Now here's a scene you don't see every day. In fact, even if you tried to do it on purpose, we seriously doubt that you'd manage to pull it off no matter how hard and how many times you tried. The truly epic landing and vertical rest of this silver colored Ford Fusion (or at least it looks like a Ford') in the snowbank is the result of a multiple vehicle accident that took place on I-93 South bound just before Exit 3 in Windam in New Hampshire on Tuesday. Video follows after the break.
The owner of a brand new Ferrari 458 Italia with some 500 miles on the odometer in Brandon Florida received a quick lesson on the disadvantages of a low slung sports car in the land of pickup trucks and SUVs when a Ford F-150 ran over its hood. We don't know if the F-150 driver mistook Maranello's creation for a red speed bump or if the Ferrari owner questioned Ford's 'Built Tough' slogan, but something tells us this video is going to become a hit. You can watch the clip after the break.
You wouldn’t let a novice with less than sixty hours experience operate a two tonne piece of heavy machinery unsupervised, would you? “Of course not!” you reply, not realizing that many of us do at least once a week. Ask yourself this: what do you think you’re doing if you let your teenage offspring borrow your car?
Okay, so maybe that’s a bit reactionary. You probably think I’m one of these people who want to ban everyone under the age of 30 from driving. That’s not true, mostly because I’m twenty-three and was a teenage driver. I’ve had more than my fair share of stupid, naive accidents behind the wheel and I feel comforted that I, unlike a few less fortunate friends, have made it into my twenties
Why, you ask? Because the sad fact is, teenagers are more than four times likely to have an accident than adults, accounting for more than 3,000 automobile fatalities a year in the U.S. It’s so bad, in fact, that’s it’s considered one of the leading causes of death among 15- to 19-year-olds. No wonder so many parents feel powerless in protecting their kids on the road.
There is a few rays of hope, however. American Family, an insurance company based in Wisconsin, has been offering its Teen Safe Driver Program since 2007. The program involves fitting a DriverCam camera behind a car’s windshield, which looks both forward and aft so it can monitor the teen driver and the road outside.
The program pays for the cameras, installation and a monthly service fee, and enrolled families receive a discount on their auto insurance. In the event of aggressive driving – such as swerving suddenly or slamming on the brakes – the cameras record 20 seconds of footage that parents can then see on DriveCam’s website. And it would appear to work – American Family reports that it reduces risky driving by up to seventy percent.
The idea is that the cameras will encourage kids to stay on the straight and narrow, and as a learning tool where parents can teach their kids driving skills and correct poor driving behavior. And there’s more.
The Tiwi is a vehicle-integrated tracking device that monitors a vehicle’s location and speed, the posted speed limit and the driver’s seat belt usage. It then gives audible coaching to tell the driver to slow down. Ford is also implementing parental controls that can limit the top speed of its vehicles to 80 mph and reduce the maximum volume the radio can be set at.
One thing’s for sure, we all better get used to electronic oversight in our vehicles. By 2013, the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration will be mandating the installation of aircraft-style black boxes that record vital vehicle data before, during and after an accident. Regardless of what you think about invasion of privacy and consumer rights, you have to agree: if it genuinely saves lives and reduces accidents, it’s probably a good thing.
For more than thirty years now, BMW has been producing a special range of security vehicles that offer armored protection against everything from pistol fire to small explosions. These vehicles are developed at a special test facility located in east Germany, in a former soviet base, said to have been the biggest military airport in Europe during the Cold War. Here, the Bavarian automaker tests its armored vehicles and hosts a special driver training program where instructors teach participants how to react in dangerous situations and push the cars to their limits. You can watch the video right after the jump.
