Mazda RX-7 driver "parks" his car on a tree...

Forget about oversteer and understeer, that’s passé; the new trend setting driving style is upper…steer! This fella from Kent, Washington took upper…steer all the way up to a tree down in Woodland Way. According to eyewitnesses, the driver of the 3rd-gen Mazda RX-7 was speeding in excess of 70 mph – 112 km/h when he lost control of his vehicle on a curve stopping on, or rather up, a tree. Luckily, the driver suffered only minor injuries. -Continued: Click “Read More…” below to see more pics




Via: King5


Technorati: Mazda+RX-7, Accident, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Carscoop, blogs, 2007, pictures, images

Satnav leads lady in a Mercedes SL500 to deep waters...

We love these stories of satnavs gone bonkers. Just when we thought things couldn’t get any worse, we heard about this poor woman from London that was on her way to a party in Leicestershire, England in her Mercedes SL500. The birds were chirping, the sun was shining, and unfortunately her satnav led her into a winding road meant for farmers in their 4x4’s.

Avoiding common sense and signs that clearly read ‘unsuitable for motor vehicles’ the young lady attempted to cross a ford which happened to be swollen after days of rain. The lady and her car were swept 600 yards downstream until she was rescued by a brave nearby villager. Here’s the kicker - the car remained in the river a week after the incident until it was recovered by a tow-truck and according to Dailymail, it is believed that the SL500 is complete write-off. Via: Dailymail
Posted by Dani

Technorati: Mercedes-Benz+SL500, Satnav, Accidents, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Carscoop, blogs, 2007, pictures, images

Video: Tragic Arabian drifting accident

You know, doing something stupid with a car is one thing, but doing it without wearing a seat-belt is something I can’t even begin describing. Unfortunately, these Arabian folks learned it the hard way as their car tumbled over in high speed, tragically ejecting them into the air. Via: Motorpasion

Technorati: Video, Accident, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Carscoop, blogs, 2007, pictures, images

Ripped apart Audi RS6 ABT for sale on e-bay!

Remember that horrific accident we posted in February with the torn apart Audi RS6 ABT? Guess what; its unbelievably lucky owner has put… both ends of his demolished RS6 ABT for sale on German e-bay! The starting price? 6.716 EUR or 8.856 USD.My advice to the lucky buyer? Keep this thing in your driveway and rub it everyday for goodluck...

Technorati: Audi+RS6, ABT, Accidents, Geneva+Motor+Show, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Carscoop, blogs, 2007, pictures, images

Video: Man takes his Mitsubishi Outlander for a catastrophic joyride in Mall!

I don’t know what the heck going around this man’s head when he decided to take a stroll with his Mitsubishi Outlander SUV in the Augusta Mall but he sure gave another meaning to the term... party crasher! Listen to what Lt. Tony Walden of the Richmond County Sheriff's Office had to say about the incident: "He drove through locked glass doors. Continued through the mall and made a left turn and proceeded toward where the new food court is. When he gets to the new food court, the vehicle turns right. The vehicle then drives through those glass doors and exits the mall". -Continued: Click “Read More…” below

Finito la musica? No cause once the man drove out the Mall, he resisted arrest from the Richmond County deputies. As you can see from the surveillance video he was quite pissed at the officers and at some point he actually attacked them! In the end though, thanks to a pint of pepper spray, the deputies managed to restrain the distraught driver and arrest him.

Via: WindingRoad Info: NBC

Technorati: Mitsubishi+Outlander, SUV, Accident, Video, Mall, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, autos, Carscoop, blogs

Video: 15year-old with a BMW E30 M3 nearly outwits cop in car chase

This kid might be 15 but he definitely knows his driving as he totally “pwned” the pursuing cop in the Chevy Camaro V8. However, despite the fact that no one was hurt in the end, you’ll agree with us that this was one hell of a stupid move on behalf of the 15year-old. He risked not only his own life, but also the lives of the cops and more importantly, the lives of innocent and totally unaware by-passers who could have been seriously hurt for no reason at all.

