Had a run in with a Subaru salesman !

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Question - anyone speak enough german to translate the vid?

Translation:
Fire chief: "At the moment we are finding it extremely difficult to separate the passenger car and the lorry. The car hit the back of the truck with such force - due to the speed differential - that it has become completely stuck underneath."

Police spokesman: "The cause of the accident - as far as it is apparent - is that the car driver was driving with extremely high velocity and collided with the back of the truck in the RIGHT HAND LANE, we don't yet have any more details. We understand that the freight vehicle was driving at around 80 km/h and was also tested completely sober. Under these circumstances the chance of surviving such an accident is nil."
 
I thought the point of this thread was to talk about how one of our members had a near miss with a speeding subaru salesman?
 
Pedestrians need 30 mph not cars.

why is 40mph in a 30mph zone deemed more dangerous than 30mph?
Because if you hit a pedestrian the energy dissipated is far greater and will probably kill them as opposed to merely put them in hospital. The 30 mph speed limit is not for the drivers safety its for the pedestrians safety .:confused: theres an advert on TV that deals specifically with this point
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS5f73EHRhA&mode=related&search=
 
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I thought the point of this thread was to talk about how one of our members had a near miss with a speeding subaru salesman?

Nice try getting the thread through the needle again :rolleyes:
 
Here's another interesting clip..
 
As an ex-international HGV driver, I have to say the truck driver in the vid was a prat of the first order. A rank amateur. He wasn't reading the road, or the signs: the third lane merged into lane two very shortly after the impact, and was clearly signed. He was on a motorway, so should never have contemplated lane three at all. And he wasn't using his mirrors enough. When driving an artic, you need to watch your mirrors as much as the road ahead, so as to have a constant picture of what's going on behind you, as well as in front. Having said that, the cop was also driving like an amateur - lousy risk-assessment, and he made a dangerous assumption: that the truck driver would drive like a pro, and obey the rules of the road. So 50/50 I reckon.
The German clip was discussed here at length a few months ago. It's a stretch of autobahn I know well. Just shows how suicidal it can be to drive fast on public roads, no matter what the posted speed limit. Relying on luck is not sufficient. And that's all the E55 driver was relying on, and it ran out, big time.
And to try and keep this thread on-topic: my 83-year-old Dad drives a Subaru Forester. Slowly ;)
 
As an ex-international HGV driver, I have to say the truck driver in the vid was a prat of the first order. A rank amateur. He wasn't reading the road, or the signs: the third lane merged into lane two very shortly after the impact, and was clearly signed. He was on a motorway, so should never have contemplated lane three at all.
Was he not approaching a roundabout and simply getting in the correct lane to go round it?
 
It doesn't really matter how good a driver you are or how empty the roads are or how good visibility is ......

What you need to think about is what if a deer, or a fox or a dog (or whatever) runs out in front of you at that speed. I have seen the damage a deer can do to a car at 60mph let alone 160!

If you swerve around it at 160mph you're probably dead. If you hit it you're probably dead too.

It's a free county and it's your choice but don't be selfish and take the family with you :(
 
So 50/50 I reckon.
Sorry but I strongly disagree.

I am neither a truck driver nor a traffic officer so do not have a vested interest.

The truck driver quite clearly joined the third lane when he had no right to do so. That's a given and fully accepted. There is mitigation to this illegal manoeuvre in so far as just a few hundred yards ahead the carriageway altered, it became two lanes and the driver was turning right. This person is GUILTY of a minor traffic offence.

The Police Officer was exceeding the speed limit on the pretext of chasing a speeding motorist?? The Police vehicle was NOT displaying ANY indication that it was travelling at high speed (blue lights, sirens or flashing headlights). The lorry driver or ANY driver should check their mirrors before commencing any manoeuvre and it could VERY easily be claimed the truck driver checked his mirrors and did see the oncoming vehicle but it was a considerable distance away. The road ahead was changing, the driver had to turn right at an oncoming roundabout, so after checking his mirrors he commenced the change of course.

The Police Officer saw the truck in the centre lane with its right-hand indicator on and made NO attempt to attract the attention of the driver to his presence? The Police vehicle carried on closing with the truck at exceedingly high speed in the FULL KNOWLEDGE that the truck had its right-hand indicator on, it was CLEARLY changing lanes, yet the Police vehicle made NO attempt to slow down, NO attempt to attract the driver' attention to his presence and instead carried on regardless into a non existent gap at a recklessly dangerous speed.

On the one hand there is a truck driver who sneaked in to the third lane a few yards before the highway changed into a two lane carriageway, and on the other hand we have a class 1 advanced driver who should be highly trained in advanced driving and risk assessment when involved in pursuits.. I'm sorry but there is only ONE person to blame for this collision! To me the fact it is a lorry is irrelevant, the Police vehicle was determined to bully its way through. (no lights, sirens, blue lights)

As an aside, we heard there was an approaching roundabout, but did anyone see the alleged speeding motorist? What would have happened at the roundabout?

John

Edit
Yes this thread has gone off topic but surely we have the freedom to express an opinion on any points that are raised, or are we all supposed to agree with each other and not speak up?
 
Fair point John. Having viewed that clip loads of times now I am swinging around to the opinion that the police driver was firmly in the wrong. He was going far too fast on the approach to the roundabout, lane 3 was in any case closing very shortly. Even if I had expected the lorry to stay in lane 2 I would have been extremely twitchy about approaching a closed lane at 130.

The driver could well have checked his mirrors and not seen the police vehicle given the speed of approach and corner. From the roundabout sign it clearly indicates that the o/s lane is necessary to turn right- His only faux pas was failing to notice lane 3 running out shortly.

Whilst not a class 1 driver, I would have been on the anchors far, far sooner than our victim. And hey, what's wrong with the 2 clear lanes on the other side of the lorry, if necessary?
 
The truck driver should have seen that lane three ended and merged with lane two. As he was changing lane, he passed a Road Narrows sign. At the roundabout, there are only two lanes: one and two, so he had to pull back into lane two. He wasn't reading the road. As he was on a left hand bend, the police car was clearly visible in his nearside mirror. He was probably only checking the offside mirror, if at all.
The cop should have had his blues on, no doubt about that. And his risk assessment was poor - the truck could have been pulling out to avoid an obstruction in lane two, which would have been unseen by the cop. Passing an HGV that is signalling right is a bad call. Plus, approaching a roundabout at 120+ mph was a bit optimistic. Plus, his best move would have been on the nearside of the truck, in the visibly empty lane.
I still say 50/50.
 
I still say 50/50.
:) :) And that is what a mature debate is all about.

Kind regards
John
 
Believe me, it wouldn't be as civilised over on PistonHeads!
:) I'd love to know if the truck driver got reported for the accident and what decision was reached by the investigating officer?

I think the tactful or least embarrassing option would be to caution the truck driver for encroaching into the third lane and call it quits over the collision as I doubt the truck was damaged. Bit of fancy yellow and blue sticky stuff on the tyres that the driver might want to sell on Ebay :D .


John
 
I'd hope that the supervisor would look at the overall situation and call it quits. But you never know... I felt sorry for the truck driver, I hate people asking pointed questions just to make him say sorry. Small man syndrome IMHO...
 
Since Plodd no longer pops his head up very often I feel justified and safe calling all Traffic officers velcro-@rsed b@stards!!!
 

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