The European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP), which is similar to the American IIHS testing regimen, has released a list with the safest car in each vehicle category and the two worst performers overall of 2010. The cars that attained the coveted five star rating and achieved the highest overall score in their respective segment are:------ Executive category: BMW 5 Series ------ Small Family category: Alfa Romeo Giulietta ------ Supermini category: Honda CR-Z ------ Small off-road 4×4 category: Kia Sportage ------ Small MPV category: Toyota Verso
On the other side of the fence are two models that achieved the poorest results of 2010. These are the Citroen Nemo with three stars and China's Landwind CV9 that received only two stars.
The European body noted that the cars in the top list "accomplished a high combined score based on the scores in each of the individual four areas of Euro NCAP’s assessment, while notably exceeding the thresholds for a 5 star overall rating". Along with the five top achievers, Euro NCAP said that the Suzuki Swift, KiaVenga, BMW X1, VW Sharan/Seat Alhambra, Citroen C4 all exceeded the 80% mark in overall score putting them on the runner-up list for the safest cars of 2010.
Commenting on the results, Dr Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP Secretary General said: “Every year, car manufacturers constantly work to innovate and make their cars better and safer for the driver, whatever the size of the vehicle. The presence in these categories of high performing 5 star cars demonstrates car manufacturers’ commitment to safety for all sizes of vehicles.”
In early 2009, Euro NCAP implemented tougher crash testing procedures that make it more difficult for vehicles to receive a five-star rating. Last year, the European body crash tested a total of twenty-nine vehicles from numerous categories, of which 65 per cent reached the five star rating, compared to 90% in 2009.
An Audi A3 Sportback owner in New York City's East Village received a chilly surprise on Monday after finding his car literally encased in ice. The freakish incident occurred after a pipe broke under the street sometime during the weekend causing a sinkhole that formed a small pond around the Audi. The passing cars splashing water all over the A3 and subfreezing temperatures did the rest. As you can see in the video after the jump, the ice was so thick that the owner's attempts to free the car from its frozen cage with a chisel and a hammer proved futile.
Earlier this week, a video showing ousted Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano dangling from the forks of an industrial truck made world headlines. But that wasn't the only car from Maranello to be targeted by the angry protesters. New videos and photos showing yet another Prancing Horse model being 'liberated' have now surfaced online.
This time it's a red-colored Ferrari California claimed to be owned by a member of the former Tunisian Preseident's family named Sofiane Ben Ali. In their mad rush, Tunisian rioters utterly destroyed the hardtop convertible relieving it from tires, badges and anything else that could get their hands on.
The looting seems to have taken place in the garage where the Ferrari was parked, meaning that no one took the Italian supercar for a spin, which is kind of sad (in a twisted way of course...). Scroll down for the video and photos.
Marc Keinath is a very lucky man. Not only did he survive a horrific crash in his 2004 Malibu, but he also received a brand new replacement, courtesy of General Motors. Earlier this week, Mr. Keinath was driving along Interstate 75 in Genesee County, Michigan, when he was caught off-guard by a patch of black ice and spun out of control. While he eventually regained control of the car, unfortunately, a tractor-trailer hauling 20 tons of sugar smashed into the rear of the Malibu and then fell on top of it.
"As parts of the roof of the Malibu began to yield under the tremendous weight of the trailer, Keinath fully reclined his seat to give him more room inside, reached for his cell phone and dialed 911," said GM in a statement. Miraculously, the Malibu withstood the immense pressure and Mr. Keinath was able to walk away with no serious injuries.
“This is an incredible story of survival that shows you just never know what’s going to happen on the road”, said Rick Scheidt, executive director at Chevrolet. “When you look at Marc’s Malibu, you would never expect anyone would ever walk away from it”.
“It’s been a heck of a week for me”, said Keinath. “I want to thank God for giving me a second chance at life, the firefighters and first responders who helped me, and Chevy for making a car that can hold a semi”.
With all the snow we've been getting lately here on the East Coast (and not only), mishaps are bound to happen. This time, a maintenance truck was caught on tape as it fell through a parking deck while clearing snow from the top level in northwest Georgia. Luckily no one was injured during the incident. Watch the video clip after the break.
