Jalopnik: Crashes

Blown Holden Ute Does Double Roll During Burnout, Crowd Goes Wild!

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 10:30:00 EST

When you've got a supercharged, tubbed and roll-caged Holden Ute, burnouts, donuts and general hoonulence are inevitable, but this... this is hooning art. It seems you have to go to Australia for the real high-proof stuff, as this starts out simple and safely enough with a gross display of horsepower at a sanctioned local race track, but then the driver decides on a donut, and things go horribly, awesomely wrong as the car flips on it's side — twice — and then drives away to the roar of the crowd. Truly, we have much to learn from from this advanced civilization.

(Hat tip to Tim!)

[Youtube]

Dog Drives Van Through Coffee Shop Window

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST

When touk-wearing musician Bryan Maher of Port Jefferson, New York left his van idling outside a local area coffee shop to go in for a quick chat he didn't expect his van to follow him in for a latte. His dog Bentley had other ideas. Maher left the dog in the running van (it was cold out) and during a ten minute conversation (no doubt about jamming) the hopefully-named Bentley managed to shift the van into gear and promptly pilot the old Chevy through a plate glass window. Nobody was injured and damage to the business, van, and dog were minimal. However, we suspect the dog was punished with only a half a doobie that night. [Newsday]

Ferrari 599 GTB Bites The Dust

Ray Wert — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 08:30:00 EST

According to our friends at Wrecked Exotics, this Ferrari 599 "tried to take a curve too fast late at night. Bounced off the guardrails until car was a total loss." Except for that glorious engine — which looks to us like it's just about ready for a late-night transplant into a LeMons car. Anyone want to try and take a shot at what you'd drop it between the rails of? [Wrecked Exotics]

German Train Crash Spills New Porsches Onto Tracks

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 18:30:00 EST

Here's an expensive fender bender. It seems a train carrying oil rear-ended a train carrying 106 Porsches in the sleepy town of Dillenburg, Germany. The result — 18 cars totaled with damages estimated around at least €1 million, or about $1.28 million in US Federal Reserve issued fiat money. If your name was on one of these Porsches, we're sorry, but insurance will cover it and the image of a Porsche chilling on the tracks like the Delorean in Back to the Future II cracks us up.

[Topspeed]

Aussie Bisects Ferrari 360 Modena Front End With Pole, Miraculously Survives

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 10:30:00 EDT

A couple of knuckleheads in the Australian town of Walkerville managed to wrap the front third of a Ferrari 360 Modena quite effectively around a telephone pole and walk away with only minor injuries. Eyewitnesses report the car was speeding around the local roads (surprise!) and as you can see, the eventual accident was pretty incredible, with the pole intruding to the point where it takes the space normally occupied by, say, the shifter over the transmission tunnel. With yesterday's Lamborghini Gallardo sliced in half width-wise and now a Ferrari split down the middle, it's like learning automotive biology by supercar dissection around here. (Hat tip to half our readers for sending this in!)

[News.com.au]

Lamborghini Wrecked, Halved In Weekend Fort Worth Accident

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:30:00 EDT

Last Friday night a Lamborghini Gallardo speeding through a rainy Fort Worth, Texas struck a tree and split in half when the driver lost control after hydroplaning across standing water. The violent accident left the passenger compartment smashed against the tree while the rear half of the car continued on, stopping yards away. Both passenger and driver suffered serious injuries with one of the occupants reportedly losing a foot (ouch). We've got some crash shots below and on-the-scene footage of the bifurcated bull after the jump. (Hat tip to Travis!)

[via NBCFW.com]

Million-Dollar Porsche Gemballa Mirage GT Smacked Around At Track Day

Andrew Stoy — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 09:00:00 EDT

This Gemballa-modded Porsche is worth about $1 million — or was, before the owner smashed it up during a club event at the Circuit Paul Ricard in France. We hope the owner of this wrecked Porsche Gemballa Mirage GT read our post about track day insurance changes before he hit the asphalt. Fortunately he was unharmed, and the report even states he was joking about the crash after he recovered from the initial shock. Guess you can either laugh or cry.

[via WreckedExotics.com]

Audi R8 Hydroplanes Into Moscow Freeway Wall

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 16:00:00 EDT

We pulled our best Shia LaBeouf impersonation while watching this video of a driver losing control of his Audi R8 on a Moscow freeway and stuffing it into the wall. If there's any consolation it's that the footage is free from the sound of crunching metal — the kind that haunted our dreams after watching the wrecked Ferrari F430 get dragged away. [Liveleak] Thanks Doug!

St. Louis Double Fire Truck Accident Video Leaks Onto Internet

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 16:40:00 EDT

Two fire trucks responding to a St. Louis-area fire 11 days ago crashed, resulting in injuries to eight firefighters on board. The accident was videotaped by a nearby traffic camera and had been undergoing confidential review by city authorities, but the footage found its way onto the internet. City officials are speculating both the northbound and eastbound drivers were paying more attention to the smoke from the fire than the road, and the subsequent T-boning resulted in one truck overturned and the other proceeding until it rear-ended a parked Cadillac. Officials report the firemen involved will recover fully from their injuries and the incident remains under investigation. Hit the jump to see the video.

