back to article Motorist 'thought car had caught fire' as Adele track came on stereo

A panicked motorway driver abandoned his car after the word “Fire” scrolled across his dashboard – but it wasn't a warning system kicking in: it was the name of the Adele song he was listening to. Stopping on the hard shoulder of British motorways is illegal unless it’s an emergency but folk still do it for all kinds of …

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  1. Goldmember

    I'm not sure

    Whether I hate or love these articles. On the one hand, the retardation of the general driving populace in this country is funny.

    On the other, the retardation of the general driving populace in this country is funny. Until one of them kills me.

    1. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge
      Go

      Re: I'm not sure

      But honestly officer, it said "Green Light" on the display, right there.

      1. Diogenes

        Re: I'm not sure

        Shades of the dutch ad for one of those colour change lollies - sorry can't find a link.

        Imagine kids in back - sucking on lolly - neatly timed announcements coming to lights its green, its red, its orange. Daughter goes its green - ('sgruen) dad drives off - bang accident

    2. Steve the Cynic

      Re: I'm not sure

      "On the one hand, the retardation of the general driving populace in this country is funny."

      This sort of remark makes me think of something I saw one day on the A40 heading east from Oxford toward the London-bound M40 junction. It's a two-lanes-each-way dual carriageway, and on that particular morning, the right lane (the fast one) was crammed full of cars. The left lane featured a tractor well burdened by mowing machinery (not in use at that moment, but travelling at tractor speed). Approaching the tractor in the left lane were a handful of cars valiantly attempting to merge right to pass the tractor. One of them, of course, left it a bit later than the others, and there was a sudden burst of tyre-smoke from all four wheels, and then the car shuddered and there was a spray of assorted fragments from the front of the car and/or the back of the tractor. Car and tractor pulled off the carriageway, and my god he made a mess of the front of his car. (Didn't do the mowing machinery much good either.)

      Oops...

      1. Graham Marsden
        Boffin

        @Steve the Cynic - Re: I'm not sure

        > the right lane (the fast one)

        You mean the Overtaking Lane?

        Just as motorways have *two* overtaking lanes, the basic rule of the road being "Keep left unless overtaking" which is why idiots shouldn't hog the middle lane when they can move to the left hand lane...

        1. Dagg Silver badge
          Devil

          Re: @Steve the Cynic - I'm not sure

          In Australia they have signs that state "Slow Drivers keep left". No one in Australia wants to be called dumb so they all drive in the middle lane.

        2. ravenviz Silver badge
          Facepalm

          Re: @Steve the Cynic - I'm not sure

          The stay in the middle lane so they're ready to overtake a lorry half a mile ahead. In five minutes time.

    3. JP19

      Re: I'm not sure

      "retardation of the general driving populace"

      The general driving populace numbers about 30 million. Do you really not expect it to contain a proportion of idiots?

      1 in 15,000 got caught illegally parked on motorways in 3 months, 1 in 1.35 million on any given day.

      The kind of rate you would expect from non-idiots having an occasional brain fart.

      1. Nuke
        Meh

        @JP19 - Re: I'm not sure

        wrote :- "The general driving populace numbers about 30 million. Do you really not expect it to contain a proportion of idiots?"

        I thought the object of the driving test was to weed them out.

  2. Evil Auditor Silver badge
    Trollface

    I do understand why the driver abandoned the car when Adele came on stereo. But wouldn't it be easier to simply switch it off or to a different radio station?

    1. GreggS

      Rumour Has it

      He thought instead of a hard shoulder it was a Cold Shoulder and was just Chasing Pavements instead.

      1. AbelSoul
        Coat

        Re: Rumour Has it

        He thought instead of a hard shoulder it was a Cold Shoulder and was just Chasing Pavements instead

        @GreggS:

        Trust Someone Like You to come up with that.