Technorati: BMW+M3, E30, Youtube, Video, police, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Carscoop, blogs, 2007

Ouchhh... First public Bugatti Veyron crash

As our fellow bloggers on Autoblog.com correctly note, the only other time that we’ve heard about a crashed Veyron was during the development tests. Actually that happened twice resulting in bad publicity and a significant delay of the presentation date. From what we gather, the multimillion (and now, multi-thousand… wrecked) Veyron aquaplaned in a public road in the UK. Via: Autoblog.com

Technorati: Bugatti+Veyron,accident auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Carscoop, blogs, 2007, pictures, images

Hit & Run: Spectators run over by rally car in Romanian "Raliul Brasovului 2007"

Unbelievable… and I’m not talking about the accident itself but about the cold-blooded rally driver who swept half a dozen of people as he slid out of course and didn’t blink an eye. The accident happened on Saturday during the Romanian Rally, "Raliul Brasovului 2007". From what we learned, three spectators suffered light injuries and one was seriously injured on the head –lets hope he’s all right. Ok, it’s obvious that the spectators where watching the race from an area, they shouldn’t have been in the first place, but jeez, you don’t just crash into half a dozen of people and continue the race as if nothing happened… -Continued: Click “Read More…” below to see one more video of the accident

Technorati: Rally, Raliul+Brasovului, Accident, Youtube, video, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Carscoop, blogs, 2007

Audi RS6 ABT Crash – Yes, he made it out alive without barely a scratch!

First of all, what you’re seeing in the image above is ONE, and I repeat ONE single car! Makes our previous post on the BMW M3 CSL accident look like foreplay doesn't it? According to the guy who posted these pics on “RS6”, the driver of this split-up Audi RS6 ABT is his brother-in-law. We’re talking about one hell of a lucky chap here as he obviously passed through the valley of death and took a wink at the devil to come out of this crash alive with barely a scratch or two! -Continued: Click “Read More…” below to see more pictures of the crash

This is what his brother-in-law quoted: “What you see is what you get, i.e. there was no cutting of the vehicle prior to the pictures being taken. It is my brother-in-law that you see holding the mobile phone, he honestly doesn't know the speed that he was going at but wasn't near as fast as he has done in the past on that particular part of the road.

Although the road was completely dry he said that it felt he was on ice and the car just careened into the tree. He actually called the emergency services and climbed out of the car by himself, he spent only a couple of hours in hospital, apart from a few minor scratches he got a bandage around his little finger, I told him if he's not already religious he should take it up ASAP! Via: egmcartech & RS6

Technorati: Audi+RS6, ABT, Accidents, Geneva+Motor+Show, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Carscoop, blogs, 2007, pictures, images

Fender-Bender Cost Estimates: Unless you own a '81 Escort be prepared to "bend" your pockets

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a nonprofit group funded by the nation's insurers, has released cost estimates for minor fender-bender accidents at low speeds that happen every-day all over the world. Only 3 midsize cars among 17 the Institute tested — the Mitsubishi Galant, Toyota Camry, and Mazda 6 — withstood 4 bumper tests with $1,500 damage or less in each test. Some cars sustained more than $4,500 damage in just 1 of the 4 tests, and 2 cars rang up more than $9,000 total damage. The Volkswagen Passat had the most expensive repair bill for a full front low speed collision at $4,594, followed by the Pontiac G6 which cost $4,588 to fix.

But here’s the kicker- The Institute also performed some low-speed crash tests on an older vehicle for comparison. The 1981 Ford Escort aced the 3 mph corner tests with zero damage and had, by far, the lowest repair costs with front corner and rear corner crashes producing no damage. Costs to repair the front accident was only $86, while the rear collision repair bill came to $383... Posted by Dani
-Continued: Click “Read More…” below for the official press release and analytical costs

PRESS RELEASE: First results of new crash tests: most car bumpers don't work in low-speed crashes; 3 cars sustain $4,500 damage in 6 mph test while old Ford Escort sustains little damage

ARLINGTON, VA — Most bumpers on midsize cars do little to resist damage in the kinds of low-speed collisions that are common in commuter traffic and parking lots. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety today is releasing the first results of new tests that assess how well bumpers protect vehicles from expensive damage in everyday fender-benders.

Only 3 midsize cars among 17 the Institute tested — the Mitsubishi Galant, Toyota Camry, and Mazda 6 — withstood 4 bumper tests with $1,500 damage or less in each test. Some cars sustained more than $4,500 damage in just 1 of the 4 tests, and 2 cars rang up more than $9,000 total damage.

"Our tests measure how well bumpers protect cars from damage in everyday bumps," says Institute president Adrian Lund. "The whole purpose of bumpers is to keep damage away from headlights, hoods, and other parts that are expensive to repair, but this purpose was accomplished in only 2 of the 68 tests we conducted. In the rest, what we found is that bumpers aren't up to the job."

