Topic: Bad M5 Crash by Taunton last year - Pyrotechnician on manslaughter charges

[charlie finbow]

I agree with Wanderlust and Michael, he didn't intend any injury to anyone, a professional in pyrotechnics can still get it wrong, because once you fire these explosives any fall out is at the mercy of the weather.   This goes to reinforce my call to ban them, a light and lazer show with the latest technology can be dramatic and not so potentially dangerous.  I'm still a grumpy old man.

[baldy]

I accept that he did not intend to cause anyone any difficulty, let alone a shocking and major crash killing several people.
 
I never said he was guilty of a crime.
 
All I said was that the cause of the crash was the smoke. It certainly was a main cause (or "root cause").
 
I accept that drivers contributed to the problem, but none of them would have expected thick black smoke suddenly appearing in a way that suddenly reduced visibility to nothing.
 
I had a very frightening experience on the M3 a few years ago when I was going at about 75 mph (approx --- ahem! ) and suddenly the light mist turned to a pea-souper and reduced visibility from about 200 yards to about 20 yards.
 
I was very afraid to stamp on my brakes in case someone behind slammed into me so I slowed down gently. In reality I could have been still hit from behind or I could have found myself slamming into someone in front.  I made a guess that as there was no-one in front of me for about 100 yards as I went into the thick fog that I still had about 100 yards to get down to about 15 mph. Luckily it worked out OK for me.

[wanderlust]

I agree with Wanderlust and Michael, he didn't intend any injury to anyone, a professional in pyrotechnics can still get it wrong, because once you fire these explosives any fall out is at the mercy of the weather.   This goes to reinforce my call to ban them, a light and lazer show with the latest technology can be dramatic and not so potentially dangerous.  I'm still a grumpy old man.

Or, ban crap drivers. So am I.