SUFFOLK'S major road artery has turned into a game of Russian roulette with motorists gambling with their lives when they take to the road.Three major accidents have occurred on the A14 within the last week with the most serious one resulting in the death of American serviceman Julious Hawkins.

SUFFOLK'S major road artery has turned into a game of Russian roulette with motorists gambling with their lives when they take to the road.

Three major accidents have occurred on the A14 within the last week with the most serious one resulting in the death of American serviceman Julious Hawkins.

The 24-year-old from Bradfield Combust, near Bury St Edmunds, died when his car burst into flames after he crashed into a lorry near to the Bury St Edmunds sugar factory at 3.10am last Friday .

Police later reported Mr Hawkins could have been driving for up to ten-miles in the wrong direction before the crash and probably got on the A14 at Haughley.

Yesterday police arrested a woman for drink driving on the same road, this time near Nacton in the Felixstowe direction.

The 28-year-old woman, from Felixstowe, had been driving along the road with three children in the back of her vehicle when she collided with a lorry which had been parked in a lay-by.

The accident, which happened at 1pm and involved a Seat car and an HGV lorry, lead to the woman being arrested within 30 minutes. She is currently being held at Ipswich police station.

Two ambulances went to the collision, where nobody was reported to have been seriously injured, and took three children to Ipswich Hospital.

It followed serious problems on the road earlier in the day in Cambridgeshire after a lorry blocked the notorious stretch of road between Cambridge and Huntingdon.

Today chaos was caused to early morning traffic in the morning rush hour after two cars crashed in the fast lane of the A14.

The accident happened at 8.20am near to the Copdock Interchange in the Felixstowe-bound direction.

Although nobody was injured in the crash, which involved a Fiat Punto and a Ford Fiesta, the road caused major disruption to traffic.

The carriageway was not entirely closed but traffic was reduced as the vehicles were recovered from the road.

Simon Stevens, spokesman for Suffolk police, said: “We would like to encourage motorists to bear in mind the rules of the road and the condition of their vehicle when they get behind the wheel.

“This applies not only when they are on major roads such as the A14 but all roads.

“Drivers should not drink and drive, should obey speed limits, wear seat belts and not loose concentration by using hand held mobile phones.

“They should remember that if they do lose concentration, even for a minute, there could be serious consequences which involve other road users as well as them.”