Three Dead in 52-Vehicle Pileup on German Autobahn
- Posted on November 19, 2011 at 4:25pm by
Christopher Santarelli
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(The Blaze/AP) Police say a 52-vehicle pileup on a highway in northwestern Germany has left three people dead and 35 injured. RT Video in the aftermath of the massive crash:
The accident happened Friday evening on the A31 autobahn near the town of Gronau on the border with the Netherlands. The weather was foggy at the time but it wasn’t immediately clear what triggered the pileup.
Police said Saturday that 14 people were taken to nearby hospitals. Twenty-one people had only light injuries.
The Telegraph reports that police are trying to establish if the bad weather is the only factor that triggered the huge accident which closed a 6 mile-long section of the motorway Saturday.
Seven were killed and 51 injured in a blazing pile-up on the M5 motorway near Taunton, England, earlier this month.
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Comments (65)
The_Postal
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 2:49pmI guess Europe really is just black, grays, and white. Even their cars have no color. Very sad about the injuries and death. Glad we have speed limits that at least help avoid this. But nothing could ever stop accidents.
Report Post »decendentof56
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 3:22pmPostal……
Report Post »Well.. you are right about never stopping these things from happening. Strokes, heart attacks, seizures, etc, could happen anytime.
However, you have to wonder what can possibly cause so many ‘accidents’ (I usually call them mistakes) on limited-access roads. There’s no cross-roads, no traffic lights, and all traffic is supposedly going the same direction. It, therefore, has to be driver error. I’ve had a discussion with Taquoshi on this thread about safe driving distance. I would guess that following too close or a crazy lane change started this mess.
Tankertony
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 2:25pmDo they only sell black, white, and silver-grey colored cars in Europe?
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 4:54pmSees like it :) But, I had a Cream Mercedes, too!
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 1:39pmI drove 137 mph on the Autobahn… and I had to stay to the Right… as the cars passing me were often doing close to 200 mph… and I thought, I would never be able to stop for an accident.
Report Post »KOCHLEFFEL
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 2:35pmThese idiots never learn, they still will drive like maniacs endangering themselves and every one else.
Report Post »BBomber66
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 12:58amGermans pay several thousands of DMarks to attain a driver’s license. They are schooled and tested on all roadways and in all conditions. Failure on the test means another few thouseand to take the course again. They show disdain for the cheap Internationsl License and with good reason. Few in this country have the requisite skills and attention span to avoid even the smallest of incidents. They are not accidents: there is a root cause and that is usually the fault of one driver or the other. [A topic for an entire essay.] The Deutscher cannot eat or drink [even cola or water] while driving. All distractions were prohibited, but my knowledge is pre cell phones. I so enjoyed the “impeding the flow of traffic law.” A driver cannot ride in the left lane and prevent traffic from passing. Hoooohaaw! If you’re going to go the same speed as the guy in the next lane, then get in his lane. Keep the left lane open, except to pass. Many has been the time I would have liked to have disabled a motorist like can be done with the bait car. I also despise the troll who speeds up just as you are ovetaking him or the idiot who thinks just because he’s on cruise and creeping up on the driver in the next lane that he has not obligation to get over. Let me have the NASCAR cage in my car for a couple of days. So many narcissists–so little time.
Report Post »hud
Posted on November 21, 2011 at 4:06pmWas the driving test more comprehensive than in this country? Where are the Porsche’s, Ferrari’s, Bemer’s, etc? Bright colors might help avoid this action.
Report Post »german_viewer
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 12:45pmInsurance rates in Germany are not much higher or lower than in most states in the U.S. if you drive carefully. For instance: I’m driving a Mazda 6. I pay about €40 or $55 per month for liability and CC. That’s when you have more than 20 years without any accident. For a young driver or somebody who has a bad insurance record that price will rise up to $250 (or sometimes even more) per month. Liability without CC will cost me about $25 a month. A young driver or one with a lot of accidents will pay as much as $100-130 a month.
Report Post »Dudemau
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 12:35pmthere is such a thing as natural law. it’s called thinning the herd.
Report Post »DAGNY
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 12:06pmIsn’t it ironic?
Food bans – to keep us healthy
Smoking bans – to keep non-smokers healthy
Plastic bag bans – to keep the earth healthy
Hate speech bans – to make us into a civil society
Ban, ban, ban to ensure our safety and health…
Ban automobiles? (they are involved in 100% of the auto accidents) – crickets…
Report Post »Ban abortions? (responsible for millions of deaths) – crickets…
Azzman
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 10:19amSpeed limits are nothing more than a way for the state to generate revenue. Law enforcement is not interested in creating a safe driving environment they are out for the “gottcha” moment around the curve or hiding behind a hill. The only reason my state has wonderful 4 to 5 new wide concrete lanes and a 55mph limit is to have commuters help balance this states woefully unbalanced budget.
