Messerschmitt accident on A38?

[marcus]

No opposing views from me, Alan, I quite agree with what you say. I have driven DUF from London down down to Faversham and back on the A2 / M2, but avoided busy times and kept as far to the left as possible. It was still not all that pleasant! Mike O'Ballance sticks a big orange rotating hazard on the rear of his Treinkel and I reckon that is a pretty wise thing to do.

[Bob Purton]

Yes, I too try to avoid busy times on the motorways. Last time I drove my schmitt to Bath I left at 4am for a clear run through London and down the M4 all was well untill a volvo driver deliberatly cut me up on an empty road! I guess he thought it was funny or maybe his granny was killed by a 901 during the war. I'm not a violent man but at that moment I could have swung for him! On the autobahn to Story I found the German drivers much more sympathetic and respectfull of our convoy.

[marcus]

I nearly got run over this morning while cycling back from the shops. Big car turned off the main road into the road I was in, but decided that the white lines down the middle of the road I was in meant nothing, to paraphrase "Chicken Run": "The whole ROAD is my side of the road".

Quite agree about the Germans, Bob, in my experience they and the Dutch are the best drivers in the world. Americans are very good around small towns and countryside, but on the Freeway they turn to homicidal suicidal maniacs. I think the standard of driving in UK has plummeted. try to pull in to a motorway and everyone tries to block you, try to change lane and they speed up to overtake you, and only the uncoolest drivers EVER use indicators.

[blob]

decided that the white lines down the middle of the road I was in meant nothing,

I blame those half hearted speed bumps, people always try to avoid them then get in the habit of ignoring white lines on most back streets.

[Barry]

We have rumble strips to warn the deer.  More like earth quake strips when you are in a Messerschmitt.  The cars behind can't understand why I have to slow down so much.

[marcus]

decided that the white lines down the middle of the road I was in meant nothing,

I blame those half hearted speed bumps, people always try to avoid them then get in the habit of ignoring white lines on most back streets.

Yup! People are now so normalised to driving along the middle of the road with wheels either side of the central speed hump (when there are parked cars at the side) that they have forgotten what white lines are there for. It is bad enough when you are in a car, but if you are on a cycle (and cannot keep to the kerb, because of parked vehicles), the hostility which some drivers show is incredible!

[blob]

the hostility which some drivers show is incredible!

20 years of cycling in London and I've see it all, even been chased a few times! You should invest in a head-cam Marcus, these days a lot of riders are sending footage to the police to aid the prosecution of bad drivers.

[Big Al]

Indeed I have had a better driving experience in Germany. I put it down to the fact that they still have pride in their products and in the main the slight hold up is countered by the pleasure of seeing a vehicle they have some sort of respect/pride in on the road. Would they be as accommodating for a non German thing like French fridge? However unrestricted Autobahns are pretty scary if you fancy overtaking a truck. Holland, well they do have some complete loonies as well and I have been frightened more than a few times. France is used to pathetically slow machinery but the French do seem to enjoy harrising the British motorist for which I love them. The French have the good sense to stand up for themselves. Antwerp and Brussels rings - better than a video game.

[marcus]

I was treated almost like royalty when I drove across Germany in an old and tired Austin Maxi. Jaws dropped and a path cleared for me, politely, as if I was an extremely important alien god.

Yup cycling in London is tricky, but nowadays the worst people in the roads are.....






......the PEDESTRIANS! Jeez, are they allergic to pavements? Mums with babies and toddlers are the worst, then all the others who are far too cool to walk on the pavements, and who seem to be more interested in their phones than their safety, and they do get stroppy at any cyclist who they encounter in the road. I get fined if I cycle on the pavement, but around here I have less chance of hitting a pedestrian if I cycle there rather than the road! The world's gone nuts!

[Big Al]

At the risk of being non PC I would suggest a lot of London's population have never seen a footpath before and do not know what it is for other than that its presence means 'gold'!

[Rusty Chrome (Malcolm Parker)]

this showed up in my News Alerts box:

http://www.burtonmail.co.uk/News/Micro-car-involved-in-A38-crash-02072011.htm

Micro car involved in A38 crash July 2 2011

TWO people in a micro car have been taken to hospital by air ambulance after a road traffic collision on the A38 this afternoon (Saturday).

The incident happened on the A38 southbound at Wychnor between Barton Turn and Alrewas at around 2pm and involved a Messerschmitt micro car and a Citroen Saxo.

The two people travelling in the Messerschmitt were both flown by air ambulance as a precaution with head injuries, one to the University Hospital of North Staffordshire and one to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

One lane of the southbound carriageway had to be closed while recovery work took place causing some delays for motorists in the area.

Here's a link to the follow-up.

http://www.burtonmail.co.uk/News/Drink-driver-tried-to-blame-crash-victims-26082011.htm

[Jim Janecek]

from the follow up:
"For the offence of driving without due care and attention, he was ordered to pay a £100 fine, £15 victim surcharge and £85 court costs."

that's it?

[Big Al]

Dave Dawes, that is a name known to micronauts. They are MEC members and probably MOC members local to the area of the accident. Well at least they are OK even if a bit battered. Was the other guy insured? One assumes so as that is going to be quite a big claim. You can kind of see what happened and I go back to the problem of going slower than average on a fast road when you have drivers not or unable to concentrate. Does not make it right but better to learn from others misfortune and avoid being placed in a dangerous position. Then they are local so maybe it is not a bad bit of road. That said a drunk is just as likely to run into you in town if your numbers on his bumper. All very unfortunate.

[Jonathan Poll]

from the follow up:
"For the offence of driving without due care and attention, he was ordered to pay a £100 fine, £15 victim surcharge and £85 court costs."

that's it?

Stupid. In France, tis the opposite! You get a 90€ fine for going less than 10% over the limit!

[Big Al]

That is true too. We should have a minimum speed limit for motorways and dual carriageways. I subscribe to the opinion that slow drivers cause quite a few incidents, not least some where the faster driver gets the blame by default. Case in point I ran into the back of a Metro in Burford in a van loaded and trailing. Initially it was  all my fault till I pointed out the angle that the van had impacted the car. This undermined the guys innocent plea as in fact he had pulled out under my wheels without looking and I caught him at just enough angle that it was clear what happened. He would have got away with it if he had got on with it but he was an old git in a Metro so I had to leave some of my tyres on the road but still hit him. That same van squashed another Metro in a similar incident council guys found in my favour as the guy was dicking about so the claim was not supported. (Old style Fiat Ducatto, four accidents, none judged my fault but certainly one error of judgement in there, and bought in accident damaged, yet it still ran throughout without more than steering adjustments and a tyre for all of that. Brilliant. Much better than modern plastic bumpered whimp wagons. Did about 7 Mannhiems and lots more in it, never let me down).