Motorway Breakdown
kendo - 8/12/11 at 02:57 PM
This is something I have wondered about for ages but I suddenly feel inspired to share it with you all for your comment.
You see it most days if you travel on the UK's motorway network. Car broken down on the hardshoulder with the driver (and any other occupants)
doing the sensible thing, following all the advice that's given out, by getting out of the car to await recovery.
Now here is the point that puzzles me. Why do so many (almost all) stand in front of the car? Not immediately in front that would be silly, but about
20 to 30 yards down stream?
The reason they got out is because of the risk of a stationary vehicle being hit by some gormoid too busy gawping to keep their own vehicle on the
straight and narrow. So if the car is unlucky enough to be hit by another vehicle travelling upwards of 50mph, where is it going to go? Right at the
occupants standing a "safe" distance away from the car.
So it makes me think that people whose cars break down didn't listen in physics lessons.
or
If you don't listen in Physics your car will breakdown! 
deezee - 8/12/11 at 03:17 PM
To be honest, as there is virtually no education about motorway driving and with the generally poor driving test, its hardly surprising. I've
never seen a broken down car point its self away from traffic in case it gets hit. All the AA, RAC and emergency services do, but every other gimp
just leaves it there waiting to become a 3 lane road block. I've even had the pleasure of seeing some turd, thinking he's safe, walking 100
yrds down the hard shoulder to erect a pissy 10 inch high warning triangle.
PSpirine - 8/12/11 at 03:21 PM
quote:
Originally posted by deezee
To be honest, as there is virtually no education about motorway driving and with the generally poor driving test, its hardly surprising. I've
never seen a broken down car point its self away from traffic in case it gets hit. All the AA, RAC and emergency services do, but every other gimp
just leaves it there waiting to become a 3 lane road block. I've even had the pleasure of seeing some turd, thinking he's safe, walking 100
yrds down the hard shoulder to erect a pissy 10 inch high warning triangle.
A bit unfair calling him a turd. As you just mentioned, there is so little education that people don't know what to do. Erecting a warning
triangle is at least a logical thought. My favourite is people that swing the driver's door open to get out whilst cars are blasting past.
Mind you, until I came to the UK, the side of a motorway was the place to whip out the jack and change to the spare wheel (or do whatever other
roadside repair needs doing). Done so in USA, Europe and Cyprus. It's only here that there appears to be this doomsday view of the hard shoulder
being a place of certain death.
Myke 2463 - 8/12/11 at 03:32 PM
I was asked this on my test 40+ years ago correct answer = out of car and on the side away from car,
Daughters test was 3 years ago, now stay in car to stop kids running about out of control.
hughpinder - 8/12/11 at 03:33 PM
I swapped the gearbox on my cortina on the side of the M1 just notrh of luton - that was in the early 80's mind you. I had to hitch a lift to a
scrappies, remove said box and hitch back(with the new box obviously) - Ah the good old days! It was in a gale and sleeting to add to the fun. So just
proves that you don't always die if you stop on the hard shoulder.
Regards
Hugh
britishtrident - 8/12/11 at 04:03 PM
Almost Exactly 20 years back I saw what happened when a young woman broke down broke down in her Metro on the hard shoulder of the west bound lane
of the M8 a few hundred yards before the Paisley-Renfrew turn off. An idiot in a MK3 Escort Xr3i was using the hard shoulder as a private fast lane (
a nasty practice that was surprisingly common on thatstretch of road at the time) ran into the back of the Metro Escort Xr3i's being what they
were burst into flames and Metros having no rear end protection the doors on Metro jammed. girl was burned alive in the car.
And the tories want to do away with hard shoulders on our motorways ?!
jollygreengiant - 8/12/11 at 04:59 PM
quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
And the tories want to do away with hard shoulders on our motorways ?!
They already are, just have a look at how they have widened the M1 & M25 in places.
JGG
craig1410 - 8/12/11 at 05:34 PM
Not saying I agree with having no hard shoulder but your example below doesn't seem to suggest that having a hard shoulder is any better. In fact
I suspect if that girl in the metro was on a road with no hard shoulder then she would probably have been okay because there would have been a queue
behind her protecting her from the idiot in the XR3i.
Thinking about it, I've seen too many near misses caused by people using the hard shoulder as an extension to the next slip road and then
thinking it's fine to drive at 60 MPH next to stationary traffic. Maybe we are better off without them!
quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
Almost Exactly 20 years back I saw what happened when a young woman broke down broke down in her Metro on the hard shoulder of the west bound lane
of the M8 a few hundred yards before the Paisley-Renfrew turn off. An idiot in a MK3 Escort Xr3i was using the hard shoulder as a private fast lane (
a nasty practice that was surprisingly common on thatstretch of road at the time) ran into the back of the Metro Escort Xr3i's being what they
were burst into flames and Metros having no rear end protection the doors on Metro jammed. girl was burned alive in the car.
And the tories want to do away with hard shoulders on our motorways ?!
JoelP - 8/12/11 at 06:17 PM
I was once driving somewhere, when i saw a chap sat on the side of the road, right by where the road went over a bridge, and i thought it an odd place
to be sat. I looked at him as i went past at 70, wondering why he was there, and as i looked back ahead, i realised why! His car was parked on the
road literally 20 yards in front of me (remember im in a sprinter doing 70 
). I have literally never swerved so violently before or since. In fact i
swerved so hard to the right, it felt like i had wheels off the ground.
So ever since then ive berated people who wait 'upstream' of their car, as it only serves to distract people.
morcus - 9/12/11 at 04:02 AM
I was under the impression that the best place to be was the otherside of a crash barrier, maybe I'm reading it wrong or is the OP suggesting
these folk are stood on the actual shoulder infront of the car? Of course I'm paranoid and half expect someone to crash into me on purpose in
such a situation so I'd probably get out through the passenger door and leap over tha barrier and run a bit, just to be sure. Staying in the car
is horrible because everything moving past you shakes it.
I don't think the Tories want to get rid of hard shoulders, it certainly wasn't in the manifesto.
jeffw - 9/12/11 at 08:42 AM
quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
Almost Exactly 20 years back I saw what happened when a young woman broke down broke down in her Metro on the hard shoulder of the west bound lane
of the M8 a few hundred yards before the Paisley-Renfrew turn off. An idiot in a MK3 Escort Xr3i was using the hard shoulder as a private fast lane (
a nasty practice that was surprisingly common on thatstretch of road at the time) ran into the back of the Metro Escort Xr3i's being what they
were burst into flames and Metros having no rear end protection the doors on Metro jammed. girl was burned alive in the car.
And the tories want to do away with hard shoulders on our motorways ?!
Those nasty right wing politicans removing hard shoulders so young women don't burn in Metros...at least that seems to be the thrust of your,
badly thought out, arguement against the existing government. I presume you think that, under the wonderful Gordon Brown, we would have burning girls
on the NHS....with no charge?