The new tests reflect the kinds of front and rear impacts that are common in the real world. Insurance claims of $4,500 or less for damage in these crashes total more than $6 billion each year.

Old versus new bumper tests: The Institute began conducting low-speed crash tests at 5 mph into a flat barrier in 1969. These tests led to the first federal bumper rules for cars, which required the bumpers to resist damage in impacts up to 5 mph. These requirements eventually were rolled back by the Reagan Administration in 1982. But recent research shows that some of the most costly low-speed crash damage occurs when vehicle bumpers slide under or over each other. This happens because the bumpers on colliding vehicles don't line up, and braking before the impact can lower the front end of a striking vehicle just before it hits the other vehicle. Under- and override often result in damage to vehicle grilles, headlights, hoods, and fenders.

The Institute's old flat-barrier tests were good indicators of bumper strength, but they didn't assess over- or underride. Vehicles with comparatively good performances in these tests still sustained costly damage in real collisions. The Institute's new series of tests comes closer to matching the damage that occurs in real-world impacts. Each car is run into a barrier designed to mimic the design of a car bumper. The steel barrier's plastic absorber and flexible cover simulate typical cars' energy absorbers and plastic bumper covers.

The four tests include front and rear full-width impacts at 6 mph and front and rear corner impacts at 3 mph. The barrier is 18 inches off the ground in the full-width tests and 16 inches from ground in the corner impacts. These heights are designed to drive bumper improvements and lead to better protection from damage in a range of real-world crashes. In developmental tests, these configurations produced the kinds and amounts of damage that commonly occur in low-speed collisions.

"We don't want the automakers to change bumper heights just to get good performance in our tests," Lund explains. "We want car bumpers to resist damage in real crashes with other cars as well as with higher-riding SUVs and pickups, so we revamped our tests to reflect such crashes. In particular, we want to encourage automakers to use bumpers with energy-absorbing bars that extend farther into vehicle corners to reduce damage to headlights and other critical and costly equipment. We want car bumpers that are taller so they engage the bumpers on SUVs and pickups instead of underriding them."

Bumpers still poorly designed: Many bumpers aren't high enough or tall enough to take the hit in crashes between cars and SUVs or pickups. Even when bumpers line up with those on other vehicles reasonably well, many don't stay engaged with the other bumpers in collisions or can't absorb the energy of even a minor bump. This means expensive car body parts sustain most of the damage.

"The cars with the lowest repair bills after our new bumper tests still sustained much more damage than they should have in some of the tests," Lund says. "We got crumpled grilles and headlights plus buckled fenders in impacts at speeds equivalent to an average person walking fast."

The full-front test represents a common situation where a car hits the rear of another vehicle that has stopped in traffic. In this test, the bumpers on only four cars — the Galant, Camry, Mazda 6, and Saturn AURA — stayed engaged with the test barrier instead of going under or over it. The result was lower damage totals than other cars in the same test. Damage to 3 of these 4 cars totaled less than $1,000, and the AURA was the only car among the 17 tested to limit damage to the bumper itself in the full-front test without getting into the car body.

"This test should be easy if cars had well-designed bumpers because the energy of the crash can be spread across the whole front of the car. Instead some cars sustained more damage in this test than the other three," Lund points out. The Nissan Maxima, Pontiac G6, and Volkswagen Passat each sustained more than $4,500 damage in the full-front test. Costly repairs were required to the cars' hoods, fenders, and headlights as well as air conditioning condensers.

"A big problem is that the Maxima, G6, and Passat underrode the barrier," Lund says. "Our research shows that this is also what happens in many real-world crashes. The bumper bar on the Passat, which is supposed to take the hit and absorb the energy in the crash test, wasn't even damaged. The car's grille, hood, fenders, and headlights were damaged instead."

Results were similar in the rear tests. Reducing the damage required the bumpers to engage the barrier and absorb the energy of the impact, but this mostly didn't happen. A relatively good performer in the full-rear test was the Hyundai Sonata. Its bumper did engage the barrier, and most of the damage was limited to the bumper (minor repair of the rear body panel also was required). Total damage came to $739.

Good bumper performance requires not only engagement with the test barrier but also strength sufficient to absorb the energy of a low-speed crash. Hyundai engineers strengthened the Sonata's bumper after learning about the Institute's upcoming series of new tests.

