Teen beauty spot drinkers are ramblers, not rebels
- Dave Burrows
Blog: How I came a cropper driving in the cold snap
Wednesday 5th January 2011, 9:25AM GMT.
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Blog: “Drive carefully and be aware of what’s happening on the roads and give yourself plenty of time to stop and not much can happen.” That’s what my husband said when I admitted over Christmas that I hated driving in the winter and facing treacherous conditions on some of Shropshire’s roads, writes Tracey O’Sullivan.
Well I did exactly what he said and a lot happened – I ended up as one of the many victims of this latest cold snap and the icy conditions it created.
I was driving slowly, I was aware of what was happening and I believed I had given myself plenty of time of stop. But as I touched my brakes yesterday morning at a Telford roundabout my car just kept on going…
…and going…
…and going…
…and collided with the car in front.
Thinking about it, perhaps my husband was right in that when the collision finally occurred I was travelling at such a snail’s pace that there were no signs of any damage and certainly no-one injured – and above all else the latter is main thing. And I mean that without any hesitation as I was on the nursery run and had my two-year-old son in the car with me.
But I can also say it really shook me up and gave me a fright I don’t want to have to experience again. And I feel fully justified in calling for more action to grit the roads.
There are many who maintain drivers should take some responsibility. They do, but conditions like this are ridiculously dangerous. The hazards are disguised in black ice and difficult to negotiate without some help from the council to give drivers the safest route possible.
I continued on my journey to the nursery at Condover but even with the most cautious driving the car was still losing grip on tight corners made treacherous with black ice, which just shows the potential for accidents beyond the driver’s control.
I passed two cars on the M54 and A5 which had spun and ended up facing the opposite direction on the central reservation. These are major routes so should be top of the list to be treated. I hope so. It’s terrifying to think of what might have happened as these cars could have caused an even bigger pile-up.
It was a day which saw nearly 150 calls made to the ambulance service and I don’t believe you can put that number of incidents down to inappropriate driving for the conditions. It would also be interesting to see how many near misses there were for people while they tried to get to work.
Britain may not be a country used to such harsh winters on a regular basis but we do need to take stock of the situation and come up with a better plan. The one we have at the moment is not working.
Luckily most of the incidents were minor, with no injuries, but as a community we may not be so lucky next time. We need Telford & Wrekin Council and Shropshire County Council out there gritting the roads comprehensively if such conditions are predicted again.
They have said there is no shortage of supplies of grit and salt in the county, so let’s see them use it.
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Any excuse,women drivers!
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You should watch those pavements too, they have a nasty habit of jumping out at you when you least expect it!
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Amazing really, black ice they call it? i was out and about at 7am, got to work at half 8, and low and behold didnt see any of this “black ice”. Maybe i can just drive a car properly i dont know, its nice to see that we are all quick blame the council, maybe if paid a bit more attention, or took some extra driving lessons, this wouldnt happen? And how the hell do you manage to spin a car on the M54?? brilliant!!
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Just think yourself lucky, Dan. I drove to work from Broseley to Telford Town Centre. It took over an hour moving constantly, so you can work out for yourself my average speed, and I – along with all the other thankfully extremely careful drivers in the same crawling line of traffic – hit a number of sheets of ice that meant the car just slipped out of control with no provocation; no speed, no brakes, no turning of the wheel. Fortunately everybody near me was keeping a safe distance and none of us came to any grief, but I can well see that on a road with less traffic to force drivers to go at a crawling pace, that even driving at 20 mph might have had dire consequences, so I don’t blame all the drivers, or for that matter necessarily the council. I don’t know whether the roads had been gritted or not, but I am prepared to believe that the conditions in a few localised areas were extreme and unusual enough for it to have made little or no difference. In 30 years of driving, I’ve never experienced road conditions like that.
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You can’t see it, thats why its called black ice…..tsssk
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The council didnt grit, as we PAY them to do.
Given that FACT then it is perfectly acceptable to criticise the council.
I was out at 9:30 and the roads in Shrewsbury were a nightmare. I saw two cars with wheels snapped off, (ok they must have been going too fast for the kerb to snap the wheel completely off), loads of pedestrians take VERY nasty falls, and skidded around like torvill and dean at times, but kept VERY slow and used normal skid control technique to avoid any contact…
I take it this isnt the same SS blogger that ran into the back of someone and then came on here bleating about how the person she had run into the BACK of was a terrible driver.
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Siegfried and Dan You have obviously never been caught out on black ice!!! I hope you dont find out the hard way how bad it can be..
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I’m trying to understand this. After having warnings from your husband, after having had a bump in Telford on the way out, while knowing there will be combinations of ice & tight bends yet to negotiate ahead, you have your two year old son in the car with you, the journey was only to take him to nursery in Condover a journey of some 16 miles.
When you add it all up I honestly struggle to unravel your logic by which you justify attempting that journey in those conditions in the first place. Responsible it was not!
Thank your God that a 151st call to the 999 services that day was not on your behalf.
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If you took your young ‘un to a Telford nursery rather than one 20 miles away in Condover, Tracey, then you could have safely walked your kid there and back.
