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There are very few (if any) people that can lose control of their car at 199mph or 320km/h and live another day to tell the tale. But that's exactly what happened to a 28-year-old German driver of a black Pagani Zonda F and his 21-year-old [sic...] Lithuanian passenger, after the young man lost control of the $1.5 million supercar earlier this week on Italy's A10 autostrada.
According to reports from Italy, the driver was going around 320 km/h (198.8 mph) when the car spun out of control hitting a guardrail on the right, losing a wheel, overturning and then colliding with a Mercedes, with which the driver was allegedly racing on the highway. Both the driver and the passenger of the supercar, as well as the driver of the Mercedes, came out unscathed.
Italian daily Corriere Della Sera also reported that the owner of the Pagani Zonda F had been fined last April on the same highway after he was clocked traveling in a Lamborghini at triple digit speed.
Auto shows seem to have become risky business for car manufacturers. After the BMW 750i that was stolen at the Detroit motor show earlier this year, now more disturbing news comes from the Chicago Auto Show, where the Toyota booth attracted unwanted attention.
According to local newspapers, seven new Toyota models had their interiors vandalized by three young men, aged 20, 21 and 28. We don't know what really caused this deviant behavior, but one report attributes it to the fact that the three vandals were allegedly angry "about American jobs going overseas".
And it seems they wanted the Japanese cars to suffer badly, judging from the tools they used - screwdrivers and razor knives. The three young men were arrested on Wednesday evening before the show's closing time when guards noticed them acting suspiciously around a Toyota Camry. The mess they made inside the seven cars is substantial: dashboards were left smashed and ripped, seat upholstery sliced, windshields scratched, speakers cut open and turn indicators broken.
According to the police, the damage to the cars is estimated at $30,000. Interestingly, they had no preference for a particular model, vandalizing a Camry, a RAV4, a Land Cruiser, a Prius, two Tundras and one Lexus ES350. Funny thing, no accelerator pedal or floor mat were damaged...
Larry the Cable Guy might disagree, but trying to perform a crazy jump / stunt in a beat up Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck on a dirt track, doesn't sound like a sane idea. Fortunately, this brainless daredevil had mother luck on his side when he used his truck to dig a hole in the dirt ramp. Watch the video right after the break.
A freaky but luckily non-fatal highway accident that involved an elderly man driving a 2007 Ford F-150 on the opposite side of the road was caught on film last Friday. The incident took place on the Interstate 5 near Camp Pendleton in San Diego when passengers of a vehicle on the other side of the highway noticed the driver of the Ford, who was later identified as 83 year-old Clarence Kinney, going the wrong way at an unknown speed and then suddenly crashing into the median wall.
According to Police reports, the force of the collision was so strong that it tore the pickup truck in two sending the cab of the F-150 into another lane an onto a tractor, while a Land Rover and a Toyota Sienna were also involved in the crash. Amazingly, no one was seriously injured in the incident.
The police reported that the 83 year-old driver of the F-150 was cited for driving the wrong way as well as for driving on a suspended license., adding that his driving privileges will be examined by the DMV.
While competing in the Ronde de Andorra rally in Italy, Polish Formula 1 star Robert Kubica was involved in a horrendous crash on Sunday, as he lost control of his Skoda Fabia S2000 rally car and left the road at high speed. The Lotus-Renault team driver was airlifted from the scene and underwent successful emergency surgery at the Santa Corona hospital in Pietra Ligure.
Kubica has suffered multiple fractures to his right arm and hand with initial reports saying that he could lose the functionality of his limb. Fortunately, the operation went well, according to Dr. Mario Igor Rosello, who told reporters that Kubica, awakened form an induced coma, was able to move his fingers, which is “an encouraging sign for the rest of the recovery process”.
The Italian specialist was also optimistic due to the lack of swelling and infection, but added that it will take “several days before it is known if the operation is 100 percent successful”.
Kubica’s injuries were caused by a guardrail that went through the door, while his co-driver, Jakub Gerber, was able to walk away unhurt.
This is another sign of just how dangerous motorsports can be and, unfortunately, Kubica has already had his share of mishaps. Back in 2003, the racing driver had an accident while driving in Formula 3, injuring his left arm and also needing surgery. His bad luck struck again four years later, when he crashed in spectacular style at the Canadian F1 Grand Prix. On both occasions, Kubica managed to return to the driver’s seat after a short convalescence. However, it seems that this time the recovery will take a lot longer, meaning that reserve driver Bruno Senna will replace Kubica for an unspecified number of races.
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.
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.
According to reports from Italy, the driver was going around 320 km/h (198.8 mph) when the car spun out of control hitting a guardrail on the right, losing a wheel, overturning and then colliding with a Mercedes, with which the driver was allegedly racing on the highway. Both the driver and the passenger of the supercar, as well as the driver of the Mercedes, came out unscathed. 
