Driver suffers head injuries in collision on A338

Traffic chaos as crash closes A338 Traffic chaos as crash closes A338

A MAN escaped serious injury after his car plunged off the road, colliding with a tree on Monday morning.

The 47-year-old Poole man was taken to Poole Hospital with head and neck injuries.

A spokesman for Dorset Police said the injuries were not believed to be life-threatening or life-changing.

Police were called to the scene of the collision off the southbound carriageway of the A338 by a member of the public around 6.45am.

It is not known if they had witnessed the incident or caught sight of the wreckage from the road.

The silver Peugeot 206 had landed on its roof at the bottom of a slope, with half a broken tree lying close by.

Fire fighters had to remove the windscreen of the car to release the man, who was said to be conscious at the time.

The soutbound carriageway was closed from Ashley Heath roundabout for more than an hour while emergency services dealt with the incident.

It was partially reopened around 8.10am but was closed soon after for a short time to allow for recovery of the vehicle.

Traffic was delayed northbound as a result of the closure, with queues backed up from Ashley Heath back to Blackwater juction.

Vehicles were diverted onto the A31 to Ferndown until the road has reopened.

Officers remained at the scene until the car had been taken away and the road reopened.
 

Comments(22)

Huey says...
10:04am Mon 10 Sep 12

Glad the driver is ok. The car looks a mess.

BIGTONE says...
11:12am Mon 10 Sep 12

There clearly is a traffic design problem within the vicinity of Blackwater Junction by the number of accidents at or very near to it and the volume of traffic in and out.

When are DCC and the Highways agency going to do something about it?

Phixer says...
11:23am Mon 10 Sep 12

BIGTONE says...

"There clearly is a traffic design problem within the vicinity of Blackwater Junction by the number of accidents at or very near to it and the volume of traffic in and out. When are DCC and the Highways agency going to do something about it?"


About the same time that drivers take responsibilty for their own actions by driving with due care and attention.

bos748 says...
12:10pm Mon 10 Sep 12

the A338 road is quite safe in this case it would appear to be the driver or vehicle at fault not the road.

Bmth 65 says...
1:02pm Mon 10 Sep 12

Phixer wrote:
BIGTONE says...

"There clearly is a traffic design problem within the vicinity of Blackwater Junction by the number of accidents at or very near to it and the volume of traffic in and out. When are DCC and the Highways agency going to do something about it?"


About the same time that drivers take responsibilty for their own actions by driving with due care and attention.
But it is not always the driver who crashes who is driving without due care and attention. I have been driving down the A338 approaching the Blackwater Junction on numerous occasions, keeping my distance when someone from the inside lane has forced me to jam my brakes on by swerving into the outside lane because someone joining from the slip road thinks all they have to do is indicate and they have a right to simply pull out onto the dual carriageway regardless of what is coming.

That said, whoever designed that ridiculous short junction needs shooting, along with the person who decided it would be a good idea to build the grass bank up so that nobody can see what's coming down the dual carriageway !! So yes I agree with Bigtone, it needs sorting !!

bsjc1234 says...
1:44pm Mon 10 Sep 12

I know not all will like it but the 50mph really does need to be extended to go beyond the junction by say a further 500 metres to help slow traffic dwon before they reach it.

mark.s says...
1:51pm Mon 10 Sep 12

The problem with Blackwater is the same as Richmond Hill, a stupidly short slip road that causes drivers both on the carridgeway and wanting to join it to panic. Terrible road design.

Neo-sapian says...
2:27pm Mon 10 Sep 12

No problem with the junctions or road, could do with another lane for sheer weight of traffic in the high season, other than that it's fine. It's more than likely another case of (apologies for generalising) DDS (Dorset Driver Stupidity).

Driving standards in this county are horrendous.

Lord Spring says...
2:42pm Mon 10 Sep 12

If you pull over to outside lane to allow traffic from the slip some idiot will storm down the inside lane.

SeafaringMan says...
3:55pm Mon 10 Sep 12

A good policy is to make sure that you are never in the outside lane ajacent to any vehicle in the inside lane when approaching some of the notorious short slip roads that we are infested with.

mgibbs says...
7:18pm Mon 10 Sep 12

The junction was not to blame in this incident. The car was travelling towards bournemouth and was quite some distance north of the junction on a straight section of the dual carriageway when the accident occured.

