motorway

A MAJOR motorway has shut down with drivers being urged to seek out a different route.

Police raced to the stretch of road on the M6 to attend a “welfare incident” this afternoon.

The closure has been put in place between junction one and junction two near Rugby, Warwickshire.

Warwickshire Police have confirmed that officers are currently at the scene.

The closure has been put in place on both sides of the road on the M6.

Police have advised motorists to take an alternative route while they work to resolve the “welfare incident.”

A spokesperson said: “Officers are currently in attendance on the M6 near Rugby following a concern for welfare incident.

“A closure is in place between junctions 1 and 2 on both sides – motorists are advised to please take an alternative route.”

THIS is the horrifying moment an OAP drives the wrong way down FOUR different motorways in a single day.

The 81-year-old man from Spain‘s capital Madrid caused multiple accidents during his erratic streak and was later arrested.

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Dashcam footage shows other drivers swerving into the next lane to avoid a head-on collision.

The oblivious motorist can been hugging ploughing down the fast line – in the wrong direction – hugging the central reservation.

The driver ditched directions at around 12:45pm on August 14, when he decided to make a U-turn at the toll on the M-12 motorway.

He then entered the M-11 going against the traffic.

After trundling on for 2.2 miles, the inevitable happened and he smashed into an oncoming car.

Both vehicles were damaged in the head-on collision, but the driver was apparently unphased and set off again.

Later on, around 6:25 pm, he entered the A-5, driving towards Madrid in lanes meant for traffic heading to Badajoz for around 6km.

One car was forced off the road by his oncoming vehicle, resulting in two minor injuries and damage to the vehicle.

At around 7:34 pm, he was detected driving the wrong way again – this time near kilometre 16 of the A-6 motorway.

Despite heading towards Madrid in lanes reserved for traffic to La Coruña, there were miraculously no accidents on this stretch.

Cops went round to this house last Tuesday with alleged evidence of his crazy spree.

The aging motorist is now facing four counts of reckless driving.

Authorities have requested an assessment to declare him unfit to drive, which could lead to the suspension of his licence.

One social media user vented: “Honestly, at this point, you might as well suggest him as Fernando Alonso’s teammate next season.

“What are all these older people thinking, putting everyone else’s lives at risk?

“And this isn’t even an isolated case. The driving age limits really need to be rethought.”

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A TEEN boy died “in terror” after his dad crashed on a motorway while high on cocaine.

Daniel Burba, 31, has been advised by doctors not to drive when got behind the wheel of his wife’s van with 14-year-old Ryan Morgan in the passenger seat.

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The dad had been diagnosed with epilepsy just weeks before the horror which was made worse by the use of illegal drugs.

Despite this, Burba was four-times the limit for cocaine and its derivative benzoylecgonine – causing him to suffer an epileptic fit.

Ryan had no choice but to try to gain control of the van before it swerved off the M6 near Lancaster and hit a tree.

The teen was tragically pronounced dead at the scene after suffering head injuries.

Burba, who also only had a provisional licence, was taken to hospital with “relatively minor” injuries.

While being treated, a paramedic discovered a small bag of cocaine in the dad’s wallet.

Burba has now been jailed for ten years after he pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and driving without a licence or insurance.

In a victim impact statement, Ryan’s mum said her heart has been broken and told how she has been unable to grieve properly because she fears once she starts, she won’t be able to stop.

She continued: “I feel that no amount of time Daniel will serve will ever be enough for taking Ryan’s life. Not only did he take my boy’s life, he took my boy’s future.

“My boy will never grow and be a father, go to work and follow his dreams or travel. He didn’t even get to finish school. He hasn’t ever had a chance to experience life.

“It’s so unfair because Ryan did have a beautiful heart. He wanted to be a policeman. He would have changed the world. He made it a better place in the short time he was here. He made everyone smile who came into contact with him. He had a smile that lit up the room.

“Daniel has taken all that and more. Daniel has taken a precious son, brother, grandson, nephew, friend and cousin. He had so much to live for.

“The fact that Daniel knew he wasn’t allowed to drive due to his seizures, plus a lack of licence and insurance is just disgusting.”

Preston Crown Court heard the horror unfolded on April 20 as other motorists noticed Burba driving erratically with his hazards on.

He reached speeds of more than 70mph before leaving the carriageway and smashing into a tree.

The court heard the Peugeot Bipper van flipped over due to the force it hit the tree.

Police later discovered Burba had been told in October 2014 by his doctor to stop taking cocaine after he suffered a seizure which lasted up to four minutes.

He was also advised not to drive, with the same warning issued in February when he was admitted to hospital after more fits.

Sentencing, Judge Robert Altham, the Honorary Recorder of Preston, told him: “You knew that cocaine predisposed you to further fits.

“You were not entitled to drive unsupervised and certainly not on the motorway. You should not have behind the wheel at all.”

As well as the jail sentence, Judge Altham disqualified Burba from driving for 14 years and five months.

Sgt Martin Wilcock, Senior Investigating Officer at our Road Policing Unit, said: “No sentence will ever make up for any loss of life, particularly in these tragic circumstances. However, Daniel Burba will have the rest of his life to reflect upon the catastrophic consequences his decision to consume drugs and then get behind the wheel have had. Sadly, his son will not.

“I hope the outcome of this case sends a strong message out to anyone who is considering driving, having been told by a doctor not to. Or anyone who is considering driving, having consumed drugs or alcohol.

“As is so very obvious from this case, you run the risk of taking a life but also ruining many others – including your own.”

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A MAJOR motorway is closed after a lorry caught on fire, causing significant delays.

The M6 northbound is closed between J3A for Coleshill and J4 for the M42.

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It has led to around five miles of congestion, with drivers being warned of long delays.

