Driver smashes traffic light in Dulwich Village

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

The scene this morning, as a driver smacked their BMW dead on into a traffic light outside a primary school during rush hour. 20mph zone, as you can tell...

Traffic light destroyed, P4 service blocked in both directions, southbound traffic closed...

 

[Penguin68]

Was this before the snow started? The car does seem to be on the wrong side of the road. Fallen and decaying leaves do appear to be creating slip hazards but that sort of car should have appropriate electronics to overcome these. And weight. Had the car manoevred to avoid a hazard and ended up like that (better hit a traffic light than a person)?

[tiddles]

Tbh - I was a bit thrown by a turn right into turney road the other evening when it was dark ! There is a pinch point where the cycle lane is and the 2 lanes going each way- I completely misjudged it and was turning into the oncoming traffic lane - it’s very much narrower than it has been for the last 30 years… obv will know next time 🙄

[malumbu]

I'd seriously consider some training.  That goes to many of us.  There is no snow today, a couple of minutes of sleet  virtually all cars have ASB and some sort of traction control.  We have wet leaves every autumn.  I grew up in snowier parts of the UK and it was great fun driving in fresh snow.  Now I have little experience so simply avoid driving in ice and snow.  Not much fun cycling either!

[first mate]

The way this is described makes it almost sound deliberate- was it? If the result of dangerous or careless driving the driver should and I don't doubt will be suitably penalised/ prosecuted. However, there may be other reasons; a medical event, avoiding a dog or cat etc..

On balance I would guess it is careless or dangerous driving but it is a guess. The hope is someone knows exactly what happened?

[Penguin68]

At that time of day it may also reflect a driver having to alter course to avoid a hazard, or perhaps, because this is recorded I think above, an issue with poor of confusing road signage - this is a real issue where one-way roads are also two way for cycles, or where there is a confusing set of different routes with different restrictions or different signals.  I personally doubt whether speeding is likely to be an issue at this junction in the morning in the 'rush' hour (anything but rush, of course). But maybe we should wait until there is a formal report on the cause before leaping to conclusions. 

Amended to note that later info suggests that the event took place at 5.00am, when speeding and driver error is more likely. The driver is reported as 'fleeing', I wonder if the car might have been stolen? 

Edited November 19, 2024 by Penguin68

[Sue]

Which junction is this?

[Guest]

22 minutes ago, Sue said:

Which junction is this?

Dulwich Village, main crossroads, Turney Road, DV etc

Edited November 19, 2024 by Kathleen Olander
Typo

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

1 hour ago, first mate said:

On balance I would guess it is careless or dangerous driving but it is a guess. 

Don't worry about it - you're paying to fix everything regardless.

 https://x.com/DulwichRoads/status/1858822691517591745

That's a few thousand quid that could have been spent on social care but now will be spent replacing a traffic light. I bet the driver and their insurers appreciate your subsidy.

[Rockets]

DKHB - What an awful accident. Was everyone ok - does anyone know what caused it?

 

4 hours ago, Dogkennelhillbilly said:

20mph zone, as you can tell...

Thanks for pointing out it is a 20mph zone - by this are you trying to suggest that speed was a factor here?

4 hours ago, Dogkennelhillbilly said:

The scene this morning, as a driver smacked their BMW dead on into a traffic light outside a primary school during rush hour.

 

What time did this happen?

 

It looks like Dulwich Roads was on the scene a little bit after you!

 

https://x.com/DulwichRoads/status/1858796233034182959?s=19

Edited November 19, 2024 by Rockets

[Earl Aelfheah]

Everyone rushing to speculate on the cause. Of course we don't know. But instructive that the usual suspects want to suggest 'good reasons' why a car may have driven into a lamppost; When statistically, it's much more likely to be the result of careless / dangerous driving, the type that is commonplace. But let's assume not, try to minimise it (and perhaps post about someone cycling slowly past us on the pavement, because that's a much bigger danger). 

Edited November 19, 2024 by Earl Aelfheah

[Rockets]

Earl, perhaps more instructive is that the OP insinuates that speed was a factor and that this happened during rush hour (the suggestion being that this was during the school run so children were at risk) - when a quick search of the web find media articles saying that the accident happened at 5am. The article also says the driver fled the scene so, of course, we can all make assumptions about why that might have been.

https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/24734134.dulwich-village-car-abandoned-crash/

But this goes to demonstrate the challenge I have with people knee-jerk posting without ever taking time to determine what actually happened.