Bournemouthfan2 says...
7:37pm Mon 10 Sep 12

Lord Spring wrote:
If you pull over to outside lane to allow traffic from the slip some idiot will storm down the inside lane.
Only possible if the car you pulled out for suddenly de-materialised!....
....
Alternatively perhaps it wasn't there and you pulled in to the overtaking lane in front of faster traffic 'just in case' a car appeared on the slip road.
Someone very nearly came together with me doing this very thing just as I was about to pass them, they then sat in the 'overtaking lane' at 50mph with nothing on the inside lane. Unsurprisingly others undertook both of us.

sc61 says...
8:54pm Mon 10 Sep 12

mark.s wrote:
The problem with Blackwater is the same as Richmond Hill, a stupidly short slip road that causes drivers both on the carridgeway and wanting to join it to panic. Terrible road design.
Agreed, the slip road is far too short, then there's a bridge parapet at the end of it. Why on earth they haven't extended the slip 'loop' northwards to give better visibility and time to match speed lord only knows. Yet Canford Bottom gets 70 pointless traffic lights!

spooki says...
9:49pm Mon 10 Sep 12

Bmth 65 wrote:
Phixer wrote:
BIGTONE says...

"There clearly is a traffic design problem within the vicinity of Blackwater Junction by the number of accidents at or very near to it and the volume of traffic in and out. When are DCC and the Highways agency going to do something about it?"


About the same time that drivers take responsibilty for their own actions by driving with due care and attention.
But it is not always the driver who crashes who is driving without due care and attention. I have been driving down the A338 approaching the Blackwater Junction on numerous occasions, keeping my distance when someone from the inside lane has forced me to jam my brakes on by swerving into the outside lane because someone joining from the slip road thinks all they have to do is indicate and they have a right to simply pull out onto the dual carriageway regardless of what is coming.

That said, whoever designed that ridiculous short junction needs shooting, along with the person who decided it would be a good idea to build the grass bank up so that nobody can see what's coming down the dual carriageway !! So yes I agree with Bigtone, it needs sorting !!
I agree with this, especially that mound of grass on the slip road. Why can't they cut it down? There have been accidents at the Blackwater junction lots of times, on either side. Do something about it!

Chiqqy says...
10:20pm Mon 10 Sep 12

I hate Blackwater junction, people are correct in saying the slip road is too short. Also I agree with the person who said the speed limit should be reduced along that part, at least until clear of the junction.

This accident looks like it was probably caused by going too fast and not paying attention. But we'll never know really. Hope the guy recovers though, what a mess !

The man from bosvegas says...
11:37pm Mon 10 Sep 12

This junction is the worst in the area. Why not redesign the slip road sweeping around that waste land giving a longer slip to join up with the main road. Then just move the 50 mph limit around a mile before the junction on the southbound carriageway Surely it's just common sense? Maybe I will dig up the 50 mph sign and move it myself? Why has this not been done as moving a sign would not cost much?

lemontree says...
7:46am Tue 11 Sep 12

Obviously neo-sapian hasn't driven here in France. If he wants BAD driving come over here, there's lots and lots of it. You do really need your wits about you, when driving here, and its not only car drivers, lorry drivers are even worse, they DO think they own the road

endless journey says...
10:59am Tue 11 Sep 12

lemontree wrote:
Obviously neo-sapian hasn't driven here in France. If he wants BAD driving come over here, there's lots and lots of it. You do really need your wits about you, when driving here, and its not only car drivers, lorry drivers are even worse, they DO think they own the road
Agreed, It's impossible to single out Dorset for a special mention regarding driving standards.

Driving standards all over the country are horrendous. Witness the aggression, intolerance and mindless idiocy you see every day of the week on our roads.

Franks Tank says...
11:08am Tue 11 Sep 12

Don't suppose the driver was wearing a helmet....

FNS-man says...
11:48am Tue 11 Sep 12

I can't really have any sympathy with the driver if he wasn't wearing a helmet.

Lord Spring says...
2:10pm Tue 11 Sep 12

lemontree wrote:
Obviously neo-sapian hasn't driven here in France. If he wants BAD driving come over here, there's lots and lots of it. You do really need your wits about you, when driving here, and its not only car drivers, lorry drivers are even worse, they DO think they own the road
When I drive over there they come straight at me, so I drive on the other side

mattkuk says...
4:31pm Wed 12 Sep 12

Make it 50 mph until clear of the junction. But i guess all the Top gear loving, Jeremy Clarkson **** kissing petrol head idots will disagree.

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