MOTORWAY MADNESS
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• "It's a miracle more people weren't killed". Anybody who saw the pictures this week of the 54 vehicle pile-up on the M18 and the 30vehicle crash on the M62 would be tempted to agree with the unnamed policeman quoted in the Daily Mirror.
The headline writers were quick to jump in with both feet. "Motorway Madness" was an obvious choice. And madness, or a temporary loss of sanity, is exactly what it is. Why else should a driver deliberately speed in fog? Maybe those involved in the crashes thought they could see better than anybody else. It was a short-sighted view.
The most disturbing image is of mangled light vehicles under relatively undamaged trucks. No doubt that will lead to renewed juggernaut hysteria. But then it's easy to blame the truck because it creates the most damage. It's worth noting that in a recent crash on the M25 which resulted in an artic crossing the central reservation the accident was caused by a car driver.
Those who look for a scapegoat are missing the point. Until every person who gets behind the wheel of a vehicle considers the likely consequences of their actions whether it's speeding in fog, or pulling out to overtake on a bend, there will always be accidents.
Maybe those horrific pictures will encourage drivers to use their brains before their accelerator pedals.