DKHB took a leaf out of the Dulwich Roads playbook by posting inaccurate/misleading information that painted a picture very different to the reality.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

31 minutes ago, Rockets said:

 the accident happened at 5am. The article also says the driver fled the scene so, of course, we can all make assumptions about why that might have been.

 

Absolutely disgusting that you're willing to make such a kneejerk reaction. There are a many different reasons why things like this happen and often careless, dangerous driving or excess speed has nothing to do with it but it seems all too easy to jump to conclusions without ever bothering to establish the facts. Not every accident is due to bad driving.

As much as it could have been careless or dangerous driving it could also have been caused by a driver having to take evasive action to avoid a pedestrian walking into the road whilst staring at their phone - you just don't know.

[malumbu]

You brake and stop pdq under control if a pedestrian walks or runs out in front of you.  One reason most of the inner London boroughs have adopted 20 mph.

Edited November 19, 2024 by malumbu
Correcting spelling as I didn't want anyone to think that I made bread whilst I drove

[alice]

why the mention of 'primary school' and 'rush hour'  ?

[Rockets]

1 hour ago, Dogkennelhillbilly said:

Absolutely disgusting that you're willing to make such a kneejerk reaction. 

DKHB - come on, admit it. You got it wrong. You posted incorrect information and by doing so have highlighted the very point I was making about Dulwich Roads - that some, in their keenness to make a point and further their ideological attack on cars, post misleading and inaccurate information every time they see an accident and never bother to correct it when they get it wrong.

 

You were clearly hoping it was an accident caused by speed and that it happened during school rush hour.

 

 

Edited November 19, 2024 by Rockets

[malumbu]

It's highly likely that (a) there was driver error and (b) the driver did not want to be caught at the scene.

Not sure why we would want to come up with excuses for either.

[Penguin68]

Just now, malumbu said:

It's highly likely that (a) there was driver error and (b) the driver did not want to be caught at the scene.

I think your second point is spot on - if the report the driver was seen fleeing the scene is true - a high performance car being driven possibly at speed, at 5.00 am (if those reports are correct) with a fleeing driver does suggest to me the possibility that the driver was neither the owner nor driving with the owner's permission - whilst I do not know, of course, it would not surprise me to hear that the car itself had been stolen, and possibly by someone neither fully qualified to drive, nor sober. In which case generalities about driver error etc. are perhaps not being properly directed towards 'your average car driver'.

[malumbu]

Friend had an uninsured driver pull out of a side road many years ago.  He got twice the value of his written off car, maybe 4k in today's money.  He thought he'd get a kosh over the head.  The driver clearly didn't want the old bill involved.

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

1 hour ago, alice said:

why the mention of 'primary school' and 'rush hour'  ?

"Rush hour" was completely wrong on my part - as I was walking past, a police car was parking up and I assumed it had just happened. In fact, from the media reports, it looks like the car had been sitting abandoned on top of a dead traffic light for hours by that point! Apologies for any confusion, @alice.

[march46]

Thank goodness it didn't happen at rush hour given it's proximity to the school and how busy that junction is with people walking and cycling.

[Rockets]

Yes we can all agree on that but can we also agree that people need to take more care when posting and try and ensure better accuracy?

DKHB good job for acknowledging your mistake - perhaps you can have a word with whomever is behind Dulwich Roads as they seem to refuse to acknowledge their own mistakes and prefer doubling-down when someone challenges them on misleading and inaccurate posts! 😉

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

1 hour ago, Rockets said:

perhaps you can have a word with whomever is behind Dulwich Roads 

You keep banging on about this Twitter account. Go and bicker with them on Twitter.

[Rockets]

Ha ha....

Why do I need to when some on here do exactly what they do...thus illustrating and validating my point entirely about many of the posts from the anti-car lobby lacking, ahem, accuracy!? 😉

[Kipper_1972]

False plates. Runs away from the scene because he can't wait to scam another brand new car off Cahoot (or suchlike)