Footage showing a car colliding with a HGV on a busy motorway in a dangerous filtering incident has been captured by a SmartWitness CCTV camera.
The footage, captured last month, shows a Ford Focus being shunted along the hard shoulder of the M6 after striking the side of a Malcolm Group lorry.
It had run out of filtering space as it tried to join the motorway, hitting the HGV after the driver failed to wait for a space behind it.
The CCTV footage seemingly showed the car driver was at fault, with insurers for the car driver settling the claim as soon as the video was produced.
Malcolm Group have fitted SmartWitness in-vehicle CCTV to their entire 500-strong fleet, with Allan Campbell, Technical Engineer, claiming the cameras had significantly improved road safety.
“It is one of a number of measures we have introduced to improve safety – and it has been money well spent,” he said.
“In this instance, the claim was settled very quickly at no cost to Malcolm Group.
“Before we installed the cameras, we could often end in messy situations where neither side was accepting blame.
“In these instances, the courts could often side against the haulier even when their driver was completely blameless due the lack of incontrovertible evidence.
“That is no longer the case now we have SmartWitness journey recorders.
“The key question – who’s to blame? – can be established very quickly, and insurance claims are settled within days instead of months, without any of the added costs.
“Crucially for Malcolm Group, we are aware when our drivers are at fault and can embark on additional training where necessary.
“The fact that drivers are aware that their driving is being monitored makes them extra vigilant – also ensuring improved road safety.”
David Jackson
( Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 15:26 )
Must be a lady driver doing her make up, rushing to get to her job! JK 😉
Adrian Dawson
( Tuesday, June 24, 2014 - 11:19 )
Why do more and more drivers think they have the wright to filter in with out stopping if needed and not giving way to traffic already on the carriage way.
Do they not understand the highway code.
Mark Dean
( Friday, June 20, 2014 - 13:16 )
Sorry Dave I completely disagree, you are hell bent on blaming the truck driver and you are wrong. The highway code is very clear on the subject, the highway code sets the rules of the road which is how the insurance company will have reached their decision. Your comment about the truck driver backing off could hold merit but to go to that extreme the same is to be said for the car driver, who if they had of being obeying the highway code would not be in that situation in the first place. Your comment on dismissing the driver, just as well you are not his boss, he would have a case for unfair dismissal, good luck with that one.
Dave Redmond
( Tuesday, June 3, 2014 - 13:54 )
I don’t understand why this video is being put out by The Malcolm Group as some sort of proof that the car driver is 100% to blame. Similarly whoever sanctioned the insurance claim as 100% blame to the car driver wants their head examining. 1, the lorry is being driven too close to the car it’s already following on the motorway. 2, regardless of what The Highway Code says, all the lorry driver had to do was back off slightly and a collision [which could so easily have been fatal] would have been avoided. 3, instead of using common sense and backing off slightly the lorry driver deliberately speeds his/her vehicle up, closing the gap, and causing the collision. If I was in charge of drivers at The Malcolm Group, this lorry driver would no longer be working for me. I genuinely fear for what is deemed right and wrong on our UK roads these days.
Dave
( Friday, May 30, 2014 - 09:06 )
If one studies the video carefully one will see that an artic had moved over to lane 3 from lane 2 to attempt to give the truck in lane 1 a chance to move over. Looking closely it appears the truck driver in lane 1 had been attempting to move into lane 2 but couldn’t, probably because it would have been more dangerous to do so. Some of the comments below are ridiculous and show the complete and utter lack of knowledge by some drivers on UK roads.When joining any road from a slip road the vehicle joining the main carriageway MUST!!!! give way to traffic on the main carriageway. If they don’t then it clearly is careless driving. Obviously some have read a different version of the highway code as opposed to the official version
john whitehead
( Thursday, May 29, 2014 - 21:16 )
Note for the red car driver and the drivers below who think it is the lorry drivers fault. Highway Code ( remember that. Its the booklet you read prior to your test, and you obviously dont think it applies to you nowadays ) Rule 259 states –You should give priority to traffic already on the motorway. Check the motorway traffic and match your speed to fit SAFELY into it.