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My apologies, Tracey.
It is Emma with the terrible driving and exemplary blame skills :)
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‘But as I touched my brakes yesterday morning at a Telford roundabout my car just kept on going……and going……and going……and collided with the car in front.’
So it seems that you kept your foot on the brake, despite the fact that your wheels were locked – is that it?
Would it not have been better to have a) kept a good distance from the car in front, b) been aware well in advance of the likely need to stop at the island, and c) instead of using your brakes, used the gears (including 1st as you approached the island) to bring your vehicle to a halt?
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Well Said. Perhaps going on the advanced drivers course would help?
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perhaps dig into the archives of the shropshire star or ask about an ex journalist called sharon carless…. sharon did her AIM and instantly became a better driver
my admiration for Sharon reached an epic point when she avoided a death crash on the motorway and came out and said her AIM training saved her life. Let me tell you Sharon was a shocking driver before hand – and so was I.
of course I would not even entertain the idea of micky taking about woman drivers, but in all sincerity, quite simply oh so many do not know how to drive in this country full stop.
the reason I drive 160mph in Germany is because in Germany everyone appreciates distance, awareness and has respect for other drivers. In this wishy washy namby pamby safety aware era we are in, instead of tackling the major issue of BAD DRIVERS, we see speed limits on our roads decreasing all the time.
To the person who wrote the car just slipped out of control – that is still bad pilot error. Im not the high and mighty but put some winter tyres on and dare I ask if you considered the tyre pressure driving in such cold temperatures?
If you knew you were going to crash Tracey why didnt u put the car into 2nd and try a handbrake skid to avoid the bump? Why just watch if you know what will happen? What about your ‘escape route’? Obviously you have not done your RoadCraft Police Advanced Driving. If everyone passed we could all drive around at 100 and get even quicker from A to B.
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Of course women know their place in Germany (except the Prime Minister!) and are never to be seen on the road whereas in this country the insurers are silly enough to charge women lower premiums due to safer driving.
You may not have noticed Matt that Germany is a bit of a larger country than Old Blighty.
Still I personally feel somewhat safer knowing that some proportion of the time you are in Germany driving and not here I suppose.
#2 Dan
The really adverse aspect of the weather conditions did not commence until the rain started and fell on the frozen ground which was around 8-15 am. This was forecast the previous evening.
About 15 years ago at New Year we had a very narrow escape with death having driven up the Burway, Church Stretton when unbeknown to us it had rained on frozen ground around 4-30 am!
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Eva,
The oft-quoted statistic that ‘women are safer drivers’ is a misleading one. Yes, they have fewer accidents, but they drive far fewer miles per annum than men typically.
When you factor that difference into the equation, women actually have more accidents than men on an ‘accidents per miles driven’ basis’ – possibly because their comparative lack of hours behind the wheel makes them less experienced.
Of course, insurance companies are only interested in the actual likelihood of having an accident when setting premiums – other factors, such as annual mileage, are of less importance. They offer lower premiums to women on pretty much the same basis as they will offer lower premiums to those with ‘limited-mileage’ policies.
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I don’t know if I’m alone in having a nasty, sneaky wish that some of the smirking, smug drivers on here could actually come a minor cropper on this black ice, just to shut them up?
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@ kath
I was once a terrible driver. Im not saying Im super mr magnificent now. What I am saying though is that I worked damn hard to get qualified by the Police and IAM. I learnt so much and know I am a better driver for it. The problem about this country is that everyone is up their own backsides and fails to admit failure. Yes, I may be smug, but I drive 90,000+ miles a year and UNDERSTAND winter tyres and how to drive on black ice.
Passing your driving test does not mean you can drive. The IAM teach you to LOOK properly 360 degrees and ANTICIPATE properly.
My point is that everything is down to pilot error and there are some shocking drivers out there.
I have achieved lots in my life but hand on heart the best thing i have EVER done is my IAM test.
Kath Im commenting to you as a human as Im not a knocker of women drivers, but unless you have the criteria of knowing and being able to execute the skills involved in fast pace driving, knowing how to skid yourself out of situations, appreciating the pitfalls of tailgating then reading your comments are a waste of time.
@ eva – speed does not kill – Drivers who are unaware are the dangerous ones. Drivers who drive with fog lights on when it is not foggy, those who do not read speed limits and drive at 40 in a 60 zone – those who do not keep safe distances and are aware of others around them. Perhaps you should drive on the A1 in Italy from Roma to Milan, then you will possibly understand the merits of my discussion
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Umm – Matt. Just a little tip – I wouldn’t want your exemplary driving record to be blighted by what appears to be duff information you may have been given.
The 60 zone is the speed LIMIT. That is the maximum permitted speed. You may possibly be unaware that the speed limits refer to the maximum legal speed rather than the target that is there to be maintained at all times in the zone. Hopefully this information will add to the other knowledge you have (Unless of course that was a typo and you were referring to people who drive at 60 in a 40 zone – in which case please accept my apologies).
