US Limo Crash

[stevestrat]

Just reading some of the things that have come to light after the limo crash in the States left 20 dead. The limo had failed a state vehicle inspection last month and should not have been on the road, also the driver didn't have the appropriate licence to allow him to drive a limo with passengers.

[macafee2]

omg, 18 from the limo

why oh why was it on the road?

But then, do our police turn a blind eye to cars with no mot? Have they the resource to deal?

macafee2

[Lancpudn]

That was a shocking loss of life, When I read it yesterday I thought something doesn't add up here.


The police seemed to have stopped bothering with motoring offences here, the DVLA no longer clamp untaxed cars because they've lost so many clamps. cordless grinders make short work of the chain. the ne'er do wells cant weigh them in at the scrapyards so they dump them in the canals.

[Lancpudn]

Just read that there was a family who had four daughters on the stretch limo, Good grief what must they be going through.


The conspiracy theories are already in overdrive over in the states saying the guy who owned the limo company was a 9/11 informer and is now out of the country in Dubai!!!.

[mh007]

Extremely sad about the loss of life in the limo crash.

Over here, the Police are making their money elsewhere with little effort in the way of mobile speed cameras & 20mph limits/zones....easy pickings.

[HarryM1BYT]

Originally Posted by macafee2

But then, do our police turn a blind eye to cars with no mot? Have they the resource to deal?

macafee2

In my experience and opinion, they have little interest or time to deal with driver and car defects. They are inundated, only the fools bother to tax, insure and MOT these days and I count myself as one of the honest fools


There was a time when you would get a tug for as small a fault as a lamp out, or failing to indicate, if you were spotted - not now. You can drive for years with faults, if the MOT doesn't catch them.


I would be very wary of driving a limo. The driving position is very poor for such a large vehicle, with so many passengers, though I regularly drive car and caravan of an even bigger size. There is a good reason that buses and trucks are driven from an elevated driving position.

[roverbarmy]

Many of the US built limos are basically a cut and shut with extra bits welded in. Many of the vehicles original safety features are often disabled or removed during the process. A vehicle originally built to carry five passengers (including the driver) ends up carrying many more than the original vehicle was designed for (in this case, 18 I believe). If you Google the crash site, the junction was at the bottom of a long hill with several bends. Assuming that this was a vehicle built on a body originally designed to carry 5, it may have been way out of its carrying capacity (an extra 13 people and the weight of the extra bodywork). So sad for the families involved.

[SCP440]

Many years ago I was collected from the airport and taken to our hotel in the US by one of these stretched limos, I sat at the back and you could see the vehicle twisting as the driver took corners even at modest speeds.

There was a program on TV on how they are made, as has been said they are cut in half slid apart and new steel is welded into place, when you see how much longer they are than standard it is amazing the don't bend in the middle. I was told the doors wont open if they are jacked up.

[LimoRog]

The 15 six door MacNeillie Limousines were built to a very high stand among the British Coachbuilder’s and tested by the DVLA . Thought cut and shunt the Body frames are stronger than the original car . Likewise the 9 Hearses are the only ones in the last 20 years to have a all steel body. The Limousines were also one of the first to have a central beach seat with shoulder reel seatbelts so max occupants 8 including the driver.

[Lancpudn]

Those stretch Limo's in the USA aren't required to have seatbelts for the passengers either which would explain the terrible loss of life.