Road safety concerns highlighted after Appletreehall car accident
Police take statements following Saturdays accident on the Appletreehall road
A TEENAGE motorist had a lucky escape on Saturday afternoon after her car overturned on the road just outside Hawick.
The 19-year-old girl was travelling from the town on the B6359, just before Appletreehall, when her Vauxhall Corsa mounted the verge, ploughed along the hedgerow and flipped upside down onto the other side of the road.
A police spokesman said that there were no reports of serious injuries and the girl walked free from the stricken vehicle.
However, chairman of Burnfoot Community Council, Richard Knight, told the Hawick News this week that the next accident victim might not be so fortunate.
That particular stretch of road is a common topic of discussion at the community council’s monthly meetings and repeated calls have been made for action to be taken in an attempt to slow motorists down.
Mr Knight told the Hawick News: “It’s quite a dangerous corner there and it’s a piece of road that’s used by cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders.
“The police have said that they are going to do speed checks there and this shows that there is a need for something to be done.”
Mr Knight also pointed to requests for traffic calming measure to be introduced at the other exit from Burnfoot at Sleepy Valley.
He added: “We keep getting told there’s not a problem but it’s clear we should be listened to so that accidents like this can be avoided in the future.
“It’s a shame that it has had to come to this, but hopefully the police will now sit up and take notice of our concerns.”
The road was closed for 40 minutes as officers dealt with the accident.
A police spokesperson called for caution when driving on rural roads.
He said: “Narrow country roads can be hazardous at the best of times but at this time of year road surfaces can be very wet and when the temperature is cold that can also make them slippy.
“Our advice would be to keep speeds to a minimum and to drive carefully.”
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Weather for Hawick
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 3 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 23 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 5 C to 9 C
Wind Speed: 25 mph
Wind direction: North west