        1. GreggS

          Re: Rumour Has it

          Hey I just wanted to Make You Feel My Love

          1. wolfetone Silver badge
            Coat

            Re: Rumour Has it

            Imagine if he was driving along a bridge when he was startled by it, driving the car off the bridge. He'd be Rolling In The Deep....

    2. Truth4u
      Alert

      When Adele comes on I open the driver door and bail.

      The car with no driver speeding through the intersection is mine but it's your problem.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I'm surprised at someone who listens to Adele bothering to pay attention to the panel display. The general aim of pop music lovers seems to be to distract their attention away from the real world.

    4. Michael Strorm Silver badge

      I hope the driver in question wasn't Chicken Licken, otherwise he would have crapped himself when Adele's "Skyfall" was shown on the display.

    5. Anonymous Blowhard

      "But wouldn't it be easier to simply switch it off or to a different radio station?"

      In the hope they were playing "Fire Brigade" by The Move?

    6. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Skyfawwwww

      Or set fire to it. Just to be safe.

  3. Craig 2
    Coat

    The sad thing is that before he set off, he was sat in there for 3 hours with the keys in the ignition waiting for a certain Rolling Stones track to come on...

    1. Roger Varley

      Yeah, I haven't heard 'You better move on' for ages either.

      1. Steven Raith

        I can't keep up with traffic unless Queens Of The Stone Age - Go With The Flow is playing.

        Truth be told, it actually makes me overtake everything in sight, but it's better than holding people up, eh?

        Steven 'Steering Wheel Drum Solo' R

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Genuine reason.

    Well, a flat tire, running out of gas, and a car on FIRE should be enough reason to park a car anywhere. Except you shouldn't expect a warning of FIRE coming from the radio.

    I wonder what happens if someone launches a music named "DOOR AJAR".

    PS. Don't try to open your car doors at speed. The wind blast could slam it back on you. Another stupid driver proved it. Stunt cars are a whole other matter.

    1. Phil O'Sophical Silver badge

      Re: Genuine reason.

      PS. Don't try to open your car doors at speed. The wind blast could slam it back on you. Another stupid driver proved it.

      There's a reason why rear-hinged doors used to be called "suicide doors"

    2. Tom 260

      Re: Genuine reason.

      Actually, running out of fuel isn't a valid reason, in the UK it's an offence to run out of fuel on a motorway. As a result there are always signs informing you how far it is to the next petrol station.

      1. smartermind
        Black Helicopters

        Re: Genuine reason.

        Yes, that's right, if you run out of fuel you should just keep driving on. The car engine will run on...? DOH!

    3. ElReg!comments!Pierre

      Re: Genuine reason.

      Honestly, speaking about legit reasons, "felt like taking a nap" strikes me as the typical illegal-but-somewhat-legit one. I hope the guy got off with a slap on the wrist. I agree that you SHOULD not hit the road when you're too drowsy to drive, but given the choice I'd rather drive on a highway where people stop on the hard shoulder to take a nap than on one where they do not stop to take a nap.

      It happens all too often that the car you're about to pass drifts in your lane only to promptly go back as the driver wakes up. If you think it's stressful in a car, try it on a motorcycle (before the bikers among you ask, yes I do know where the gas throttle is. But I'm a law-abiding citizen, I wouldn't want to break the speed limit).

      1. Graham Marsden

        @ElReg!comments!Pierre - Re: Genuine reason.

        If someone is feeling sleepy, they should pull off at the next junction or service area and stop and get some sleep.

        Doing it on the Hard Shoulder is not only illegal, but stupid because if another vehicle, let alone an artic happens to drift across...

        1. ElReg!comments!Pierre

          Re: @ElReg!comments!Pierre - Genuine reason.

          "If someone is feeling sleepy, they should pull off at the next junction or service area and stop and get some sleep."

          I totally agree. On the other hand, the real world called. They said "people who feel sleepy just drink a coffee and think it'll pass". Unfortunate undoubtedly, but hey, who am I to argue against facts?