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“unless you have the criteria of knowing and being able to execute the skills involved in fast pace driving, knowing how to skid yourself out of situations, appreciating the pitfalls of tailgating then reading your comments are a waste of time.”
Oh dear, Matt. You have just dismissed the views of 99% of drivers as a waste of time. Don’t you recognise even a tiny bit of arrogance there?
Most drivers are reasonably capable in normal conditions – yes, I know a few shouldn’t be allowed out at any time.
They pay their road tax, petrol duty, insurance, MOT fees and council tax. They are entitled to have the roads treated to a standard where most can go about their business in resonable safety.
The elite few among which you class yourself are not entitled to exclusive use of the roads.
Incidentally, I know my limits and if conditions are beyond my capabilities I get the bus, walk, get a lift from my extremely capable husband in his suitable car – or I don’t go.
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“reasonable”, dammit! :)
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“Perhaps you should drive on the A1 in Italy from Roma to Milan, then you will possibly understand the merits of my discussion”
Oh, no more, please – we are not worthy of your presence.
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And don’t forget Matt is capable of “blowing his trumpet” whilst driving too! Is there no end to this man’s skills?
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Not having a go at you inparticular , Kath, but why is it that sooo many women drivers are reluctant to put on headlights in really poor visibility like we have had today with snow and then thick mist in places?
They seem to crawl along at a snails pace so they obviously thing that conditions are bad but don’t realise that you can’t see them until you are almost upon them (or they you)…P.S. sidelights are useless, you need headlights.
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No idea why you are asking me roadrunner, I can’t speak for ‘so many women drivers’. I always use my headlights in poor visibility.
(But I was on the bus today!)
Hmmm, why do so few male drivers bother to indicate / use the correct lane on roundabouts? (Joking of course, these lost souls could be either sex).
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“Hmmm, why do so few male drivers bother to indicate / use the correct lane on roundabouts? (Joking of course, these lost souls could be either sex).”
Yes, I agree with you, there Kath, that is another trait round here but not relevent to the bad weather, we are having at the mo.
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Are you suggesting that its only necessary to use indicators in bad weather..
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It’s funny that but why is it that sooo many men drivers are reluctant to put on headlights in really poor visibility like we have had today with snow and then thick mist in places?
I suppose men find it wimpy to use lights or travel at sensible speeds or even the designated speed limit alot of the time.
I find all this men v women driver stuff soooo pathetic.
Like with everything some people are more adept than others or think they are!
If anything I would say more women drivers have to deal with multi-tasking having children in the back which can unfortunately be very distracting.
You do seem to see more couples having arguments whilst driving these days a definate no no.
[those who do not read speed limits and drive at 40 in a 60 zone]
Those who do not read and drive according to weather conditions (and you don’t need a weatherman just sliding on your way to the car should be a hint) especially in icy conditions Matt!
BTW you do not have to drive at 60 in a 60 zone but by law you cannot exceed 60.
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“It’s funny that but why is it that sooo many men drivers are reluctant to put on headlights in really poor visibility like we have had today with snow and then thick mist in places?”
Like yourself ,Eva, I find it frustrating( and dangerous) that men and women drive around without headlights but I do find that the majority are women which is strange considering that the majority of drivers are men (not just on the school run either)so wondered why this might be so (and I drive round all day long, not just for the odd hour). I just wondered if any of the women on here could explain (or men come to that) why they don’t think that beeing seen in bad visibility is important. As for multitasking, aren’t women supposed to be better than men at this and surely flicking your headlights on, isn’t going to drain too many braincells?
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It can be the other way round – I got stopped on the M54 at about 2.30am (don’t ask) because I’d had my high beams on (unlit road, almost completely empty) and forgot to dip them going through a lit section. Cheeky young cop accused me of drink driving and got sent away with a flea in his ear. Had 2nd thoughts about asking me to breathe in the bag once I gave him a piece of my mind. I was not in the mood!
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Your eyesight is supposed to be a certain standard for driving roadrunner. I recommend as visit to the opticians, though to be fair, a lot of blokes have long hair these days.
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The usual drivel, have you been on the sherry again, Eva?…;-)
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Probably – after all she is female *rolls eyes*
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Well, I ask you Kath, I complain about drivers not being able to see unlit cars in the gloom and Eva complains that my eyesight needs testing, then she goes on to say that it isn’t mainly women but men with long hair…really?
Womens’ logic maybe ,lets rewrite the highway code to miss out the bit about driving on headlights in bad conditions and just say, “if you can’t see unlit cars in the dark, get your eyes tested”…don’t think it would do much for road safety really do you?
As for driving on main beam if there are other cars about, no wonder the police pulled you, have you never heard the phrase….”don’t dazzle, dip”?
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Were you driving without winter-rated tyres?
If so, the buck stops right there, with you. If you’re not equipped to drive in poor conditions, don’t do it. Would you go out at night if all your headlights were broken, and then blame the council for inadequate street lighting when you crashed?
If you care so much about your kid getting to nursery that you’ll risk the journey regradless of conditions, then you should care enough to spend a few hundred pounds on better tyres to ensure the child’s safety.
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