Imagine you’ve already had your coffee, you’re feeling smug about leaving early, and then you see brake lights as far as the eye can see. It’s like that moment in a movie where the hero thinks everything is fine, and then the floor drops out. Nobody was prepared for the sheer stop-and-go chaos.
I heard about one driver who actually finished an entire audiobook between junctions 10 and 11. He started with a thrilling mystery and ended with the credits. The traffic had become his personal, very slow-moving library.
Why we all nod in sympathy
The closures were extensive, with emergency services doing their hero work. But while they handled the serious stuff, the rest of us were stuck, becoming experts on the colour of the car in front. You start noticing things: the rust, the baby shoe dangling from a rearview mirror.
It’s funny how a motorway closure turns total strangers into a community. You catch the eye of the driver next to you, and you both do that exaggerated shrug that says, “Well, this is my life now.” No words needed, just pure, shared misery.
M40 closed after lorry overturns in Buckinghamshire crash - BBC News
I recall a time I was stuck on the M40 for four hours because of a crash. I learned the entire history of a lorry driver’s family from his CB radio. He was like a podcast I never subscribed to, but honestly, I was grateful for the company.