Gaf
( Thursday, May 29, 2014 - 17:06 )
The focus clearly signalled, we don’t know the gap situation behind the lorry. If the focus stopped it would have been dangerous. In this circumstance the Lorry was driving too close to the vehicle at front, very inconsiderate and should have allowed the focus to merge in. In my opinion it was the lorry that was at fault!
Brian Foulkes
( Thursday, May 29, 2014 - 16:59 )
Lorry driver biggest culprit here – he clearly had time and space to move over lane to right as may be seen by overtaking truck leaving a lane spare – car driver panicked caused by lorry driver
Sylda
( Thursday, May 29, 2014 - 15:05 )
The sensible thing for car drivers to do when joining a mainstream motorway lane is to allow the heavy stuff to pass and pull onto the carriageway behind them – the car driver has so much more acceleration power and speed making it easy to pass the big things once on the motorway – the guy in the red car clearly is not a sensible driver – there are far too many incidents like this causing incidents and delays on our roads. I am a car driver but I sympathize with truck driver for the way many car drivers treat them.
Malcolm Whittle
( Thursday, May 29, 2014 - 14:49 )
Both parties at fault, lack of awareness by the car and poor consideration for other road users and its responsibility to give way when joining, although the wagon could easily have made room for the car, it aggressively bullied the car driver into having to give way too late causing the accident. Both parties should be prosecuted for driving inconsiderately.
Mark Dean
( Thursday, May 29, 2014 - 14:00 )
The car driver was clearly at fault, be through a panic response because they were running out of road or through ignorance of the rules. Joining traffic must do so safely without causing the traffic already on the road having to take evasive action as a result of them doing so. Truck driver has nothing much to answer for from what I saw.
Dave Jones
( Thursday, May 29, 2014 - 13:41 )
Both parties at fault.
The truck driver deliberately speeded up to prevent the car entering the main carriageway instead of slowing or moving lanes.
The car driver – once realising the truck was not going to let him in, should have braked.
Keith
( Thursday, May 29, 2014 - 13:37 )
Quite clearly Truck driver sped up – clear case of bullying – the decent thing to do was to slow down let the vehicle move in front and everyone is happy. But lets be honest don’t we all do that on occasions – part of the road rage society we live in !!
Phil the Pot
( Thursday, May 29, 2014 - 13:21 )
Warren is absolutely right – the car driver should have stopped. Unfortunately most people WRONGLY believe that traffic on the motorway should move over, slow down or make some other adjustment to give preference to those joining the highway – they do not and usually only do so when it is safe and convenient – but that is good manners not a legal requirement.
Common decency
( Thursday, May 29, 2014 - 12:10 )
Technically the car driver was at fault, but the lorry driver is clearly ignorant and inconsiderate. That accident was 100% avoidable by either party. Fortunately “[Malcolm Group] are aware when [their] drivers are at fault and can embark on additional training where necessary.”
Mr Smith
( Thursday, May 29, 2014 - 12:02 )
If the lorry driver had been more considerate, accident would have been avoided.
WAS
( Thursday, May 29, 2014 - 11:57 )
Thew truck started to accelerate as the car trying to filter in 31 mph to 34 mph.
if he had slowed instead of accelerating, the car could have filtered in. Bullying trucker?
Rob Elmore
( Thursday, May 29, 2014 - 11:40 )
In my view the truck driver was largely to blame as he should have backed off and allowed the car driver to join the road as required by the Highway Code.
Instead he accelerates and closes the gap to stop the car driver joning the road safely.
The alternative for the car driver would have been to virtually stop causing a greater hazard on the slip road.
Warren
( Thursday, May 29, 2014 - 11:26 )
there was nothing unavoidable in that video at all – drivers who are joining a motorway/dual carriageway automatically think traffic has to give way to them. They do not – YOU have to give way to traffic on the carriageway, even if that means STOPPING on the filter lane until you can join safely