1991 M4 Motorway crash
Encyclopedia
At 14:15 hours on Wednesday 13 March 1991 there was a major crash on the M4 Motorway
M4 motorway
The M4 motorway links London with South Wales. It is part of the unsigned European route E30. Other major places directly accessible from M4 junctions are Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea...

 in the southernmost part of Lambourn
Lambourn
Lambourn is a large village and civil parish in the northwestern part of the ceremonial county of Berkshire in England. Its metropolitan district has a population of 4,017, and is most noted for its associations with British National Hunt racehorse training....

 near Hungerford
Hungerford
Hungerford is a market town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, 9 miles west of Newbury. It covers an area of and, according to the 2001 census, has a population of 5,559 .- Geography :...

 between the Membury Service Station and Junction 14 on the eastbound carriageway. A van driver fell asleep at the wheel and skidded into the central crash barrier on the right hand (overtaking) lane. This obstruction was seen by the car behind him, which managed to change lanes and avoid contact. However, the cars behind were travelling at high speed (an average of 70 miles (112.7 km) per hour) in patchy fog
Fog
Fog is a collection of water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. While fog is a type of stratus cloud, the term "fog" is typically distinguished from the more generic term "cloud" in that fog is low-lying, and the moisture in the fog is often generated...

 and many were only one or two car lengths behind the vehicle in front. As a result they had no time to avoid the van, crashed and span out of control into the other lanes. Others took evasive action by driving onto the hard shoulder and up the sides of the cutting. These were followed by articulated lorries
Semi-trailer truck
A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or articulated truck or articulated lorry, is an articulated vehicle consisting of a towing engine , and a semi-trailer A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semi, tractor-trailer, or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) articulated truck...

, one of which jack-knifed
Jackknifing
Jackknifing means the folding of an articulated vehicle such that it resembles the acute angle of a folding pocket knife. If a vehicle towing a trailer skids, the trailer can push it from behind until it spins round and faces backwards. This may be caused by equipment failure, improper braking, or...

 sideways across all three lanes of the motorway.

One driver – Alan Bateman – managed to free himself from his car and ran back down the central reservation to warn others, but was ignored and was even hooted
Vehicle horn
A vehicle horn is a sound-making device used to warn others of the approach of the vehicle or of its presence. Automobiles, trucks, ships, and trains are all required by law to have horns...

 by some drivers as they continued towards the crash. The crash included 51 vehicles and lasted 19 seconds. Car fuel was ignited along with the combustable material being carried in one of the vans and the eastbound motorway was closed for four days as the melted wreckage was cut away and the tarmac replaced. Ten people were killed and 25 were injured There were three minor crashes caused by distracted drivers on the other side of the motorway. It was particularly noted at the time that there were more people killed and injured in the crash than in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

 from enemy fire in the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...

. According to the BBC there has not been a larger road crash in the UK since .

In Parliament, Sir Michael McNair-Wilson
Michael McNair-Wilson
Sir Robert Michael Conal McNair-Wilson was a Conservative politician and a Member of Parliament .In 1969 he stood as the Conservative candidate in the Walthamstow East by-election, defeating the Labour Party...

 MP asked why the Thames Valley
Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....

 and Wiltshire Police Forces had not turned on the motorway hazard lights to warn drivers of the fog, but the Under-Secretary for Transport
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
A Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the government of the United Kingdom, junior to both a Minister of State and a Secretary of State....

 Christopher Chope
Christopher Chope
Christopher Robert Chope OBE is a British barrister and Conservative politician. He is the Member of Parliament for Christchurch.-Early life:...

MP stated that these were only used for hazards not readily apparent to drivers and not adverse weather conditions. The crash led to hazard lights being used to warn drivers of fog on British motorways.
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