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Motorist freed from smash wreckage
A motorist was taken to hospital after being trapped in a car for an hour following a collision near Wantage.
Police closed the A417 at Ardington after a collision between a Mazda MX-5 and Rover 114 at about 11.45am.
The driver of the Mazda had to be cut free by firefighters and was released about an hour later.
He was taken by ambulance to the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, with neck injuries where his condition is believed to be serious but stable.
Police reopened the road at 1.15pm.
3:16pm Thursday 24th July 2008
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CommentPosted by: David, Wantage on 6:55am Wed 30 Jul 08
Any chance that excessive speed/lack of road awareness was a major factor resulting in this crash?
Any chance that excessive speed/lack of road awareness was a major factor resulting in this crash?
Posted by: Mark, Wantage on 8:41am Wed 30 Jul 08
Yet another one automatically believing speed causes you to crash. 50 mph is too slow when there is little traffic on that road. The A420 should have been made dual carriageway when it was built.
Yet another one automatically believing speed causes you to crash. 50 mph is too slow when there is little traffic on that road. The A420 should have been made dual carriageway when it was built.
Posted by: Richard, W Hendred on 11:00am Wed 30 Jul 08
I drive on the A417 everyday and I have to say that I feel very lucky to be here today. I had to on more than one occurrence take drastic action as cars coming in the opposite direction were driven on the wrong side of the road. In most cases these were cars doing 70+ overtaking other cars doing 50. So let’s bring down the speed limit and stop the Wantage bypass before Oxford County Council turns the A417 into a major truck road.
I drive on the A417 everyday and I have to say that I feel very lucky to be here today. I had to on more than one occurrence take drastic action as cars coming in the opposite direction were driven on the wrong side of the road. In most cases these were cars doing 70+ overtaking other cars doing 50. So let’s bring down the speed limit and stop the Wantage bypass before Oxford County Council turns the A417 into a major truck road.
Posted by: David, Wantage on 7:47am Thu 31 Jul 08
Mark - my repsonse was not of automatic speed blame, but a suggestion that speed was a major fact given this stretch of road and the Mazda car described; not exactly your humble roadrunner. Speed can result in crashes at whatever speed, even at the maximum legal speed limit, and high speed is fine so long as it is done safely to all road users. The report seemed to put more emphasis on the long time taken by the firefighters to release the person, but not emphasise the long time the police had to close the whole road. The excessive time could be explained that there were insufficient qualified or suitably skilled personnel to deal with this RTA, since these emergency services are constantly financially underfunded for the proper long term objective, but are short term target driven by political motives.
Richard - thanks for your comments that expanded my initial question.
Am I correct that that stretch of road has a national speed limit rather than 50 mph on the flat stretch further. Strange, considering that the road is uneven, has down/uphill bends, has somewhat blind junctions for Lain's Barn, Ardington and Lockinge and farm lanes and is often dark due to the overhead tree branches.
Mark - my repsonse was not of automatic speed blame, but a suggestion that speed was a major fact given this stretch of road and the Mazda car described; not exactly your humble roadrunner. Speed can result in crashes at whatever speed, even at the maximum legal speed limit, and high speed is fine so long as it is done safely to all road users. The report seemed to put more emphasis on the long time taken by the firefighters to release the person, but not emphasise the long time the police had to close the whole road. The excessive time could be explained that there were insufficient qualified or suitably skilled personnel to deal with this RTA, since these emergency services are constantly financially underfunded for the proper long term objective, but are short term target driven by political motives.
Richard - thanks for your comments that expanded my initial question.
Am I correct that that stretch of road has a national speed limit rather than 50 mph on the flat stretch further. Strange, considering that the road is uneven, has down/uphill bends, has somewhat blind junctions for Lain's Barn, Ardington and Lockinge and farm lanes and is often dark due to the overhead tree branches.
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