Amazing - I was driving home on the M6 last night at 7pm with full headlights and fog lights rear and front doing a steady 50mph in the first lane given the conditions, to find an idot behind me within feet flashing like mad - I presumed he didn't like the fact that I had my rear fog lights on to keep him safe. The standard of driving in this country is nothing short of appalling.

"This seems to be especially prevalent with grey & silver cars."

Actually Andrew, silver is the most common car colour in the UK so statistically any survey based on car colour is likely to find that drivers of silver cars do the most bad (and good) things.

We were on M6 Yesterday stuck n tailback for 30 mins due to the closure when some stupid person came speeding up hard shoulder to try to exit at slip road where the police were bringing all the traffic off. The fog was very dense if there had been a broen down car they would not have stood a chance the police were so busy they did not notice but its drivers like this that kill people and dont deserve to have a license.

Whilst inappropriately used fog lights are annoying at least they're not dangerous unlike the idiots who don't put their lights on at all. This seems to be especially prevalent with grey & silver cars.

Brian: which planet do you inhabit?
So, there is a bonfire burning by the side of the motorway and smoke is billowing across the carriageway. Any right thinking, careful, driver, aware of what is happenings around them and concentrating on what they are doing will SLOW DOWN. If you don't then to blame the bonfire or the smoke is just ludicrous. The smoke is a factor while the CAUSE of the accident is the failure of one or more drivers to drive to the prevailing conditions.
If we follow your daft argument snow is responsible for accidents not the dingbats driving too fast through it!

drivers just ignore conditions and travel at silly speeds. unfortunately they are not the only ones to suffer if they cause an accident. i frequently drive on the m6 and in fog, ice, heavy rain, snow, sleet there are drivers who still will not slow down nor leave enough space between vehicles.

My pet hate is when people drive around with their fog lights on all day and night when their is no fog, heavy rain or spray!
I travelled on the M6 to work that day through the fog on my motorcycle and I had no issues apart from one numpty who decided to sit in the middle lane at 50mph causing wagons to undertake.

Brian, Taunton is not in Staffordshire its in Somerset....

For the person who commented about no police or signs for 130 miles,

I was working on the motorway yesterday and can assure you that fog signs were set and largely ignored, the incident itself had no shortage of emergency services and supporting staff from the Highways Agency clearing the incident as quickly and safely as they could.

Yes the signs set are advisory, but they are there for a reason. Reassuring and a test to modern car construction that this accident wasn't considerably worse.

The trouble with a lot of todays drivers is they dont care,going through red lights,overtaking on single lines,using mobile phones,wearing earphones and a total disregard for other road users