Icy conditions caused havoc on a road in Squirrel Hill, a residential neighborhood in the east end of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. This video caught half a dozen or so cars sliding and crashing into parked vehicles as well as into each other, the most impressive being what looks like a previous generation Hyundai Sonata (we could be wrong though) that went flying down the hill. Watch the clip after the break.
As a result of the political turmoil going on in Tunisia, president Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali has fled the country. But like any dictator on the run, Ben Ali had to leave plenty of wealth behind, accumulated in his 20+ years of totalitarian rule, including his Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, which was “repossessed” by angry protesters using a forklift. Video after the jump.
Inevitably, you can’t have motorsports without accidents and 2010 was a pretty eventful year in this area. Motors TV has compiled two clips with scary incidents from a variety of motorsports, ranging from motorcross to speedboat racing. Hit the jump to watch the videos.
Operating heavy machinery near a muddy riverbank can be very hazardous, as this video demonstrates. A mud water-trapped Russian dump truck was just about to be pulled clear by a bulldozer, when it seems that the towing cable snapped, causing it to go underwater in less than 5 seconds. We’d say it’s quite a miracle that the driver made it out of the cabin and the presumably cold waters. Watch the clip after the break.
There's a right way and a wrong way to drive a vehicle down a steep hill. The folks in this previous generation Kia Sportage chose the wrong way, but fortunately for them, the incident ended without any bloodshed. Watch the video after the break.
Trying to get away from the police in the first place is downright stupid, but the female driver of this fourth-generation Chevrolet Camaro drop-top took stupidity to a whole new level when she tried to rear-end / ram a police car that had her cornered on the road. The lady driver huffed and puffed her Camaro's rear wheels but in the end, she gave up. As for the driver of the older-generation Mercedes-Benz E-Class sedan that can't make a turn, the video speaks for itself.
As far as hooning goes, one would think that a simple burnout should get you in the least amount of trouble. However, the owner of this Honda Civic almost lost his car while dazzling the crowd [...], as after about 40 seconds the tires suddenly burst into flames.
So, what have we learned today? Well, first of all, avoid overdoing the burnout if your car is tied to a block of concrete. Also, always keep a fire extinguisher at hand, because it turns out that putting out flames with some refreshments isn’t very effective. Who would of thought it? Watch the video after the jump.
So here's how this 'fail' story goes: A female driver gets stuck on a patch of ice / snow in her automatic BMW 1-Series. After a few unsuccessful attempts of trying to free the Bavarian hatch from behind the steering wheel, she decides to leave it in gear and give it a push herself. While the BMW driver eventually managed to clear out of the slippery part of the road, she ended up in another mess [...]. See what happens next in the video after the break.
Even if you know your winter driving ABCs and have properly equipped your car, sometimes there’s no way to avoid getting snowed in. Should that happen in a thriving metropolis, chances are that the sanitation “cavalry” will have your back covered. However, this wasn’t the case in New York, as a Sanitation Department loader got stuck and, in what can only be described as a very poor effort of trying to free it, the on-the-scene personnel seriously damaged a city owned - ah, the irony - Ford Explorer parked nearby.
Check out the video after the jump to see dumb and dumber at work.
While a twisty road and a good sports car are a match made in heaven, public hooning is never a good idea, especially if you don’t possess adequate driving skills. Unfortunately, most people don’t think about the consequences and repeatedly act out in high traffic areas, such as California’s Mulholland Drive (or at least that's the road listed on Youtube).
Seeing these amateurs almost bite the dust might be temporarily amusing, but on second thought, imagine being involved in an accident caused by this kind of reckless driving. Yeah, it’s not funny anymore. Video after the jump.
Just picture this; you are standing at the corner of a snow covered road in freezing temperatures when all of a sudden two cars crash and one of them heads straight towards you. Chances are most people would have frozen stiff at the spectacle, but not this man who displayed some very sharp reflexes by quickly running out of ways harm's way. Video follows after the break.
