Yesterday morning, I was making the second journey of the week to Norfolk via the motorway, I had got up nice and early, and was approaching the M25 around 7:00am. A traffic alert mentioned that there was a 30 min tailback on the anti-clockwise spur of the M25 approaching the Homesdale tunnel. I was travelling in the clockwise direction, so this wasn't going to affect me, however I was disappointed when driving about 1.5 miles from Homesdale tunnel I hit traffic!
There is ongoing road works on the Homedale tunnel at the moment, with a 40MPH speed limit in place, but this had not caused any problems the previous day, so I didn't think that was what was causing the jam. Maybe the car accident had forced the highways agency to close one of the lanes on the clockwise section. Imagine my surprise when I get to the Homesdale tunnel to find that there were no problems on the clockwise section of the M25, and the delays were caused by people slowing down to look at the accident on the anti-clockwise section!
In fact about 300 yards after we exited the Homesdale tunnel, the road ahead was clear as the road was back to the full three wide lanes.
While there were speed restrictions on the M25, it is not uncommon to find accidents on motorways causing tailbacks on both directions, people slow down to look, take their eyes off the road, and BANG!
What causes these accidents in the first place, considering that motorways are supposed to be safer than driving on other roads.
Speeds on motorways are high, therefore it is necessary that all drivers concentrate fully on their duties and are not easily distracted. The truth of the matter is that a lot of drivers because they have made a few motorway journeys without incidents become complacent and think that they are safe drivers. I see many instances of appalling driving on the motorway, so if you've recently passed your test, or are going on your first few motorway journeys don't follow the crowd, but stick to the standard you have been taught.
A lot of drivers think they are safe, just because they haven't been involved in an accident, but if you were able to find out how many near misses they have been involved in, or how many accidents have been avoided due the reaction of the other party, things might not be so rosy.
So if you are driving on the motorway, take care, be safe, allow enough time for your journey, keep your eyes on the road, take a break if you are tired, and don't tailgate other drivers. It is better to arrive late, than to arrive as THE LATE!
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