Cab driver's whiplash ordeal

Taxi drivers have long had a reputation for driving fast and not paying attention to other cars around them, tending to act as though they think that taxis own the road. However, one taxi driver has realised just how dangerous roads and driving can be.

the taxi driver,, from Blackpool thought he was going to die after he was involved in a car accident caused by rogue road signs.

His near death experience prompted him to ask for "death-trap" roadwork's to be better lit, after he claims he was nearly killed because he tried to swerve them to avoid a crash.

"There are only a few barriers and cones. It should have been lit up. Someone needs to take responsibility. I could have died," he noted.

The man, aged 28, suffered serious personal injuries ranging from whiplash injuries to cracked ribs when he smashed into sand dunes as he tried to avoid the roadworks.

He now claims that he is frightened to get into a vehicle after the incident: "I'm quite frightened to drive now. I'm paranoid," he commented.
Road beware

The victim had been a taxi driver for eight years and admitted to seeing some sights in his time, but he said he had never experienced anything so frightening before. With no lighting to warn drivers of the potential danger and foggy conditions, he did not see the hole in the road until he was one metre away.

He said: "I thought I was going to die. They've put these roadworks in the worst place in Blackpool for fog. It should be lit up like a Christmas tree and there should be a reduced speed limit."

He furthered: "I'm lucky I'm not dead," after he had to swerve a car to avoid a full on collision: "There was a car coming the other way so I swerved back but the car went on the same side of the road so I had to swerve right and I lost control. The car went on a massive skid. I hit the kerb, my car went up in the air and dropped in a ditch in the sand dunes."

After the crash left him understandably shaken, he phoned emergency services and was taken to Blackpool Victoria Hospital by a friend.

The crash happened close to Pontins and wreckage from the blue 2.2 SRI, which was written off, can still be seen scattered across the sand dunes.

The accident has put road safety in a new light for the cabbie, who hopes that the council too will come out of the dark, and create better lighting and signposts to be erected by the hole.

A spokesman for Gas Alliance, which is responsible for a number of trial holes along the stretch of road where the accident happened, said: "We cannot comment on a road traffic accident. We will investigate."

Hopefully Gas Alliance will recognise the importance of such driver injuries, as whiplash claims are filed by 1,200 motorists daily and cost the NHS around £8 million per year.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) director general Stephen Haddrill said: "Whiplash imposes unacceptable costs to individuals, businesses and the state. Insurers want to reduce whiplash, provide fast care and compensation and tackle fraudulent claims. But we cannot do this alone.

"We call on the Government, road safety groups, the medical and legal professions and other stakeholders to work with us on a campaign to reduce this problem."