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Speeding fury after car crashes into home

A CHAFFORD Hundred family came home from a trip to Southend to find their house in ruins after a run-away car ploughed into a wall.

The Collison family, of Sachfield Drive, went to watch a firework display in Southend last Saturday afternoon but missed the biggest bang of the day when a Ford Fiesta smashed into their home after losing control on Devonshire Road.

The crash was no laughing matter for Matthew Collison, 34, however, who is counting his lucky stars that no one was in the house when the car came through his dining room wall.

"We got back from Southend at around 9.15pm on Saturday to police cars, fire crews everything outside," said Matthew. "We were wondering if the house had been burned down only to find some nutter had gone into our house in his car. God forbid if we had been in there, someone could easily have been killed."

The crash happened at around 5pm on Saturday when the Ford Fiesta veered out of control as it turned off Devonshire Road into Sachfield Drive, before hurtling into the side of the Collisons' home which stands on the corner of both roads.

The smash has left their dining room in ruins and propped up by a number of support beams while the master bedroom has been badly damaged.

Matthew's two daughters Nicole 13 and Shannon, 11, have been badly shaken up by the incident.

"They could easily have been in the dining room if we decided to stay at home and it has made them really scared," said Matthew. "They don't want to go to bed at night."

Matthew and his neighbours have now stepped up efforts to get Thurrock Council to change the 40mph speed limit of Devonshire Road which, they say, has become a race track. "I hope that this does push something forward," he said. "I don't want to make a spectacle but if something changes because of this then something good has come out of it."

Matthew's cause has been taken up by Labour councillor Carl Morris who says it was fortunate no one was killed in the incident.

He said: "This was an accident waiting to happen. It's fortunate that nobody was seriously injured or killed. This road has only been open for few years, yet there's already been a fatal accident, numerous collisions at the junction of Devonshire and Drake Road and now this. I don't know how many more accidents there'll have to be before the council does something to reduce traffic speed and the danger to local residents.

"It's time for this council to look at its priorities. It's only a matter of time before another tragic accident happens if the council does not act and act fast!"

A Thurrock Council spokesperson said: "The Council takes all highway safety matters extremely seriously. Various programmes have been devised to address the worst accidents locations but unfortunately with the resources available we can only treat so many roads a year.

"We are awaiting further information regarding this particular accident before we can officially comment on this issue. However, over the last three years there have been five recorded personal injury accidents and unfortunately in comparison to other roads it is by far not the worst area at the present time. We will be discussing this issue with the Safety Camera Partnership to ascertain if the road meets criteria for a safety camera."

A 24-year-old man from Chafford Hundred was arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence of alcohol and released on police bail.

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Speeding ... run-away car ... veered out of control ... hurtling ... change the 40mph speed limit ... has become a race track ... reduce traffic speed ... discussing this issue with the Safety Camera Partnership ... driving while under the influence of alcohol

Jesus H Christ. Road safety is in BIG BIG trouble isn't it?

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

So an accident caused by drunk driving is going to be used as a reason to reduce a speed limit and to prosecute drivers for travelling at a safe speed? I've heard it all now.

Is the above news paperarticle perhaps the worst example of flawwed logic ever possible, ever ever ever?

I would have said the authors IQ is in more trouble than perhaps road safety (unless it was done purposely in typical, reactionary 'save the children' Daily Mail fashion).[/quote]

I wish it was just the journalist.

I constantly come across people (many at the BBC) who ask me: "If we get rid of speed cameras, how are we going to get drivers to slow down?"

The rot is very deep in society. That's why we MUST HAVE a ceremonial scrapping of the speed cameras.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

So basically what they are saying is that a Speed Camera would have prevented a drink driver from crashing into that house! Maybe if there were traffic patrol police in the general area they may have caught him before he could cause any damage, but I suspect there's a camera within a reasonable distance so they're not needed anymore.

I cannot understand the mentality that speed cameras save lives or are a safety device. If I put up a sign saying 'beware of the dog' and put a camera there too, if someone came along and provoked the dog, would the camera prevent them from getting bitten?

It's just utterly, utterly stupid.

I'm afraid they are 'basically saying' two things:

1) We want a magic accident reducing machine, because we have heard that they are very good although we have no idea how they might work.

2) Slowing down cars is the only way to make the roads safer.

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Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

It really worries me the amount of dangerous drivers that are not caught because of speed cameras. Next we'll be hearing that there's been a big reduction in the number of drink drivers, but will anyone ask why?

Do you know of any statistics for numbers of drink driving versus speeding? I am thinking here that there are no fixed cameras anywhere near where I live, but they do sometimes have mobile ones in a couple of places (I've never seen them myself). There does seem to be a lot of drink/reckless drivers convicted around here though and I am glad about that.

This indicates that there is a police presence and they are catching the really dangerous drivers and that is far more likely to prevent accidents than any camera could do.

So it would be interesting to see if in areas with a high number of cameras the rate of drink/reckless driving is down.

As I understand it, apart from being stupid and irresponsible, drink driving impairs judgement, so it's likely that any would-be drink-driver would drive slowly, keeping within the speed limit (as pointed out by Mr. Clarkson on a recent series of Top Gear).

SPEED CAMERAS DON'T DETECT DRUNKS! SO THAT'S THE ARGUMENT FOR A "SAFETY" CAMERA SHOT TO PIECES!

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Anyone who tells you that nothing is impossible has never bathed in a saucer of water.

Exactly! That's why I think it would be interesting to see the figures for drink/reckless driving. If convictions for those are down, then the claims that cameras have reduced accidents by x% in their locations could be equated with x% drink/reckless drivers not caught and therefore the roads are less safe than before.

i understand it to be that prolific drink drivers usually drive at or below the limit, i read somewhere that most drink drivers are in mainly rural areas with the majority leaving the boozer around 10.30 at night just before kicking out time, a time when there are no cameras out

where i live it seems that the vans work the daylight hours with the police taking over in the main at night, although we do have a police presence in the daytime as well but not where the vans are

Old fashioned here. We cop reckless. dangerous.. drugged ... drunk.. fatigued.. defectives.. and we keep the record of lowest recorded KSI in Great Britain too.

Not to say it's great.. we still think it should be lower and we do have serious nightmares over some areas on our patch - bikers in Weardale - the sort who cause severe distress and trauma to the decent like "Inspired"

Ted has already commented that he reads a huge number of local papers and when on hols anywhere - the entire family will buy the local papers as these give a taste of the area.


I have to say he's got a point.. It does not matter which town.. which country .. what day of the week.. there's always one or more report of tragedy and they always seem to involve the drunk.. drugged.. dowright illegal in a defective car or the very young and inexpeienced or the very old with slow reactions.

If you look at raw hospital and police stats - you get the real pictures emerging -especially if you cross match with "official".

Why I think I "rebel"

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Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.

Weardale? County Durham? No speed cameras?

So you believe in real policing. Excellent.

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Brian

Brilliant! That's the kind of road safety measures I like and it obviously works very well given your record.

Down here they have a blitz now and then in that they advertise they will be looking out for drink-drivers, defectives etc, but I know they do it all the time in my area (no fixed speed cameras here, just the odd mobile one that I've yet to actually see!). The important thing with them having a presence is that it inspires confidence in law-abiding motorists to know that they will deal with the miscreants. I think it also has a positive effect on the public generally to make them feel a bit safer.