Report Post »ferdnerkel
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 12:49pmi believe you are partially correct. in part it is to generate revenue but only as far as it is a hidden tax on willing ignorance of the law. unless you think it is acceptable to drive through a school zone at 70 mph you might want to re-think your safe driving environment statement.
Report Post »Azzman
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 10:12amFog.
Report Post »B-Neil
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 10:06amWhat in the Hell does a pile-up in Germany have to do with whats going on here? CARRY ON McDUFF
Report Post »FrontierProject
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 1:28pmThis may come as a seriously shocking revelation to you, but their is actually a world beyond “what’s going on here”. It‘s equally important to know what’s going on in the rest of the world, because it might someday effect you.
Report Post »“what in the world does a nuke being launched in North Korea have to do with what’s going on here!!!”
decendentof56
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 8:26amBuses would be good. They don’t polute at all!
Report Post »REALITYBITES
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 7:47amWhether people follow the rules of the road or not, whatever they may be, one constant remains:
You must use common sense. If conditions are foggy – slow down. Tap the brakes, let off the gas, and anyone with common sense will follow suit. Unfortunately, too many people lack this trait.
On the Autobahn, the far left lane is reserved for the drivers willing and comfortable enough to drive as fast as they please. Meaning if you’re in that lane and see a car approaching, move over.
There are signs posted on most highways here stating just that – SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT.
There are many out there who refuse to obey this simple law. Content to drive the speed limit in the fast lane. I call these people “citizen cops”. I’ve had them speed up just to prevent me from passing. I’ve heard the argument “I pay taxes, it’s my road too”. Yes, a speeder may be breaking the law, but you are as well in a much more dangerous way. If you are guilty of this, and you know if you are, do us all a simple favor. Just move on over. You might save a life, maybe even yours.
Report Post »capitalideals
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 8:08amI drove on the autobahn in 1981. Outside Frankfort it was so foggy the visibility may have been 100 feet at most, but drivers were still driving pretty fast. I was a little nervous but we made it in one piece. No speed limit, go for the gusto!!
Report Post »carl_in_ohio
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 7:46amsolution:
Report Post »1. maintain safe driving distances of one car length per 10 miles per hour
2. in fog, slow down
3. don’t text while driving
4. don’t talk on the mobile while driving
decendentof56
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 8:20amCarl…..
Report Post »The rule is 3 seconds of following distance (regardless of speed) with that doubled in wet (yes, even rain) roads. If you think about it, 10 car lengths is not much if you are going 100 MPH. Remember, there is always a disadvantage for the ‘follower’, as they will have to add their reaction time after seeing the brake lights from the already-braking car ahead. At 100 MPH, you would use that 10 car lengths up at about the time you actually start to brake your car.
Taquoshi
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 9:14amDes -
Believe it or not, someone asked me not all that long ago why I was so “far behind” the vehicle in front of me on I-95. When I explained that I’d been taught one car length for every 10 miles, they’d never heard such a thing. They hadn’t heard the 3 second rule, either. I passed my driver’s license some time ago. Has it changed that much????
Report Post »decendentof56
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 3:02pmTAQUOHSI………..
I admit there is confusion over the safe following distance. Heres my background……
I was taught ‘defensive driving’ as a 20 y/o when I started with Ma Bell. I will have to say…Ol’ Ma was very safety-oriented with many things, especially workers driving. We took classes on defensive driving and did refreshers, I believe, on a yearly basis for many years.
You DID NOT want to cause a fatality while driving your Phone Co. truck, or you would be gone, especially if the ‘accident’ was preventable. Guess who decided if the accident was preventable? Yep, MaBell.
If you think about it, the 3 second rule makes perfect sense. No matter how fast you are traveling, 3 seconds is still 3 seconds. We were taught to pick a fixed object along the road, then count ‘one thousand one- one thousand two- one thousand three’, with no pauses. It would be hard, I think, to gauge how many car-lengths you are, as opposed to using the fixed-object method.
Slowing down before cross-streets, making eye contact, waiting a couple of seconds after the car in front of you starts up after a red light to build that ‘cushion’, knowing whats behind you, using traffic to protect you, etc.
