Luck definately plays a part in car crashes for the 'innocent' drivers affected by the idiots on the road. You can be the safest driver in the world but if some idiot tail gates you or is driving in the opposite direction and pulls out to overtake on a blind bend etc and crashes head into you there is very little you can do. I have lost count how many near misses I have had like this on the A595.

Re comments on walking in the city, I used to be very confident walking in wintry conditions and had no fear of slipping / falling etc. However, with advancing years and stiffer joints I find the way that I walk increases the risk if slipping and consequently I become more tense, thus more likely to slip and fall. Young and fit people need to realise that not everyone is as agile as they are and able to manage to walk with ease in hazardous conditions. It's fine to say stay inside but we have to shop for food etc. not everyone can use online shopping or have someone to shop for them.

@ Chris on 9 February 2012 at 22:45:

Being a safe driver requires three four key components;

Knowledge, Skill, Experience, Attitude.

'luck' is not a component of safe driving, it is what keeps bad drivers from having an accident.

All but a very few accidents are caused by driver error, most of these can be attributed to inappropriate use of speed - too fast for the conditions. To castigate a driver for driving at 15mph on black ice is a very foolish thing to do, you were not there to comment, and the FACT that the driver arrived safely is evidence enough that the speed was not excessive.

It might interest people to know that electronic driver aids, ESC/BFD/ABS, whatever you want to call them amount to nothing more than a liability in these conditions, your safe arrival is dependants on how well you combine your knowledge, skill, experience and attitude. ABS will actually INCREASE your stopping distance on snow, ice or slippery mud.

Given the conditions of yesterday, I'm surprised that no-one was killed or seriously injured. I think most people did very well in the circumstances.

Harvey, I like the post....

i agree, its not how well a driver u are ,ive been driving nearly 20 yrs n never had any sort ov accident but driving thismorning on the same school route that i do every day,driving with extra care obviously with the extreme icy roads at aprox 3-5 mph ..skidded on a cobbled road just off Warwick Road and slid into a brick wall..there was nothing i could do to stop it the car was as if on skates the best driver in the world couldnt av brought it to a halt.. just so glad me and my family were unhurt and that there was no-one in the path of me because it could so much have been alot worse x thankgod x so i agree it pure luck not experience.

perhaps people have seen gritters running empty back to the depot to re-load with salt? fancy that!.extreme winter conditions happen sometimes.....it is winter.... it is not physically possible to grit every road and pavement in the city with resources,budget,etc

OMG, reading some of the smug comments on here about how great people are driving and how they didn't crash due to their driving, espically the idiot doing 15 mph on an motorway, you probably caused a few crashes with people having to swerve around your selfish driving.

My wife had an accident today was it her fault no.....it was a car sliding out of a junction due to ADVERSE weather..ohh and it was driven by yes a man !

It isn't down to how skillful of a driver you are, its all down to luck in weather conditions we had earlier today.

Lets hope that the people who were in accidents today are OK

I did steady 70 on the m6 at 7.30 this morning no problems pintling along at 15mph nothing but a traffic hazard going so slow, police should have pulled them and asked why? Just dangerous going so slow on motorway should not be on motorway.

1. No amount of salt can prevent freezing rain

2. Is the average number of responses to a News & Star story before the council are blamed

3. "gritter passed me and wasn't even spreading" Really? You can't work out why this might be?! (hint- its not a council conspiracy)

I wouldn't be surprised if some of you guys slag off the early opening of the biggest development to come to Carlisle in decades, oh, wait a minute...

I drove along 50 miles of black ice on the M6 this morning, which I negotiated safely at 15mph, despite 100 crashes. Many thanks to the smug 4x4 drivers who carried on regardless and ended up in the ditch or central reservation- you made me laugh. 4 wheel drive doesn't help on black ice. Knowing how to drive does, however.