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General Car Chat / Re: So what have you done to your car today?
« on: 22 June 2025, 18:29:46 »Because you have decided to justify your actions, tends to suggest that you know it wasn't the wisest thing to do - very kind and helpful, but still not the wisest act of the day you could have done.I justified it because it was called into question.
The actions of the camper van driver have highlighted the dangers that other ill-informed drivers who are unaware of the situation ahead of them can pose to acts of heroism without the correct rearward protection.
Most motorway drivers only seem to react to blue lights ahead of them, less so to amber lights (and also matrix), and they wouldn't have had a clue as to what was going on with the hgv.
Best left to the professionals (Highways Agency questionable? Police - definitely)
In the exact same situation, I have done it before and would do it again. In other circumstances I would make the decision on merit.
Calculated decision making is something I get to do most days at work. I'll give you two examples of situations where the choices are the worst case or the slightly less worst case and let you ponder how you would respond in each situation.
1. Coming into land, a couple of minutes out and strapped in. Toilet smoke alarm sounds.
Do you a) get up, silence the alarm and investigate the cause; or b) sit there wondering?
2. Strapped in and heading to the runway to take off. As the aircraft turns onto the runway you look down the aisle and see two trolleys break free.
Do you a) sit and watch them bounce their way down the cabin as you take off; or b) get out of your seat and pin them in place with your arm whilst bracing yourself against the bulkhead?
One situation was just poor timing, tother totally avoidable but happened nevertheless. Both are the immediate situation and have further decisions and potential consequences as a result of which choice you make.
I know what I did in each situation and would make the same decision in each case, although the avoidable situation is now less likely to happen to me again.
Having had a moment to reflect, I wonder if you would still drive past without a second thought or would perhaps actually, or at least consider the possibility, do something about it.
I believe everyone in a working environment has to make instant decisions relative to incidents and situations especially where the general public are involved, and dispite H&S training, many do what their instincts tell them relative to the incident in question - the brain adapts into H&S mode automatically without that person stopping to think 'Is it safe for me to continue my actions' or 'What may the possible outcome be relative to the risks involved?' - they do what they feel is safe at that moment in time. Workplace experience plays a big factor in each individual situation whilst at work.
Experience in dealing with motorway incidents is not something to be taken lightly - you only have to ask any Motorway Traffic Officer (Police that is, not the HA
), and stranded vehicles pose more of a danger than the majority of every motorists perceive. Many motorway drivers don't think that they will ever need to stop in a live lane of a motorway other than in a build up of traffic, which results in instances of heavy braking when they suddenly realise that a vehicle ahead of them has come to a unexplicable stop in the carriageway. So to assist a stricken motorist in a live lane even with the kind assistance of a HGV driver, is something that could and certainly has in the past ended up with a scene that resembles a war zone.
When you have been scraping the blood and guts up off the tarmac, and sitting their loved one down to tell them their husband / wife / son / daughter or whatever has been killed in a live lane of a motorway, you may then understand where I'm coming from.....
