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Police need data on funeral accidents
Page 12
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• by Guy Sheppard
Police are appealing to Commercial Motor readers to come forward if they have witnessed or have ever been involved in an accident involving a funeral cortege.
The appeal follows an accident last month in which an 18-month-old girl and her grandfather were killed when the back of the car they were riding in was struck by a 23-tonne truck. Another nine people were injured in the pile-up which involved a total of four vehicles travelling in a funeral cortege.
PC Steve Hill of West Midlands Police says the cortege appeared to be travelling at between 1520mph on the A38 dual carriageway near Sutton Coldfield where the speed limit is 70mph, 'We wish to establish whether this is a corn mon problem or a one-off collision," he explains. "We want to know, have any drivers been involved in collisions or near misses involving slow-moving funeral corteges?"
He adds that vehicles with a maximum speed of 25mph have to be fitted with amber lights while on dual carriageways, but this does not apply to funeral corteges. If examples of similar accidents are found then a report to the Home Office may be submitted about amending the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations.
An inquest into the two deaths has been opened but police have not yet decided whether the truck driver should be charged.
E U responses to the appeal should be sent to PC Hill at Castle Vale Police Station, Valencia Croft, Birmingham 8357P11.