A38 near Sutton-In-Ashfield.. so many accidents?!

4631 Views 30 Replies 13 Participants Last post by denis747, May 16, 2012

sarie

Discussion Starter · Sep 21, 2010

I drive down the A38 from Rainworth nr Mansfield, to Derby every day for my work commute.
There is a section of A38 that goes past Sutton-In-Ashfield.

This section consists of single carriageway with traffic lights every 1/2 mile for crossroads. At the traffic lights the single lane changes to two lanes, then after the lights merges back into 1 lane.

Further along the road becomes dual carriageway, but still continues with major traffic light junctions every mile or so.

The amount of accidents on this stretch of the A38 is astronomical. I've been doing this commute for less than 2 months and almost every single day I encounter an accident of some variety on this stretch at varying times of day. Sometimes I encounter more than one in a day! One evening I passed 4 accidents on this stretch alone on my way home.

People seem to continually jump the lights, resulting in major accidents, or rear end traffic waiting at the lights resulting in more minor accidents.

Why the hell can't these people drive?! Traffic light junctions are about as clear cut as traffic control gets. If it goes amber, you slow down and stop. If it's red, you stop. How hard can it be???

Yesterday it took me 2 hours to get home as someone had rear ended a car waiting at the lights and shunted him into oncoming traffic. Road closed.

This morning it took me 2 hours to get into work as someone had jumped the lights and been T-Boned. 2 lanes closed.

What is wrong with these people!!!!!!!!!?

Getting really frustrated with how awful this road is for crashes. It'd be a fairly quick commute if the route wasn't riddled with lane closures.

Anyone else got a hideous route that has daily blockages due to moronic drivers?

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simcor

· #2 · Sep 21, 2010

Thats the A38 and the M1 from Junctions 21-42 on a good day.

The same can be said about the amount of accidents on the M1 between all those juncitions some places really are trouble spots for accidents.

Only last night coming off the M1 at J29 for home did i see the remannts of a 3 car pile up on the roundabout, quite how ir happened i have no idea and looked pretty bad with the recovery trucks removing the cars and the police still sat in attendance and the highways big yellow warning trucks.

I see accidents most days on the M1 and get caught up in the tailbacks regularly, as you say sometimes several in one journey.

Usually it is the standard of peoples driving to blame imho.

Simon

Frank

· #3 · Sep 21, 2010

penny ema way trafic lights junction , there neads to be a man with a checherd flag there ,and a amberlance ,,2 lanes go into 1 , lane seperators have lamposts to deter races ,,they get hit alot ,good job they make lampost;s nearby , keeps me in work ,todays slow cars do 90mph ,in a short time one can get upto 70 mph ,, people take time to react ,dont realise the space coverd when braking,

golflover

· #4 · Sep 23, 2010

Omg i hate when that happends. I ended up being in a car accident because some idot did not follow the traffic light signals on a cross road! He ended up injuring me and I ended up applying for a road traffic accident claim. I still suffer from aching back pains because of him. Most the other drivers were ****** off with him as he caused so much traffic at peak time as well! He should have just followed the basic rules of the road....

Frank

· #5 · Sep 23, 2010

wellcom golfover ,,,,,,,,,,,i live the other side of the pit tip and have a chioce of going to work on the a38. or the other way ,i now go the other way as trafice is slower,

Polo

· #6 · Sep 23, 2010

I have to agree with you about that section of the A38 - I have a project on in Sutton in Ashfield (that is handing over tomorrow, thank god) and have to travel that stretch on a regular basis.

X10Rich

· #7 · Sep 24, 2010

Prehaps the number of accidents on this route is due to the number of cats that are allowed to roam about.....

sarie

Discussion Starter · #8 · Sep 24, 2010

It is a bad stretch... although thankfully I've had 2 days running now where I've commuted unhindered.. hoorah! That said, it's Friday and there's always a crash on a Friday evening so I expect to get stuck tonight.

I witness near misses every single morning though, including this morning. I don't know why people are so impatient on that stretch.. it's obvious you can't get anywhere so why bother trying to jump lights and overtake traffic? Just be patient for 5 miles or so and you soon reach the proper dual carriageway!

Horrid route. I just stay to the left and keep out of the way of the nutters now... still have to brake hard regularly to avoid people cutting in front of me coming through the lights. I have started listening to classical music on a morning to keep the blood pressure down

And lol Polo, lucky you. I'm stuck with the route indefinitely now!!

Frank

· #9 · Sep 24, 2010

sarie said:
It is a bad stretch... although thankfully I've had 2 days running now where I've commuted unhindered.. hoorah! That said, it's Friday and there's always a crash on a Friday evening so I expect to get stuck tonight.

I witness near misses every single morning though, including this morning. I don't know why people are so impatient on that stretch.. it's obvious you can't get anywhere so why bother trying to jump lights and overtake traffic? Just be patient for 5 miles or so and you soon reach the proper dual carriageway!

