Anyone near Taunton on the M5 last night?

[MarillionFan]

It was started by a caravan, I'll be bound.

The M5 is swarming with them, swaying and lurching all over the place.

Sounds like it may have been NAT. He said it was all going on behind him. He'd looked up from putting a CD in and behind him it was chaos.

[Troll]

Probably all those women who think you have to stop on the sliproad before joining the motorway.

FTFY

[shaunbhoy]

Shaunbhoy lives round there somewhere doesn't he.

SB03 went past there a few minutes earlier in his articulated lorry though. Reckons the weather was dreadfull, and there was also a large Fireworks display occurring at Taunton Rugby Club, adjacent to the motorway.
Sounds like some dipstick was paying too much attention to the Catherine wheels and not enough to his own wheels.

[Arturo Bassick]

SB03 went past there a few minutes earlier in his articulated lorry though. Reckons the weather was dreadfull, and there was also a large Fireworks display occurring at Taunton Rugby Club, adjacent to the motorway.
Sounds like some dipstick was paying too much attention to the Catherine wheels and not enough to his own wheels.

Glad to hear you and yours were not involved.

[shaunbhoy]

Glad to hear you and yours were not involved.

Cheers AB. Bit too close for comfort though.

[Zippy]

Glad to hear you and yours were not involved.

WABS.
Poor buggers.

[PAH]

Reckons the weather was dreadfull, and there was also a large Fireworks display occurring at Taunton Rugby Club, adjacent to the motorway.
Sounds like some dipstick was paying too much attention to the Catherine wheels and not enough to his own wheels.

I think that's very likely. It was very foggy around that area. So bad I had to use the sat nav to tell me when a bend in the road was coming up as visibility was down to under 20 metres in the worst bits.

Someone on the news reported seeing the initial crash fireball while watching the fireworks display, so distraction is as likely as the bad weather as it sounds like the incident was directly opposite the display.

I nearly got caught up in it, was travelling south on the M5 at the time and was one of the first to be stopped at J23 as they closed off the motorway in both directions. Fortunately it only took them about 10 mins to get their act together and let us filter off at J23 to find our own way around the closed junctions.

Would probably have taken them less time but they had to deal with muppets trying to drive up the hard shoulder to the exit, blocking the emergency services. One plod spent a few minutes walking down the line taking reg numbers so they'll probably get done as it is an offence, and that kind of impatient sod-em behaviour by motorists makes a difficult job a little bit harder when dealing with such a major incident.

Times like this you realise the emergency services are doing more than just a job, and one I wouldn't have the stomach for.

[VectraMan]

I think that's very likely. It was very foggy around that area. So bad I had to use the sat nav to tell me when a bend in the road was coming up as visibility was down to under 20 metres in the worst bits.

[PAH]

Relax, I only drive as fast as I can see. Besides, it's all in the reflexes.


On a more serious note, it sounds like the smoke from the rugby club bonfire and firework display may have drifted across the carriageway, though it was also foggy (at least in patches) so people shouldn't have been doing normal speeds anyway.

BBC News - Seven confirmed dead in M5 accident in Somerset

Motorist James Spurling, of High Wycombe, said: "I had just passed the spot where the accident happened just before 8:30.

"I, along with a car on the inside lane, had to brake very sharply as we both hit a solid wall of white that came out of nowhere.

"The visibility was instantly down to less than three metres and I would say was approximately 200 yards thick, once out the other side it was completely clear."

Not sure if breaking sharply is a safe response to hitting 'fog' unless you can be sure there was no-one close behind. This sort of stuff isn't taught when learning to drive, so often learnt the hard way.

[SueEllen]

Relax, I only drive as fast as I can see. Besides, it's all in the reflexes.


On a more serious note, it sounds like the smoke from the rugby club bonfire and firework display may have drifted across the carriageway, though it was also foggy (at least in patches) so people shouldn't have been doing normal speeds anyway.

BBC News - Seven confirmed dead in M5 accident in Somerset




Not sure if breaking sharply is a safe response to hitting 'fog' unless you can be sure there was no-one close behind. This sort of stuff isn't taught when learning to drive, so often learnt the hard way.

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