.
Another 2 miles further on, b***** me if there wasn't another accident. This time looking like a car had got sideways and slid into another.
Finally at the M25 junction were more police closing the road.
I can understand the police and other services were severely stretched.
But what on earth had happened ? None of the accidents looked like they had been there very long, and had probably occurred after 8am.
It wasn't icy. It wasn't even slippery. But this level of carnage is unknown on that road.
I could only imagine two possible scenarios;
1) some vehicle had been through dropping oil or diesel everywhere.
2) some vehicle had gone through the area like a nutter cutting people up and knocking them off the road.
Clearly a sobering lesson, but if anyone finds out what caused it all, I'd be very interested to know.
Sympathies to the considerable number of people who had their lives take a downturn this morning - at least some of them through no fault of their own.
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I did hear "frost in some parts of the south" mentioned in a Radio 4 weather report this morning, and I think Michael Fish actually spoke of getting ice off his windscreen (could have been yesterday though). I thought last night was the coldest of the week here in Herts; the reading in my car yesterday lunchtime was only 4.5°C.
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It was frosty a bit further North (South Northants). Have used this road many times - always was a bit of a speed track - dare I suggest some inappropriate use of speed coupled with possible slippy conditions.
Even so to see so many prangs in a short space is surprising?
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Expect a speed camera some time soon ;)
I suppose you could argue that by the law of averages, with a certain number of accidents happening at random spots, at some point some are going to happen close to each other.
In an infinite universe, and all that.
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A41 north from M25 has always been a popular spot for a speed trap - know a couple of former colleagues who got short bans for speeding along that stretch.
Good post by Mark tho - amazing how on some regular trips you get out and think "don't remember much about that"....
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Wondered what the problem was as I sped by on the train :-)
I'd guess ice as the cause. Don't know what you were driving today but combination of warm cabin, sunlight in sensor and general difference between air and road surface temp (effect of shade etc?)might conceal icing conditions. Like Artful Dodger I had ice in the screen in South Northants, indicated OAT plus 2.
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In my extremely humble opinion, it appears that facts can be stranger than fiction.
Most unusal to have this kind of scenario without any clear obvious reason.
M
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I was driving the Landcruiser which was telling me it was 4 degrees. It was also sunny. I know that doesn't mean that there was no ice, but it makes it unlikely.
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As for speed cameras, the A41 could do with them about every 100 metres from the M25 junction to Bicester, especially between Aylesbury and Bicester.
Certainly the amount of idiots driving well above a safe speed and far too close to other vehicles is unbelievable.
In addition there are several junctions near bends where it is only safe to pull out if you assume that nothing coming is over the speed limit - if it were materially over the limit then there simply isn't sufficient space to pull out safely since the bend blocks your view.
Although between Bicester and Aylesbury they do now have signs at the worst corners and junctions stating how many casualties there have been at that point in the last three years.
It certainly gives pause for thought for me, but seemingly not for the "I know my safe speed better than anyone else" idiots.
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It certainly gives pause for thought for me, but seemingly not for the "I know my safe speed better than anyone else" idiots.
That phrase "I know my safe speed" could be usefully attached to a lot of headstones, death notices etc
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Could it have been a trail of spilt diesel? Seems odd that there should be accidents one way and not the other. The relevance of OAT gauges must depend on where they are located. VWs used to have them in the front bumper, my Peugeot's is in the base of the passenger side exterior mirror.
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