In contrast to the Sonata, the bumpers on other cars did slide under the barrier, and damage was much worse. The Chrysler Sebring, Nissan Altima, Volkswagen Jetta, and AURA sustained more than $3,000 damage apiece in the full-rear test.

"The bumpers on the Altima and Sebring didn't stay engaged with the barrier at all. The bumper bars on these two cars escaped unscathed," Lund says, "which means they didn't do what they're supposed to do. They didn't absorb any of the crash energy. Making sure bumper bars line up better to engage other bumpers in crashes is the first step toward preventing damage in the kinds of low-speed collisions our tests represent."

All parts don't cost the same: The total cost to fix damage after a minor bump is influenced by more than the extent of the damage. Another issue is that the price of the same part — a fender, hood, or other part — varies from vehicle to vehicle. For example, the Toyota Camry needed a lot of repairs after the full-rear test, including repair of fenders and body panels. The trunk floor and unibody structure had to be straightened out. However, the total cost of these repairs was a relatively low $1,480, in part because Camry parts don't cost as much as those on some other cars.

Besides the cost of damage in low-speed collisions, there's the aggravation. Most people want to avoid having to get repair estimates, arrange for repairs, and then do without their cars while they're in the shop.

"Much of this could be avoided if car bumpers were better at doing their job of resisting damage," Lund says. "But instead we have to put up with so much damage that it can take days or weeks to fix."

Styling influences performance: The performances of three cars show how front-end styling can influence the amount and cost of damage that occurs in low-speed crashes. The AURA, G6, and Malibu are all General Motors cars built on the same platform. So they're similar cars, but the cost of repairing them isn't the same. The G6's front end slopes more, and its front bumper bar is lower than those on the other two cars. The result was that the G6's bumper didn't stay engaged with the barrier during the full-width test. Instead it slid down and under the barrier. Damage including a crumpled hood, buckled fenders, broken headlights, and a bent air conditioning condenser cost four times as much to fix as damage to the Malibu or AURA. On top of this, the G6's front unibody had to be straightened out. The bill for all of this topped $4,500.

Lund explains that automakers "don't have to sacrifice car style for function. There's empty space under the covers of the bumpers on all three of these cars that could be used to put in energy-absorbing materials. Engineers also could make bumper bars taller and extend them farther out to the corners of the car without changing the front-end styling."

Corners left unprotected: The bars that are part of most bumper systems often fail to extend far enough into vehicle corners. The result is a failure to protect vital and costly parts such as lights and fenders.

"Headlight assemblies on all 17 cars were damaged in the corner impacts," Lund points out. "The lights essentially served as the bumpers on these cars because the bumpers themselves didn't provide any protection. There's no excuse for this. Safety equipment like headlights shouldn't be damaged in impacts at a mere 3 mph."

The width of the bumper bars was a factor in rear-corner tests too. While the Honda Accord sustained about $600 damage in this test, damage to the Mazda 6 totaled twice as much. The difference was that the Accord's bumper bar is nearly 80 percent as wide as the car, while the Mazda 6's is only 58 percent as wide.

Vintage Ford shows how: Bumpers used to do a better job of resisting damage in minor impacts. Under federal requirements that were in effect until 1982, car bumpers had to keep damage away from vehicle safety equipment and sheet metal parts in collisions at speeds up to 5 mph. Even damage to the bumpers themselves was limited. But since 1982 the test speed under the federal standard has been cut in half. It's now 2.5 mph, and unlimited damage is allowed to vehicles' bumper systems.

To demonstrate how this rollback has affected bumper performance, the Institute got a 1981 Ford Escort, which met the old requirements, and put it through a new battery of front and rear bumper tests. Comparison of this car's performance with those of new cars is dramatic.

For one thing, the bumpers on the Escort extend out from the car body to help keep the headlights, grille, and sheet metal away from the energy of impacts. Behind the bumper bar, the Escort has components that work like shock absorbers to dissipate the energy of an impact before it can damage the car body — and these components can absorb energy again in subsequent collisions, while the crushable energy absorbers that are components of most modern car bumpers can't. They have to be replaced after each minor impact.

"The Escort aced the 3 mph corner tests with zero damage," Lund says. "In the full-front test at 6 mph, the $86 worth of damage was limited to the bumper itself. There was more damage in the full-rear test but still only $383. This is much lower than for the 17 new cars we tested. The best performer among the new cars sustained 10 times as much damage as the Escort in the same 4 tests."

