Some of you on here may recall the tragic accident, which occurred in July 2009 on the A36, four miles Frome side of Warminster. A 79 year old male driver of a Volvo attempted to carry out a U-turn on the stretch of dual carriageway approx a mile from the Standerwick junction opposite The Bell pub. The driver pulled out of the lay-by into the path of five bikers, killing one and seriously injuring another. The pensioner was later convicted of causing death by careless driving.
I remember the horrific crash so well because I was on my way to Dilton Marsh that evening to have my current van sign written.
I’ve shared the above with you as I just can’t get my head around a driving manoeuvre I witnessed today at the exact same lay-by where the biker died that night.
I left the market complex in my van this afternoon following behind a small Landrover towing a large box trailer full of sheep. I was in turn followed by a small Volkswagen. As we all came to a halt at the aforementioned junction, the A36 was clear in both directions and all three vehicles exited at the same time.
After Travelling about three quarters of a mile towards Warminster at approx 40mph, the driver of the Landrover and trailer indicated to make a right turn. As there is no junction or even a track on the right of that stretch of road, I thought, he must have knocked the indicator stalk by mistake.
Not at all – I braked to a standstill and to my disbelief, he did a complete u-turn, overshooting the same lay-by, mounting the verge before completing the manoeuvre and heading off in the direction of Frome. All executed whilst engaged in a conversation on his mobile phone which was held in his right hand.
We all make errors and mistakes from time-to-time – this however, was blatant and total disregard for the safety of anyone else on the road. Doesn’t happen often, but I was lost for words.
Originally Posted by Nellybambam
