Dangerous Driving

[lonedad]

I just want peoples opinion on this. I am to face a jury next week on the charge of dangerous driving. In 2007, I was involved in a RTA. I was driving an 18 tonne truck on a motorway where I was approaching a queue of traffic (some distance away, probably over 150 yards). I realised it was a queue for the next junction so decided to change lanes. I was sitting on cruise control at 56mph (top speed and speed limited) I looked in my drivers side mirror to check for traffic. . I then looked over to my blind spot, and pressed my brake to disengage the cruise control and then saw a car so I cancelled my intention to move over and pressed the brake again to slow the truck down. I noticed that my truck was not slowing at all and I pressed the brake again to no avail. I panicked thinking that my brakes had gone. The vehicle at the back of the queue (a white van) was getting nearer and nearer. I quickly checked the hard shoulder to see that it was clear. I then swerved my vehicle towards it. Unfortunatly, by this time, a car had replaced the van at the back of the queue (the van was in front of the car so obviously had jumped in front of me). I hit the car en route to the hard shoulder and my truck came to a stop 100 yards from the impact site. After checks on the truck, it was discovered that there were no faults. It dawned on me that I must have pressed the accelerator instead of the brake. 2 people were seriously hurt in the accident and, after a year, I was charged with Dangerous Driving. My solicitor advised me to plead not guilty but now Im not so sure. Ive been reading alot of reports on the internet that people are being done for this but others are having the lesser charge of Undue Care for the manner of driving that I believe is far worse than what I did. Is this dangerous driving? I believed that Dangerous Driving was an intentional act like reading a map, speeding, racing and being avoidably distracted as these are calculated risks that drivers take.

[lonedad]

Docspock - Are you even old enough to drive??? Also, if you are scared of driving then maybe you shouldnt be driving at all. theres nothing worse than a driver with no confidence.
Also, the truck was an 18 tonne rigid...not a 40 tonne artic.
Finally, no truck is very maneourvable hence why it took all my skill as a driver to get the thing off the motorway. Many drivers (lorry, car and van drivers) would have froze. It was my training that got me off that motorway onto the hard shoulder. Its the only thing that has kept me going

[whifffey]

Something I don't understand. While driving our feet are positioned accordingly, it is almost instinct that the right foot moves between accelerator and brake whereas the left is devoted to the clutch. So how did your feet lose this positioning? Had you moved them completely away from the pedals? It happened to me once, in a model of car where the pedals are offset to the right - you go for the brake and hit the wrong pedal. It is very unnerving. You will have asked yourself all these questions so many times.

I feel for your longterm anguish, I hope it goes well for you.

[lonedad]

Whiffey - I honestly dont know mate. Because I was on cruise control, my feet werent on any pedals as the truck was in theory driving itself.The only thing I can think of was that when i turned my body to check the blind spot I must have moved my feet too.
Ive had my licence 10 years the year of that accident and had always drove in some part for a living since I passed my test. Ive never done that in my life. I regret ever putting that cruise control on because if i hadnt, I would have had every reason to know it was a foot misplacement rather than failing brakes. I mean, it couldnt have been loss of concentration as I was concentrating on everything around me and was aware of my surroundings. I dont think ill ever find out why it happened. Im just glad that I took the evasive action and didnt freeze and panic too much.
Ive never ever done anything remotely like this before. So many people have told me they have since the accident. Most people have done it in driveways or in safer positions but its so suprising how common this is.
In the forces I was shot at, rioted against and put in danger on several occasions but I was never as scared as I was that day. It certainly has changed my life. Im nowhere near the man I was back then. I have no confidence, no life, no job, no nothing. All because of a mistake. I wish I was as perfect as docspock because he obviously does nothing wrong. Actually, he must not be human because all humans make mistakes, its a design fault!

[lonedad]

You dont put your feet on the pedals when on cruise control, you put them beneath the pedals. That is the point of cruise control!!!! Just go away little boy

[whifffey]

lonedad, I know exactly what you are saying. Once you take your feet away from the pedals, your orientation is lost. In my case I was scratching my legs, needed to brake, put my right foot back where I thought the brake should be, but it was the clutch. Huge astonishment factor! Sh!t my brakes have failed! I was at fault of course, but there was no malice. I hit the car in front, owned up, and paid up. It sounds to me that this is what happened to you. If you had landed on the brake pedal it wouldn't have happened, but you didn't, alarm and astonishment set in, and you were doomed.

Don't let it ruin your life. You never intended harm.

[lonedad]

Whiffey - What did they prosecute you for? I have owned up and have offered 3 times a guilty plea for undue care but CPS have said no.
How long ago was your accident and what punishment did you get? Was anyone injured?

[knobbynonut5]

I would not take to much notice of whifffey on here lonedad.
He is a well known pathological liar on here.

Just ask him about the time he won �125,000 on who wants to be a millionare, that is one of his favourite lies on here.

[whifffey]

No solace to you lonedad, the police weren't involved. It was slow-moving rush hour traffic and I merely trundled into the guy in front at slow speed. It just seems to me from your descriptions that you were plain unlucky, and it is a shame that it is now taking over your life. There is always the argument that if you are in charge of tons of metal on a major road you need to be on the ball at all times, but we all slip up, nobody was hurt in your case, let's hope they go with a lesser charge.

How had you lost the orientation of your feet with respect to the pedals?

[whifffey]

lonedad, knobbynonut5 is from Basildon and usually drunk.

He is an edifying influence on any thread he posts on, as now.

[lonedad]

Like I said, no idea how I hit the wrong pedal. I could have even been hitting the wrong pedal with the side of my boot without realising it. Wearing steel toe capped boots doesnt give you much feeling in the feet. But like Ive said, Ive driven with the same boots on for so long, I wouldnt have any other reason to believe I was pressing the wrong pedal.
2 people were hurt in the accident but having read CPS' own guidelines, this shouldnt influence their decsion as its my driving that is being scrutinised, not the result.

[whifffey]

Spock is a good egg, but has several times posted on here movies shot by him from the driving seat of a car being driven by him.

He should try that on the M25.

[lonedad]

Docspock - If you are really that old then you should really grow up!