Delays of around an hour can be expected.

Motorists have been advised to plan alternative routes.

A diversion via the M42 up to the J9 roundabout is in place.

The incident occurred at around 4pm today, with pictures from National Highways showing fire crews tackling the blaze.

A spokesperson for Birmingham Airport has warned that the delays could affect routes to the terminal.

In addition to the M6 closure, the M42 and A4535 are also affected by closures amid “multiple ongoing road incidents”.

THIS is the moment a huge pile-up takes place on a motorway, involving multiple cars, a caravan and a huge 30-tonne heavy goods vehicle.

But while the destruction and terror brought about by the incident are all very real, not all is as it seems.

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Indeed, the high-speed crash was all part of a carefully planned experiment conducted as part of a Channel 4 documentary titled Pile Up – The World’s Biggest Crash Test.

Carried out at a former RAF base in Scotland, the experiment involved recreating a high-speed motorway pile-up with eight vehicles and a 30-tonne lorry.

The cars involved were a Toyota Prius, Porsche Boxster, Volkswagen Golf GTI, Ford F-150, Audi A8, Dodge Grand Caravan, Mercedes ML and a Vauxhall Vivaro van.

The team used an almost 2-mile-long stretch of road, which was presumably an aircraft runway, and included white lines, a hard shoulder and motorway-grade varioguard barriers to make everything as realistic as possible.

Professor James Brighton and his team from Cranfield University’s Advanced Vehicle Engineering Centre led the study, which thankfully utilised cars that were remote-controlled from ‘pods’ but driven at motorway speeds.

Four members of the public took part, each selected to represent a cross-section of road users.

To make the pile-up as realistic as possible and to capture genuine reactions, the four selected drivers had no knowledge of the true nature of the experiment.

They were revealed as 19-year-old Caitlyn, who represents inexperienced drivers aged 17 to 24; Luke, 26, a “boy racer,” reflecting young male drivers who account for 65% of serious injuries or deaths; 66-year-old Lynn, representing older drivers aged 60+; and Tito, 57, a surfer and international driver familiar with UK and US road differences.

All four believed they were taking part in an experiment to improve motorway safety and advance their driving skills and were unaware they would be involved in a high-speed multi-car pile-up.

As they drove along at speed, a lorry swerved into their lanes to simulate a pile-up.

Over 90 cameras, drones and black boxes were used to capture the moment of impact, recording crash dynamics, vehicle data and driver reactions.

The experiment provides valuable insights into crash dynamics, safety systems and human behaviour during multi-vehicle accidents, while also highlighting areas for improvement in vehicle design and accident analysis.

The aftermath of the crash replicated several intricate details, such as a car sliding under the lorry and also demonstrated crumple zones, which are effective at absorbing impacts and saving lives.

For example, despite a massive rear shunt from a van, the Prius’ electric battery remained intact.

Afterwards, Marcus Rowe, a crash investigator, was sent to the scene of the accident – having not witnessed the crash – to figure out what happened using crash forensics.

One concerning finding was that airbags might not always deploy and largely depend on where the vehicle is hit, showing that safety systems can struggle with multiple impacts.

One thing that can’t be determined is a driver’s reaction in the heat of the moment, as one panicked motorist accelerated into the lorry, despite having come to a stop safely.

Lastly, it found that the hard shoulder is a dangerous place to be, as any drivers or passengers in the cars on the mock-up hard shoulder would most likely have lost their lives.

Speaking on the experiment, David Twohig, an Automotive Engineering Consultant, said: “The beauty of a lab-based crash test is everything is controlled.

“Everything is repeatable, but unfortunately, the real world is not a laboratory, and there are many, many variables.

“It might be the weather conditions, it might be the friction of the road surface, it might be temperature, humidity, the state of the driver, the mood of the driver – so I think that’s the limitation of the lab, it’s almost too good.”

Pile Up – World’s Biggest Crash Test airs Sunday 15 June at 9pm on Channel 4.

A MAJOR change to a motorway used by around 180,000 drivers daily is set to take effect from today.

A reduced speed limit is being introduced on a long stretch of the M60, requiring motorists to slow down.

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The new limit on the motorway is to be set at 50mph – with the road slowed for at least three months.

The change was revealed in the wake of National Highways announcing a key programme of safety work along the motorway.

Work will stretch across several junctions on the busy carriageway, with motorists slowed as a result.

Traffic management will start at junction 16 and end east of junction 17 – with the project set to end in August with the speed limit change in place for the duration of the works.

Drivers have been told to expect delays throughout this period as motorway traffic is significantly slowed.

Work will take place mainly at night to reduce disruption, but the speed limit change will be in effect throughout the day.

Engineers will install a new central reservation between junction 16 and junction 18.

National Highways said: “We’ll mainly work at night Monday to Friday, but some activities will also be done during the day.

“For safety, a 50mph speed limit and narrow lanes will be in place round-the-clock throughout our work in both directions.

“Traffic management will start at junction 16 and finish east of junction 17 near Prestwich.

“Some minor delays are expected, so we’re advising drivers to plan and allow extra time to complete journeys.”

A resurfacing project will be undertaken at the same time to avoid disruption.

This project at junction 17 will require overnight closures for three weeks.

National Highways said: “To reduce disruption, we’re coordinating programmes with nearby resurfacing schemes at junction 17 close to Prestwich.

“This includes our work on slip roads and Bury Council’s project to resurface the junction roundabout.

“Please note, this requires overnight closures for three weeks from Monday 16 June to Friday 4 July.

“During any road closure, please follow the clearly signed diversion.

“We’re working hard to minimise the impact of our work. However, it will generate some delays and noise.

“We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause you and thank you for bearing with us.”

According to Highways England, some 180,000 drivers use the M60, as well as the M62, each day.

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