          "Doing it on the Hard Shoulder is not only illegal, but stupid because[...]"

          Sleeping on the wheel at 130 km/h is also illegal and stupid but it still happens all the time. I'd prefer if it happened at 0km/h on the hard shoulder instead. It's still illegal but a tiny tiny bit less stupid. I sincerely hope no-one needs me to explain why.

          1. Graham Marsden

            Re: @ElReg!comments!Pierre - Genuine reason.

            I suggest you look up the fallacy of the False Dichotomy.

            Sleeping when driving is stupid and illegal.

            Sleeping on the hard shoulder is also stupid and illegal.

            Sleeping at a service area is sensible and not illegal (even though officious private parking companies may try to fine you for doing it!)

            1. ElReg!comments!Pierre

              @ Graham Marsden

              I agree with you completely. On the other hand, most people don't stop to have a nap at a service area. They never did, and never will. They grab a coffee and think it'll keep them awake 'till the end of their journey (it rarely does). We're talking about the same kind of people who ignore the red Xs completely because they lost 5 minutes once. These people only realise that they can't keep awake after they've begun snoring. In that case it is better to stop at once rather than sleep-driving another 50 miles for a service area.

              Or are you advocating that people who actually fall asleep on the wheel should carry on driving at all cost untill they find a service area (or die trying?).

              There's illegal-grade stupid, and then there's 10-dead-in-a-gruesome-accident stupid. Putting them on the same level as you do is bordering on dangerous. Of course I don't dispute that if you feel drowsy you should have a nap somewhere "legal", preferably before you even began your journey.

              1. Graham Marsden

                Re: @ Graham Marsden

                > Or are you advocating that people who actually fall asleep on the wheel should carry on driving at all cost untill they find a service area (or die trying?).

                Now you've gone from a False Dilemma to a Straw Man argument...

                No, of course I am not advocating that. I'm advocating *GET OFF THE BLOODY MOTORWAY IF YOU'RE TIRED AND FIND SOMEWHERE SAFE AND LEGAL TO STOP AND NAP!"

                Servicer area, next junction whatever, just don't drive tired.

        2. MrAli

          Re: @ElReg!comments!Pierre - Genuine reason.

          Hmm, pulling off at a junction is likely to get you in hot water with the Vice Squad. Although a Service Area sounds altogether more accommodating!

      2. JP19

        Re: Genuine reason.

        "felt like taking a nap" strikes me as the typical illegal-but-somewhat-legit one"

        It is drivers taking a nap in the other lanes which makes the hard shoulder a dangerous place. I would not sit in a car on the hard shoulder for any reason I could avoid.

    4. djack

      Re: Genuine reason.

      "Except you shouldn't expect a warning of FIRE coming from the radio."

      He clearly didn't realise that the message was from the radio. Many modern cars have a multifunctional display in the middle of the dashboard. Trip computer, door ajar warnings, parking sensor warnings and audio information etc. etc. all share the same space, with whatever is selected (or deemed more approriate by the car) shown at any one time.

      1. BongoJoe

        Re: Genuine reason.

        I have a Landrover Freelander - yes, the Ken and Barbie design.

        And I can assure you that nothing comes on the display when that catches fire. In fact the only warning system I had was when I pulled into the petrol station and saw the cashier and staff running in blind panic when I realised that something was amiss.

        Of course, stopping meant that I then knew that something was wrong...

        Anyway, a FIRE warning sign would have been nice.

  5. Eradicate all BB entrants

    This is what happens ....

    ..... when technology becomes too advanced. No chance of me pulling over because of 'CD3 Track 4' showing up.

    As for the radio, if I wanted to listen to adverts and people talking about banal crap I would quit work and watch daytime tv.

    1. 142

      Re: This is what happens ....

      More like this is what happens when imbeciles design user interfaces.

      I was driving a rental car recently, and the song title display used the same text field as the other announcements, like directions, seatbelt warnings, etc.

