Minor prang could have been worse

I feel I need to contact you this evening after a minor accident I had on the Horsham Road, between the Steyning by-pass and Spithandle Lane (half a mile north of Steyning)due to black ice this morning ( Monday 18 th feb 2013)

I am aware of this particular stretch of road being dangerous and prone to icing , my wife and I have seen vehicles nestled in the hedgerow on numerous occasions awaiting recovery on cold mornings where black ice greets them.

What I would like to say is, this minor accident I had this morning could have had tragic consequences. There were two men standing at the side of the road after losing control themselves, as I slid off the road I narrowly missed them by inches, a minor prang could have been a lot worse.

I believe West Sussex Highways must be aware of this stretch of road due to the number of incidents there are there. This evening I noticed temporary signs warning of ice, maybe installing permanent signs would be a good start , however I think that a non slip surface for this section of road could save serious injury or even death.

I would like to request information on how many incidents/ 999 call outs there are to this particular stretch, and suggest some safety measures are applied, such as;

An Assessment of the area and it’s usage.

Non-slip surfacing applied.

Warning of ice signage.

Assessment of the cause of excess water in that spot, and corrective drainage installed.

I sincerely hope this correspondence could help save a life or serious injury in the future

Paul Jefferson

Coxham lane

Steyning