For me, it was great training, as I’ve ridden a motorcycle for 37 years with no problems. I laugh at people who say..”isn’t it dangerous?” I never feel threatened.
As to the one car length for every 10 MPH, I never heard that in my training.
Report Post »swkimbl
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 7:29amI have spent 3 years 1961-64 in Germany in the military and these seines happen quit often, with a combination of no speed limits and heavy fog create a dangerous situation. I drove truck in the combat engineers that carried a panel bridge with a pole trailer that carried transom beams (I beams) for the bridge, and a family of five was dipping in and out of our convoy and the driver slammed in the back of my trailer all five were killed, so the German driver also contributes to the unsafe conditions,
Report Post »chitstirrer
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 6:34amBlame Busch! Kyle Busch.
Report Post »TulsaYeeHaw
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 2:47amWell, we can honestly say the Germans don’t do anythig half-ass.
Report Post »pennswoods
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 2:35amWhy aren’t there speed restrictions on the autobahns? These Germans drive as fast as they want to and they could care less about their carbon footprints and “climate change”. It’s time for the EU to put speed limits on the German autobahns. Why do the rest of us have to have them and the Germans don’t? Germans it’s time to SLOW down and drive sanely.
Report Post »UrbanCombatSurvivor
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 8:02amSpeed limits are about control, not safety. Want a logical example of how? This article is one.
51 cars all moving at far above US speeds. Massive pileup, only three dead. Simple math.
Report Post »german_viewer
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 12:50pmAbout 55 % of all autobahns have speed limits. About 45 % have not. In Germany speed limits are often imposed electronically. many autobahns have huge electronic billboard-like signs that dynamically change the speed limit and adjust to weather, traffic and any other event. They’re centrally managed by the autobahn controllers in each state.
I personally think that’s the best way to manage speed limits. You only have them if they’re really needed. There is no logical reasons to have a speed limit on a six-lane autobahn on a Sunday morning where there is almost no traffic (note: most truck-traffic is banned on Sundays on autobahns).
Report Post »certified ethical hacker
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 6:19pmStupid people on cell phones are the most dangerous obstacle. The other day I was waiting to make a right hand turn on a road then go a few yards through two lights to get on the interstate. While the light was green I sat for a while as the lead car of two in front of me just s opinion her, I told her I hope she killed herself in an accident before she killed someone else. herto you ear. I do not have time to wait at a green light while some moran woman gets her lover off on a phone call. Get the bleep out of the way.
Report Post »Mike777
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 6:17pmI blame Al Gore for this…………………….
Report Post »Salamander
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 2:33amThank you for not blaming it on George W. Bush!
Report Post »ADNIL
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 5:56pmA number of years ago we were traveling the interstate north of Boston. Three lanes of traffic bumper to bumper, 4th of July weekend, all traveling north at about 75 mph in the afternoon.
Suddenly, all the cars ahead of us began braking and weaving. A wheel had come off a jeep waggoneer, with the axle still attached to it, and we could see the wheel with the 6′ metal rod sticking out of it rolling down the interstate while cars weaved all over the roadway, trying to avoid it and each other.
The end of the axle hit the pavement and sent the wheel and axle (still attached) bouncing and spinning erratically all over the road for the next quarter mile or so, just missing cars that were still weaving everywhich way. As we came upon it, it took a big bounce in front of our car and came to rest in the grass on the side of the highway. I took a quick look around and saw all traffic behind and in front back in their lanes, as if it never happened. This whole thing happened in less than a minute. It was a MIRACLE that not one car hit another. It would have been a huge pile up.
OH – the car that lost the wheel skidded off the left side of the north lanes and came to rest against the guardrail that separated the north and south lanes with barely enough space to be out of the way of traffic.
Report Post »LOLReally
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 6:56pmIn Dallas I saw a trailer tire break off a horse trailer’s left side while going 80+ in the feft lane it hit a small bump, went airborne, one bounce and over the K barrier directly into an oncoming Navigator’s windshield smashing head on, both going 80+. I remember her face just before impact, she only had enough time to widen her eyes.
Report Post »Salamander
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 2:43amIf you ever see tire debris on the road, be especially careful! The truck that is throwing it might be just a short distance ahead! Soon, it will have a blowout, at which point things will happen pretty quickly! I drive a lot and have noticed this on more than one occasion! Once it was MY inside rear tire and when it let go, there was no doubt things were going to get exciting! I’ll never forget the view in my rear view mirrors as I checked traffic so I could pull off the roadway in a hurry! Cars and trucks were dodging everywhere! I had no advanced notice of the failure–It was BOOM and things changed! Never ride along NEXT to a truck for an extended period of time! Either pass it or lay back a bit! If a tire ruptures, it could throw a retaining ring or blow steel belting, sidewall or something it snagged on the truck your way and really ruin your day!
