Unimaginable. Preventable?

[Rogin the Armchair fan]

entire family wiped out in burning car in Cheshire

You always feel so "safe", really, driving on motorways, don't you? You even think that, if the worst comes to the worst and you're shunted from behind by another driver, you'll just get out and start arguing about insurance claims.

It never really occurs that a crash, at that speed, with your engine that hot, will automatically ignite the petrol tank that's leaked underneath you, giving you virtually no chance of escape before you're burnt to death where you sit.

Chilling and horrifying. I hope - if that's the right sentiment, you know what I mean - that these people died unconscious of what was happening to them.

[mafu]

Unimaginable. Preventable?

I never feel very safe driving on motorways to be honest

[ursus arctos]

Unimaginable. Preventable?

Did Ford not sell the Pinto in Britain?

[boris]

Unimaginable. Preventable?

Statistically motorways are supposed to be the safest roads (based on accidents per volume of traffic or something). At least, that's what a traffic cop told me when I was doing my speed awareness course.

I guess though, that like airplane crashes, their relative infrequency and higher death toll makes them more noticeable when they do occur.

[Cavalry Trouser Tips]

Unimaginable. Preventable?

The most common thing to ignite first in a car is the brake fluid.

I was this close to losing it at 70-80mph on the M42 the other night. I felt my back end kick out and I had to wrestle with the steering wheel a bit to regain control. I almost had a heart attack.

Coupled with my uber-scary 70mph tyre blowout on the M69 last month, I ought to stay off the motorways for a bit I reckon.