Safe Speed Forums

Actually, the diagram at http://www.ayrshore.com/crash/crash.htm shows the Shogun heading South on the A77 and turning off the A77 across the northbound carriageway to Symington Road North. The accompanying text saysNow I'm inclined to believe the Ayr report because the 4x4 is on the west verge of the A77 with its rear pointing towards the carriageway and the impact damage to its nearside. If the BBC report had been correct the damage would be to the offside of the 4x4 even if it had spun around.

Also note the eyewitness reports that lend weight to the physics I presented earlier.

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Will

There's a conflict but the Ayr report may well be accurate.

Even so, and assuming your estimate of minimum impact speed >80mph is accurate, there are still many unknowns. Advanced police drivers are trained to develop acute observation and it's hard to explain why a speed of (say) 120mph was being sustained in the vicinity of a junction with a clear possibility of a crossing vehicle. Equally, it's hard to explain why the Shogun crossed with a fast approaching vehicle presumably visible.

This is part of the issue. In Google Earth, there is a summit (brow of a hill) no more than 700 yards south of the Symington North junction. The Ayr report suggests that this summit could have been even closer (Eyewitnesses speak to having seen the unmarked traffic police car, a silver Mercedes, pass them in the outside lane at high speed up the hill towards Symington and past the Symington Road South turnoff immediately prior to the accident...). While the police car was on the other side of that summit, it would not have been visible to the driver of the Shogun, and so might have been visible for only a few seconds.

Also, the accident happened at 7:00pm - i.e. after dark, when it is more difficult to guage the closing speed of oncoming traffic. So even when the police car came into view it is entirely plausible that the closing speed wasn't obvious.

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Will