M 40 crash

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dave and mary

dave and mary

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1460106_10153577709410157_1268881548_n.jpgAnyone who has breakdown cover with the RAC may wont to think again after a horrific incident on the M40 this morning where women travelling to a dog show in their camper van with 12 dogs broke down and were left in the dark waiting for 3 hours after the RAC refused to pick them up because of the dogs on board! Subsequently the camper van was hit by a lorry and the women are lucky to be alive! Sadly 3 of the dogs were killed and one is currently still missing.
 
Omg

dave and mary said:
View attachment 18717anyone who has breakdown cover with the rac may wont to think again after a horrific incident on the m40 this morning where women travelling to a dog show in their camper van with 12 dogs broke down and were left in the dark waiting for 3 hours after the rac refused to pick them up because of the dogs on board! Subsequently the camper van was hit by a lorry and the women are lucky to be alive! Sadly 3 of the dogs were killed and one is currently still missing.
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god that is so sad....
 
They should NOT have stayed in the vehicle. The hard shoulder of a motorway is a horrendously dangerous place to be!

I sympathise of course, but for goodness sake let this be a lesson to everyone, bail out whatever the weather, it is just so damnably dangerous.
 
lucky anything or anybody survived in that van ,makes you think especially when you see people sat in the back when traveling .i know when we had ours my wife and daughter used to travel in the back .
 
we broke down on the M5 a few weeks ago we had 4 dogs and my mum who is 86 with us, we are with the AA through my saga insurance .
on this occasion they came straight out and took the van on the back of a truck with my husband and the 4 dogs , my mum could
not climb into the truck so they sent for a van to take myself and her to the local service station where he told me,
if they have to tow you home they wont take the dogs with them , we broke down again since in blackpool and it took them
nearly 4 hours to come out to us, this time we didn't have the dogs with us ,a friend of mine had the same happen, they wouldn't take
the dogs so be aware its not just the RAC
 
I wonder what the likelihood is of dogs getting loose when waiting outside a broken down vehicle as compared to the likelihood of the vehicle being struck.

Edit: thats not meant as a loaded question by the way.
 
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This whole web forum allthreads is full of dogs ,dogs in vans dogs in vets dogs in pubs dogs in parks, what the hell is going on over in the mainland,im geting very scared.
is it a epidemic or what,im all woft out.
 
It's just that people over here are a little more concerned and less insensitive.
 
Last time I broke down the dog was with me, RAC came and ended up low-loading me and the campervan back home. The only stipulation was that the dog wasn't allowed in the recovery truck and had to travel in my van.

Maybe it was because there were 15 of them? Must admit I never thought to mention that the dog was with me, I can't remember whether they asked or not.
 
Sparks said:
It's just that people over here are a little more concerned and less insensitive.
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insensitive,if you had a child that had its face torn of or a freind how lost there live on motor bike because of dogs i think you would think on a nother slant,im not against dogs there very usfull tool on the farm but i think uk has goon mad with them.
just my thoughts please dont call me insensitive,i take things as i see them.
lucky the folk all got out safe,as for motorways the last time i was in mainland i found motorists drove full belt on motorways
right on your back bumper.
its about time gov toke a stand and reduced car performance,why build cars that can do 100 plus when legal top speed 70,
would it not make more sence to build slower cars with more mpg,just a thought from a daft paddy.
 
That is sad to hear, i had to entertain just one dog on the hard shoulder for an hour and a half, dont know how i would have coped with 12 but thats just the reason why you should always get out as we managed to run out of fuel on the M6/M1 junction just two miles from the services, we did have to wait 1.5 hrs for recovery in the rain but both of us and the dog stood behind the barrier in the rain, the AA recovered us and the dog no problem took us to the services we filled up and did the last 10 miles home
 
What a mess, although the cab still looks ok, but lucky escape for the passengers.
One report says the RAC were on route to the breakdown with a specialist recovery lorry, it doesn't mention them being left stranded by the RAC. So more facts are needed before any judgement of the RAC. If it turns out they were indeed visited by a recovery vehicle, who then left them, the RAC need taking to task.

The occupants should have been well up the bank, dogs left in the back of van. That where us with MH are lucky, we would almost certainly have warm clothes blankets etc, with us.
 
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I do a lot of m way miles . This tends to be a bigger problem in the winter as ppl are unwilling to leave vehicle because of cold etc. It's only my opion but I think lens such as weather proof coats a bs surval blankets need to added to cars and checked in a ref basis . At the end if the day if ppl want to take the chance that's thier rusjmk prob is if your a child your at the mercy if the adult making the right decision
 
wintonions last post is very good people first dogs sec.
iv seen loads of dogs bouncing round in cars,very dangerous and elegal,they must be restranied behind dog bars.
but then again i see people do this with ther kids,i mean letting them bounce around.
how ever i some times would like to put my kids behind the dog bars?
 
trevskoda said:
insensitive,if you had a child that had its face torn of or a freind how lost there live on motor bike because of dogs i think you would think on a nother slant,im not against dogs there very usfull tool on the farm but i think uk has goon mad with them.
just my thoughts please dont call me insensitive,i take things as i see them.
lucky the folk all got out safe,as for motorways the last time i was in mainland i found motorists drove full belt on motorways
right on your back bumper.
its about time gov toke a stand and reduced car performance,why build cars that can do 100 plus when legal top speed 70,
would it not make more sence to build slower cars with more mpg,just a thought from a daft paddy.
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LOL, as appalling as UK driving may seem, take a visit to the busier parts of Europe. Northern France, Belgium, Germany etc. We are comparatively placid.
 