Report Post »missmollywog
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 5:35pmThey might consider imposing speed limits…..
Report Post »AhLeahIris
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 5:42pmWhy? We have these kinds of pile-ups all the time, and we HAVE speed limits, as do the Brits, mentioned at the end of the article. Speed limits kill. We have speed limits everywhere, and yet with a lower population density(by far), we have many more deadly car accidents per capita, and to be certified on our roads, our cars are much more structurally sound.
Do you know why that is? Because we base our traffic law NOT on right of way, but instead on a vague notion of “public safety.”
Of course, with all the CAFE standards being elevated through the roof, it goes without saying that our vehicles are becoming less safe, which also imposes a terrible cost in lives on the roadways.
Thank Uncle Obama.
Report Post »pennswoods
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 2:38amI agree. The Germans are immune from speed limits yet they whine about climate change and global warming. Their “carbon foot print” because of their fast driving is part of the fantasy called “global warming” so lets force them to drive at 75mph like we have to in the states.
Report Post »4xeverything
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 5:24amThey might consider imposing common sense.
Report Post »orionreplay6607
Posted on November 20, 2011 at 6:48amWho are we kidding? We have “speed limits” yet no one drives them. People instantly drive anywhere between 10 and 15 miles over the posted limit. And for the more lawfully aware, it’s always just, “I set my cruise at 5 over.” If you are one who drives exactly the speed limit, then you are instantly a safety hazard.
I don’t condone it, I’m only stating the simple truth of our own road system.
So what’s the freaking point to our own speed limits and now our desire to enforce them on Germans with their Autobahn?
Report Post »Captndon
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 5:10pmLive here, drive 100 mph average daily, This accident is exeptional but has nothing to do with speed. I am really scared on an interstate on the east coast at half the speed. Autobahn has rules, interstates, not so much.
Report Post »avenger
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 5:34pmprobably some dopey lib from USA was driving in the fast lane…
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 7:20pmWhen I was a kid I remember a European asking why people here try making cars go faster cars when we’re not supposed to go fast on the highway.
I don’t care for much for European socialism, however, many of Germany’s driving laws ought to be applied here.
Report Post »AmericanStrega
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 4:50pmWhy is the person pictured in the last photo wearing a bio-suit?
Report Post »Erabin
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 4:59pmThe crashed cars may leak hazardous or irritating liquids. I kinda wonder why he doesn’t seem to wear a mask or protective glasses.
Report Post »MrMagoo
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 5:11pmI wondered the same thing.Its called OVERKILL.But not this tragedy in England in particular,mine you.Dead bodies and cleaning up the aftermath is messy.
I’m talking about common everyday accidents.It seems nowadays that a minor/major traffic accident,a house fire,a train wreck,a crime scene,somebody farted in public…….the whole area must be cordoned off for blocks or miles around.
The SWAT TEAM is called in,the Fire Department with a dozen vehicles,ditto with Paramedics,and of course the beloved Patrolmen in a squad cars all over the place .Now we have the white bio suits.
Its no wonder insurance rates are sky high.And taxes to pay for it all.
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 7:25pmThe Gentleman in the all weather fire resistent heat and cool driving suit is a European version of an illegal alien.
Report Post »scout n ambush
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 4:49pmHow sad but It is amazing that there was not more killed at the speeds they travel on .All the vehicles are white gray or black now that is depressing
Report Post »Erabin
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 5:03pmMeh, Germans are pretty good drivers usually so this thing here is pretty damn rare. I used to live 30 miles from where that accident happened, but everyone I know there seems to be okay.
I never did notice how many cars are greyish/black in Germany until you mentioned it. Weird.
Report Post »RossPoldark
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 10:05pmNo tailgating.
Report Post »MrMagoo
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 4:45pmFailing to keep a safe assured distance,to the car in front of you,at any speed,is dangerous.All it takes is 1 mistake from another driver,in crowd of vehicles too close together.
Report Post »82dAirborne
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 4:31pmGlobal Warming strikes again!
Report Post »Secessionista
Posted on November 19, 2011 at 5:16pmYes, I agree. Global warming caused this sudden and extreme weather pattern. The drivers didn’t even have time to pull over and stop.
Algore, why didn’t we listen to you!
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