      And it was just displayed one or two words at a time - nothing to indicate they were partial titles!

      It caused confusion repeatedly. Such as when something like Ellie Golding's "Lights" would come on the radio at night...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: This is what happens ....

        It's not always the designers I suppose. If you set up a separate display for the radio, and one for the dash/info... then someone comes along and "saves some money", all the good engineering in the world goes out the window (along with some vital nuts and bolts I assume)!

      2. Charles Manning

        Imbecile design

        It is always easy to rubbish "operator error" from a third-party hindsight perspective, but designers seldom fully consider how the operators will perceive their products in use.

        People have a very limited understanding of tech, particularly when under stress.

        I have spoken with people who thought you needed to put a fresh battery into a transistor radio every year otherwise you'd just hear last year's programmes all over again.

        My brother tried to convince someone that putting Jet-A1 (jet kerosene) in a keosene stove would not make the stove fly like a helicopter.

        This is particularly true for non-technical users, but is often true for well trained non-dunderhead users too.

        Look at AF447: Three pilots managed to ignore obvious signs of being in a stall, including a stall warning (cricket + "stall stall"...), and flew a perfectly airworthy plane into the sea.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Imbecile design

          "Look at AF447: Three pilots managed to ignore obvious signs of being in a stall, including a stall warning (cricket + "stall stall"...), and flew a perfectly airworthy plane into the sea."

          They were French, so they were probably too busy shagging the flight attendants* or being rude to the passengers. Or perhaps they tried to wave a white flag at the stall warning to make it go away.

          *both male and female

          --

          An anonymous French person

        2. KayKay
          Facepalm

          Re: Imbecile design

          yep, by the designers.........

          Normally you'd go nose-down to pick up airspeed, therefore undoing the stall.

          However the First Officer for some reason went nose UP (which stalls the plane even more) BUT the stall warning always stopped when he did so. So he thought that was problem solved. Being night, over water, no visual clues to where they really were or that they were rapidly descending.

          Reason for more-stall turning off the stall warning? sharply nose up, the pitot tubes were not getting enough airflow to KNOW the airspeed was too low, and the software was written to assume it was adequate unless told otherwise.

          AF447 was an Airbus. They've been know to try and prevent pilots from landing, on ground proximity grounds.

          Another neat trick on early heads-up displays was, air speed and altitude shared a display window -- under pressure a pilot might assume it was showing the one, when he needed to know the other, but had not pushed the change-display button hard enough. Old analog days they'd be separate dials and he'd know from the position on the dash which was which. I think they've changed this one.

    2. This post has been deleted by its author

  6. Valerion
    Happy

    My debut single

    "Brake Failure" should be hitting the shelves soon.

    1. Dominion

      Re: My debut single

      ...or a cover of No Brakes by The Offspring ?

      1. Uncle Slacky Silver badge

        Re: My debut single

        Or "Crash" by the Primitives?

        1. Sorry that handle is already taken. Silver badge

          Re: My debut single

          While listening to Iron Maiden, the satnav keeps trying to take me to some prostitute's house.

      2. Nigel 11
        Coat

        Re: My debut single

        Now I know what the retard driving in the 4th (outside) lane of the M1 at 60mph was listening to.

        LIFE IN THE FAST LANE (surely make you lose your mind)

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    In America he would've sued Adele and the radio station that played the song for mental trauma suffered in this terrible terrible ordeal

  8. A K Stiles
    Facepalm

    and congratulations to the 3 idiots on Sunday..

    ..who decided that the hard shoulder was an appropriate way for them to reach the exit half a mile ahead at 50 mph because the main carriageways were only travelling in queues at 20 mph due to everyone having to have a slow down and rubberneck at the emergency vehicles parked around the pile-up wreckage just beyond the junction. Which came very close to causing another accident as they attempted to rejoin the slip-road whilst others were using it correctly to exit the motorway...

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