Author Topic: 70-vehicle pileup, truck collision shut Ottawa highway (Read 2206 times)

G0dspd · « **on:** December 14, 2009, 05:02:38 pm »

Highway 416 was closed in both directions in Ottawa's south end, due to pileups involving more than 60 vehicles during the foggy and icy morning rush, as well as a mid-morning collision involving a loaded tractor-trailer.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/cbc/091214/canada/canada_ottawa_ottawa_highway416_closed
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2009/12/14/ottawa-highway-416-closed.html

Lots of pictures: http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2009/12/14/12149651.html

UmroAyyar · « **Reply #1 on:** December 14, 2009, 05:21:30 pm »

Stuart Dean was driving through the fog along the highway Monday morning when all of a sudden he saw "a wall of cars" and noticed that both road shoulders were blocked.

"So I just drove into the ditch because I realized if I tried to stop any faster, I'd just get hit in the back anyways," he said.

Everyone behind him ended up hitting other vehicles, he recalled. "It built up very fast."

vdk · « **Reply #2 on:** December 14, 2009, 05:37:46 pm »

I can see something like this happening in Toronto.

Winklovic · « **Reply #3 on:** December 14, 2009, 05:44:11 pm »

That upside-down Versa is now the most famous car in Canada.

dr_spock · « **Reply #4 on:** December 14, 2009, 05:45:26 pm »

Poor Aztec got damaged.

Didn't something like this happened around Windsor or was it London on the 401 under foggy conditions many years ago?

rrocket · « **Reply #5 on:** December 14, 2009, 05:50:52 pm »

People in Ottawa are sucky drivers....

Greg B. · « **Reply #6 on:** December 14, 2009, 05:54:12 pm »

Remind me again why we choose to live and work in this climate...

Railton · « **Reply #7 on:** December 14, 2009, 06:02:09 pm »

Quote from: Greg B. on December 14, 2009, 05:54:12 pm

Remind me again why we choose to live and work in this climate...

We're creatures of habit.

Railton

ovr50 · « **Reply #8 on:** December 14, 2009, 06:26:24 pm »

Driving over the Coquilhala Hiway in winter, often you get white-out conditions due to fog, cloud, or blowing snow. Yet, there is a certain percentage of the drivers just keep the pedal down with no regard for lack of visibility (and worse at night). These idiots, and it only takes one, are the prime cause of multiple vehicle wrecks in these kind of conditions.

I'll wager this wreck started with one idiot rear-ending another vehicle, then the rest just piled up behind. No one takes the reduced visibility into account...

quadzilla · « **Reply #9 on:** December 14, 2009, 06:57:18 pm »

Quote from: dr_spock on December 14, 2009, 05:45:26 pm

Didn't something like this happened around Windsor or was it London on the 401 under foggy conditions many years ago?

Chatham....it was also fog.

A lot of people drive too fast for foggy condition hoping that nobody crashes.

rrocket · « **Reply #10 on:** December 14, 2009, 06:59:24 pm »

Quote from: quadzilla on December 14, 2009, 06:57:18 pm

Quote from: dr_spock on December 14, 2009, 05:45:26 pm
Didn't something like this happened around Windsor or was it London on the 401 under foggy conditions many years ago?

Chatham....it was also fog.

A lot of people drive too fast for foggy condition hoping that nobody crashes.

I remember that day. I missed the pile up by a mere 15 minutes. And my cell phone died, so no one could get ahold of me. Many people thought I was a goner.

mmret · « **Reply #11 on:** December 14, 2009, 07:25:56 pm »

How does the insurance liability work here? I assume everyone gets screwed?

G0dspd · « **Reply #12 on:** December 14, 2009, 08:32:32 pm »

Quote from: rrocket on December 14, 2009, 05:50:52 pm

People in Ottawa are sucky drivers....

You're almost right. We have a lot of bad drivers. Quebec being just across the river

. Seriously though, we don't have hardcore speeders but we do have roamers who don't know what lane discipline is about and random brakers who jump on the brakes for no apparent reasons.

TopGun · « **Reply #13 on:** December 14, 2009, 08:39:14 pm »

Looks like Instrument flight rule conditions...and the controllers weren't providing good separation.

rrocket · « **Reply #14 on:** December 14, 2009, 08:41:44 pm »

Quote from: TopGun on December 14, 2009, 08:39:14 pm

Looks like Instrument flight rule conditions...and the controllers weren't providing good separation.

Are you rated for that BTW??

1TSX · « **Reply #15 on:** December 14, 2009, 09:12:36 pm »

Hmmm so the upside down Versa has black steelies...I am assuming it had winter tires.

mmret · « **Reply #16 on:** December 14, 2009, 09:41:52 pm »

Quote from: G0dspd on December 14, 2009, 08:32:32 pm

Quote from: rrocket on December 14, 2009, 05:50:52 pm
People in Ottawa are sucky drivers....

You're almost right. We have a lot of bad drivers. Quebec being just across the river . Seriously though, we don't have hardcore speeders but we do have roamers who don't know what lane discipline is about and random brakers who jump on the brakes for no apparent reasons.

Agree on the roamers. That's the most immediate and glaring thing I noticed about Ottawa drivers when I lived there.

That, and the minivan that went up on 2 wheels on a left turn.

No H2O · « **Reply #17 on:** December 14, 2009, 10:03:31 pm »

Quote from: rrocket on December 14, 2009, 05:50:52 pm

People in Ottawa are sucky drivers....

Might as well make that a good percentage of drivers on this continent.

I drove back from Toronto on the 401 Sunday with it raining all the way to Brockville. Some slush was accumulating in the center of the lanes, but nothing to lose sleep over. Yet drivers were still going off the road. How much do you want to bet they lost it changing lanes and how much do you want to bet all season and/or near bald tires had everything to do with it.

From Brockville onwards the roads were snow covered. One car went off the road on the 416, probably for the same reasons.

Angry Chicken · « **Reply #18 on:** December 15, 2009, 08:16:09 am »

I drive that stretch of road often, at least twice a week on average. I am constantly struck (thankfully not literally!) with how indifferent and inattentive Ottawa drivers are.

Shnak · « **Reply #19 on:** December 15, 2009, 08:30:16 am »

I'd be curious to know how many of those 70 vehicles had proper winter tires... it really should be made into a law across Ontario just like it is in Quebec.

If people had proper tires, AND DROVE TO SPEEDS APPROPRIATE TO THE CONDITIONS, most of these big pileups would be prevented. But no... most people would much rather be stupid, save a couple of bucks and drive with balding tires and then make sure to go as fast as they can to get home 5 minutes quicker. Idiots.