VIA:Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

Technorati: Insurance+Institute+for+Highway+Safety, car+accidents, repairs, car+insurance, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Carscoop, blogs, 2007, pictures, images

"Cops and Robbers" chase results to a head-on collision between car & motorcycle

You’d probably think that a head-one collision between a car and a motorcycle that was trying to escape from the police would result to a deadly accident. Think again. Surprisingly enough, even after been hit by an oncoming taxi that tossed them flying in the air for a second or two, not only did the guys on the motorcycle stand up, but one of them found the strength to run away! It’s absolutely amazing what a person can do under pressure. Via: Motorpasion

Technorati: Youtube, Video, motorcycle, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Carscoop, blogs, 2007, pictures, images

Italian Parking Lesson 101: Avoid the wall

Boy, is this old fella crazy or what! Look at him go like 6.000 rpm’s in reverse in his Fiat Seicento. But it gets even better when he tries to park his car in the garage or rather, in the garage wall… Seriously though, how do these people keep their drivers-licenses? I mean, if someone’s capable of destroying his own vehicle during a routine parking imagine what damage he can do on the road. Via: Leblogauto

Technorati: Fiat+Seicento, Parking, accident, Youtube, Video, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Carscoop, blogs, 2007

Unbelievable Car Accident –"Hand of God"

Talk about “Hand of God”… Just looking at these pictures we found over at “MustangWorld” is enough to give you the creeps! By the looks of it, the guy in the smashed up pick-up truck lost control of the vehicle, crashed into the guardrail, flew over the sewage pipe, hit head-on the mountain on the other side coming to a halt on the edge of the cliff -and here's the best part: with his vehicle facing the opposite way that he came from!!! Insane. Via: MustangWorld

Technorati: Accidents, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Carscoop, blogs, 2007, pictures, images

Spanish Parking Lesson 101: Avoid the poles

I’m guessing that the owners of this parking lot in Spain must have been up for a big surprise this morning seeing the blue Mercedes-Benz CLK parked in this near artistic way... From what we made out from the Spanish newspaper who reported the accident today, seems like the owner of the Mercedes-Benz lost control of his car due to the icy roads and ended up climbing half a dozen of poles. Fortunately, no one was injured. Via: Motorpasion & Diariodenavarra

Technorati: auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, autos, Carscoop, blogs, images, pictures, 2007

Vid of the Day: How to wreck a $500.000+ Maybach 62

It’s been a while since we posted a “Vid of the Day” so I decided to do a little searching today which led me to this “priceless” vid involving Mr. Gigi Becali, big-shot owner of the Romanian Soccer club, Steaua Bucharest and his 500.000+ USD Maybach 62. After an accident, the door on the driver’s side seemed to be stuck so Mr Becalli decided to grab a couple of… crowbars and "delicately" play “Bob the Builder” with his half a million USD limo! Luckily for us -I don’t know how, but, TV cameras where on his yard catching every hilarious minute of it!

Technorati: Maybach+62, Youtube, videos, autos, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, Carscoop, images, blogs, pictures, 2007

VID of the Day: Oops, 14 year old crashed his dad's brand new Shelby GT500

The second best thing to buying a new car is bringing it home, but I'm sure Dad regretted this act after his 14 year old son accidentally crashed it into the garage. Dad didn't even get a chance to peel the purchase sticker price off the window when his kid turned his brand new, 500Hp Mustang from cool to tool in 2 seconds flat... LOL! Via: Jalopnik

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VID of the day: Mazda RX-7 lifts off at 345km/h - 215 mph

3...2...1... Gentlemen, we have lift off ! Check out this spectacular video of a tuned Mazda RX-7 taking off in the air at 345 km/h - 215 mph then start to flipping over several times before it eventually stops after the parachute opens. Via: Motorpasion

Technorati: Vid+of+the+Day, Maxda+RX-7, video, accident, clip, autos, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, autos, Carscoop

Vid of the Day : WRC Rally Roll over - Saved by the Tree !

If this rally steward was a cat, I think you'd totally agree with me that he just used 8 out of his 9 lifes in this incident! The funny thing is that after the Suzuki tips over heading straight towards him only to be stopped by a... tree, he calmly blows his whistle to get some help for the poor guy in the car !

Technorati: Youtube, video, clip, Suzuki, WRC, Rally, humour, accident, Vid+of+the+Day, autos, images, pictures, auto+news, car+news, automobile, cars, automotive, vehicles, autos, Carscoop