'A miracle' driver walked away from car crushed between lorries on M1 near Northampton

The car was crushed between two lorries on the M1 near Northampton. Photo: Northamptonshire Police

The silver Nissan Almera driver, a man in his 40s, walked away with only minor injuries in what police described as 'nothing short of a miracle' following the collision on the southbound carriageway between junctions 15 and 14 on April 29.

Motorists should follow the two-second rule – give enough time and space to react by being two seconds behind the vehicle in front or four seconds if the road conditions are slippery or visibility is poor.

PC Dave Lee, of Northamptonshire Police's safer roads team, said: “As you can see from the photos, the car in this crash was completely crushed.

“For the driver to walk away with only minor injuries is nothing short of a miracle as it’s often a very different outcome when we deal with crashes on the motorway.

“Had there been people in the backseat, they would almost certainly have been killed that day.

“We’re releasing these photos because we’re hoping the damage caused will encourage people to think about the distance they’re driving from the vehicle in front when they’re on motorways. Leaving that gap could save lives.”

Both the northbound and southbound carriages were closed for over an hour while the emergency services dealt with the incident.

Amazingly the driver walked out with minor injuries. Photo: Northamptonshire Police

Highways England’s head of road safety Richard Leonard said: “These images are a startling reminder about the dangers of driving too closely to the vehicle in front.

"We know that tailgating is a factor in one in eight casualties on the strategic road network and if you get too close to the car in front, you won’t be able to react and stop in time if they suddenly brake.

“We also know that tailgating makes the driver in front feel targeted and victimised, distracting their attention from the road ahead and making them more likely to make a mistake.

“It is intimidating and frightening if you’re on the receiving end. If that leads to a collision, then people in both vehicles could end up seriously injured or killed.

"We want everyone to get home safe and well.”

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