AA chief's 'stupid driving' warning; Lorry driver 'saved lives' in pile-up

The Kent car pile-up may have been caused by “stupid driving” , an AA chief in the UK said today.

It comes as a witness has claimed that a lorry driver who saw the start of the 100-car accident used his truck to block the entrance to the bridge and stop more cars piling into the crash.

A driver involved in the crash, Chris Buckingham, told Sky News: “There was somebody, from what I’ve been told by the police there at the scene, who actually witnessed the first part of the accident, a lorry driver.

“He was going the other way and what he managed to do, which has probably saved lives, is he’s gone down to the end of the carriageway, gone across the roundabout and actually blocked off the road so no more cars could actually enter the dual carriageway before the emergency services got there.

“Whoever that guy is I’d like to shake his hand because he’s probably saved lives today.”

The pile-up on a bridge in heavy fog has left at least six people seriously injured and 200 suffering minor wounds in what witnesses described as “carnage”.

No one is believed to have died in the crash on the new Sheppey crossing bridge in Kent. It started at around 7.15am and continued for 10 minutes as cars and lorries crashed into each other in visibility that was down to 20 yards.

There were reports of some motorists driving “like idiots” in the conditions before the crash that completely closed the A249 that goes over the bridge.

Motorists involved could well have been travelling far too close to the vehicle in front and not using their fog lights, claims AA president Edmund King.

He added that some drivers were unaware of how to use their fog lights and he also said drivers in the Kent accident were likely to be out of pocket as they faced paying the first £200 to £300 in accident claims.

Mr King went on: “I was driving in foggy conditions on the M25 in Hertfordshire today and it was stupid the way people were driving. That could well have been the case in the Kent incident today.

“I had to signal to some guy who was driving just two feet behind me to keep back. Many people were not using their fog lights and many were travelling far too close to the vehicle in front.”

Mr King continued: “It’s really bad to travel too close to the car in front in good conditions and if you do it in foggy conditions it’s an absolute recipe for disaster. In dense fog you cannot see the brake lights ahead. By law, you don’t have to have fog lights on, although it’s recommended.

“Unfortunately many people don’t know how to turn their fog lights on. You may only need them once a year but it’s vital they get used.”

Mr King added: “The main thing for drivers to remember is not to tailgate. Such actions are now covered by new careless driving legislation and offenders could face a fixed penalty notice.

“it’s just fortunate that the casualty figures from today’s incident were low. it could have been a lot worse. Many people could be out of pocket following the accident as their insurance policies could require them to pay the first £200 to £300 of a claim for a shunt-like crash.”