One dog is bad enough, but why would anyone want more than one. Crapping, yapping, jumping up leaving filthy pawmarks on your clothes. As far as dogs being allowed on beaches they should be banned along with horses. Who wants to see kids digging up dog crap on the beach?
 
Travelling with dogs

As a member of the dog-showing fraternity. I regularly travel to shows and on holiday with 7 dogs. You may think I am crazy but two of these were rescues and the older ones are my former show dogs - beloved members of our family.
I happen to know that the people in the camper that was hit were a group of people each with their own show dogs - hence the 12.
Most people use "soft crates" in campers as they are lightweight and easy to pack away, and cause no damage to the interior of the van. I believe the dogs in question at the accident were all crated, but I don't know if they were metal or fabric crates. However their camper was obliterated in the accident so any crate may have easily failed - foldup crates of any kind aren't crash tested the way that some of the specially designed car crating is.
I rang the RAC for some assurances last night as we had recently renewed with them. They claim they were on their way to the camper when the accident occurred. We know that larger recovery trucks are needed to move some of our motorhomes, but 3 hrs seems a long wait for people in such a vulnerable position
The RAC said it was up to their officers discretion whether dogs would be transported in the tow truck, or whether they had to be secured in the camper for towing. Clearly this needs to be thought through - and maybe there should be some provision (even at a premium) for a van collection for those travelling with larger numbers of dogs on board. Frankly I would do anything for peace of mind.
Just like our wilding pages advise us of safety measures for general travel - we perhaps ought to have a check list for travelling with dogs.
Safety kit such as triangle flashing lights etc to place behind the vehicle, sufficient crating/restraints for dogs, for dogs, maybe even a pop up tent that could be set up away from a breakdown in a dangerous area....where crates could be put. If you have a rear garage which you use for the dogs and can afford it - permanent crash tested crating could be installed. Extra locks on the garage and habitation doors for travelling ( I have these but acknowledge that that would have done nothing in yesterdays situation - where the van was obliterated in the crash). If you cannot get to a slipway when on a motorway or main road, call highway officers for support - they did in the past attend when I had a blowout and was left stranded in a really dangerous place (had to take a specialist crash tested crate and two dogs out of the car to get to the spare tyre. They were brilliant and kept us safe until the RAC arrived!
Please don't diss us for carrying large numbers of dogs - we all have our reasons: show exhibitors, gundog trailers, obedience or racing dogs to name but a few. Some of us are one family going on holiday, others - as yesterday - may be friends travelling to shows together. Help us to make it safer for all of us!
 
ellieloy said:
As a member of the dog-showing fraternity. I regularly travel to shows and on holiday with 7 dogs. You may think I am crazy but two of these were rescues and the older ones are my former show dogs - beloved members of our family.
I happen to know that the people in the camper that was hit were a group of people each with their own show dogs - hence the 12.
Most people use "soft crates" in campers as they are lightweight and easy to pack away, and cause no damage to the interior of the van. I believe the dogs in question at the accident were all crated, but I don't know if they were metal or fabric crates. However their camper was obliterated in the accident so any crate may have easily failed - foldup crates of any kind aren't crash tested the way that some of the specially designed car crating is.
I rang the RAC for some assurances last night as we had recently renewed with them. They claim they were on their way to the camper when the accident occurred. We know that larger recovery trucks are needed to move some of our motorhomes, but 3 hrs seems a long wait for people in such a vulnerable position
The RAC said it was up to their officers discretion whether dogs would be transported in the tow truck, or whether they had to be secured in the camper for towing. Clearly this needs to be thought through - and maybe there should be some provision (even at a premium) for a van collection for those travelling with larger numbers of dogs on board. Frankly I would do anything for peace of mind.
Just like our wilding pages advise us of safety measures for general travel - we perhaps ought to have a check list for travelling with dogs.
Safety kit such as triangle flashing lights etc to place behind the vehicle, sufficient crating/restraints for dogs, for dogs, maybe even a pop up tent that could be set up away from a breakdown in a dangerous area....where crates could be put. If you have a rear garage which you use for the dogs and can afford it - permanent crash tested crating could be installed. Extra locks on the garage and habitation doors for travelling ( I have these but acknowledge that that would have done nothing in yesterdays situation - where the van was obliterated in the crash). If you cannot get to a slipway when on a motorway or main road, call highway officers for support - they did in the past attend when I had a blowout and was left stranded in a really dangerous place (had to take a specialist crash tested crate and two dogs out of the car to get to the spare tyre. They were brilliant and kept us safe until the RAC arrived!
Please don't diss us for carrying large numbers of dogs - we all have our reasons: show exhibitors, gundog trailers, obedience or racing dogs to name but a few. Some of us are one family going on holiday, others - as yesterday - may be friends travelling to shows together. Help us to make it safer for all of us!
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yes got your point ,but are cages fixed to floor is van registered as goods as you are using for hire or reward if you colect prize money or other,what about ins have you told them,you might not be covered,just a thought.
 
i drove in tavr germany ,there beter drivers than us ,worst drivers are south of are border republic of ireland,
 
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