Horrid route. I just stay to the left and keep out of the way of the nutters now... still have to brake hard regularly to avoid people cutting in front of me coming through the lights. I have started listening to classical music on a morning to keep the blood pressure down

And lol Polo, lucky you. I'm stuck with the route indefinitely now!!

you could move house or move jobs

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SnapdragonGT

· #10 · Sep 27, 2010

Funnily enough, someone in a Clio came batting out in front of myself and another car last night near the M1 on a roundabout with traffic light controls when I was on my way back from Yorkshire (A38), seeing as we were on green I'm feeling it was safe to assume he was in the wrong!

We both saw him so both backed off, imagine if we'd been a lot closer or just hadn't noticed in time though?

X10Rich said:
Prehaps the number of accidents on this route is due to the number of cats that are allowed to roam about.....

Seriously?

X10Rich

· #11 · Sep 27, 2010

SnapdragonGT said:
Seriously?

Yep, Glyn was saying as much the other day here:-

http://forums.mg-rover.org/showpost.php?p=4040939&postcount=9

ukbiker

· #12 · Sep 28, 2010

Its a bit like the A19 flyover down this way. I can almost guarantee that there's an accident on it about 5.10pm every night. Some people just dont watch what they are doing ... Too keen just to get home.

sarie

Discussion Starter · #13 · Sep 28, 2010

ubiker, I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head there.. rush hour is always worst for accidents in the am or pm.. although there's more traffic I don't think that directly is the cause for the accidents.. more that people become impatient and seem to be heavily focused on getting to their destination and they seem to drive more carelessly! That said, been a reasonable start to the week so far despite the thick fog on both mornings.. fingers crossed it stays this way!

Glyn, I only just moved house and this is my first time commuting (I've always lived on the doorstep of work). My awesome new much larger and cheaper house in a country location is worth the grief of the commute as although I lived on the doorstep before, the cost of living was far higher near the city so my house was overpriced and tiny. Just wish people would be more careful as it's really not hard to obey traffic lights and therefore avoid crashing, and my journey would be much more pleasant if people weren't nucking *******

Snapdragon, just ignore them babbling on about cats on the A38, they're weird

There seem to be specific routes throughout the UK where accidents are pretty much a daily occurance. Junctions 24-28 on the M1 also seem to be a hot spot, despite the newly opened fourth lane designd to ease congestion!

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MartinJ

· #14 · Sep 28, 2010

I'm new here, so hello all.

I also commute Mansfield to Derby and got so fed up with the A38 that I now use the M1 then A52 every day. I can't say I saw many accidents, but it was just the numerous bottlenecks at each set of lights slowing the traffic down.

The M1 way can be a bit slow through Annesley, but once on the motorway it seems much freer, especially since the new lane is now open.

Frank

· #15 · Sep 28, 2010

X10Rich said:
Yep, Glyn was saying as much the other day here:-

http://forums.mg-rover.org/showpost.php?p=4040939&postcount=9

never a truer word said,

Frank

· #16 · Sep 28, 2010

the good thing about ashfield's you can get a 3 bed roomed semi with large 112ft long garden ,car parking for £75.000 ,they went up to £95.000.

Frank

· #17 · Sep 28, 2010

Welcom ,MARTINJ,

sarie

Discussion Starter · #18 · Sep 28, 2010

lol glyn you're a bit of an odd one at times

Martin that's interesting.. I assumed that route would be really out of the way. How do you even get to the M1 that high up? I've joined the M1, at the big roundabout where the A38 crosses it, in the past to avoid a known blockage further down the A38; I then take the A52. But as the A52 means I have to then cross the city I tend to avoid the route if I can. I work near Mackworth heading out in Ashbourne direction

Another Mansfield to Derby commuter then hmm ;D What time do you commute? I avoid the rush hour thanks to flexi.. not sure I'd fancy the bottleneck route mid-rush hour!

MartinJ

· #19 · Sep 28, 2010

sarie said:
lol glyn you're a bit of an odd one at times

Martin that's interesting.. I assumed that route would be really out of the way. How do you even get to the M1 that high up? I've joined the M1, at the big roundabout where the A38 crosses it, in the past to avoid a known blockage further down the A38; I then take the A52. But as the A52 means I have to then cross the city I tend to avoid the route if I can. I work near Mackworth heading out in Ashbourne direction

Another Mansfield to Derby commuter then hmm ;D What time do you commute? I avoid the rush hour thanks to flexi.. not sure I'd fancy the bottleneck route mid-rush hour!

I work shifts, 6-2 and 2-10 so manage to miss most of the traffic. I have on occasion done day shifts though and the traffic is not pleasant.

I take the A611 through Annesley to J27. It's pretty handy for me as I work on Raynesway, so just off the A52 on the east side of the city. It's probably not so good for you on the other side.

Maybe you could consider the A608 through Morley and Heanor for a change. It's a bit slower usually, but in times of traffic might just keep you sane!

Frank

· #20 · Sep 28, 2010

my son works in derby near the football ground ,he desides which way to come home , if radio says motorways clear ,he comes a38 ,if not he uses the old road network .

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