[BoingBoing via Cardomain, KSDK St. Louis, KSDK St. Louis]

Audi RS4 Avant Crashes In Racing Action At 2008 Audi Driver International

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:45:00 EDT

At this year's annual Audi Driver International held in the village of Castle Combe, England, a most terrible thing happened on the track: A driver lost control of his Audi RS4 Avant and thoroughly stuffed it into the wall. Thankfully nobody was hurt, as the safety systems did their jobs, but the video of the wagon tragedy (wagonagedy? tragagon?) reveals the oversteer, the lift off the pedal, the overcorrection, and the inevitable crunch. Though we shed a tear for thee, RS4 Avant, you died a hero's death on the field of battle. We'll pour one out for you this evening. [LuxVelocity]

Godzilla Smash! Another Totaled Nissan GT-R

Mark Arnold — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:30:00 EDT

After seeing the Nissan GT-R crashed in America, in Malaysia, in Hong Kong, and on the Isle Of Man, we've found another. This white GT-R, with just 349 miles on the odometer, has shown up totaled in a Nashville auction yard. It's said to have about $55,000 worth of damage, so we're not sure anyone is going to bid very much when it hits the block today. No word on just how the GT-R got to be in this predicament, but we're pretty sure this isn't covered by the warranty.

[via The Car Lounge]

Ferrari F430 Wrecked In Metro Detroit Suburb

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:20:00 EDT

Canton Center Road lies in the sleepy little Detroit suburb of Canton, and, aside from people wrecking brand new Ferrari F430's outside of the Post Office, not much happens there. If you've never been to the little burg, the scene of this crash isn't surrounded by any curves, hills, trees, blocked views...or anything, really — just a couple of posts protecting a fire hydrant. Apparently that was enough of a target for this 430's driver after tangling with a Nissan Sentra, of all things. Must have been delivering express mail.

[WreckedExotics]

Arizona State Fraternity Guys Vomit Into Traffic, Causing Accident

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:30:00 EDT

Something crazy must have been in the air on Tuesday, because in addition to drunk tranny cops in Florida, we've got a group of Arizona State fraternity guys doing the old "gallon of milk in an hour challenge" and losing, puking milk off a footbridge and into the traffic below. A passing motorist slammed on the brakes to avoid the upchuck, causing a woman following behind to rear end the stopped car. Nobody was seriously injured in the accident, but police are hurling everything they've got at finding the guilty parties. [AZ Central]

How Not To Right A Tipped Semi

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:20:00 EDT

Our experience with industrial wrecking services is limited to the lost hours we spent inexplicably mesmerized by the Speed Channel show "Wrecked," but we're pretty sure this is not the correct way to right a tipped-over semi truck. Somewhere here a step was missed or a check not made, and as a result another heavy wrecker is going to be needed. Incident action plan... got one? In this case, kinda. [Youtube]

John George Survives A Smashingly Good Flip At British Touring Car Championship

Mark Arnold — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 13:20:00 EDT

Check out this spectacular flippin' crash from this past weekend's final round of the British Touring Car Championship at Brands Hatch. Sure, there was plenty of other drama, with the title race coming down to the wire before being won by Vauxhall driver Fabrizio Giovanardi. But as far as sensational moments go, this wreck is hard to beat. The driver of the Honda Integra, 47-year-old John George, was able to climb out of the car by himself, but he spent the night at the hospital just to be on the safe side. [via GridCrasher]

2010 Audi A7 Caught Testing, Crashing Near The Nürburgring

Mark Arnold — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:15:00 EDT

This Audi A7 mule was spied in Germany, but not ripping up the Nürburgring like you would expect. Rather, it was too busy bouncing off guardrails on a small country road located just off the racing circuit. It appears that the accident didn't involve any other vehicles (or any biodiesel), and the driver is said to be fine, but we can't be sure as to whether or not it was caused by a faulty component on the car or old-fashioned driver error. What is clear are the skid marks drawing a line straight into the left side guardrail— and then across the the road to the other guardrail. Looks like he must have been going pretty fast around that slippery sweeping turn. Oh well, at least Audi sent a trailer to drag it back home.

The long-rumored Audi A7 is expected to be a coupe-shaped sedan, in the same vein as the Mercedes CLS. Though obviously this particular mule is based on an old tarted-up A6. We'd think that would mean mere body damage like this wouldn't be a big deal, so we're assuming more was broken here than the exterior skin.

Biodiesel Spill Causes Chaotic Crashing At The Nürburgring

Mark Arnold — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 12:00:00 EDT

The huge pileup in this video was the result of about 30 gallons of biodiesel fuel being spilled onto the track during a recent race at the Nürburging. It happened when a BMW 120d racer crashed, cracking his fuel tank open. The track was already wet, so the resulting oil slick, inconveniently located on a turn, was enough to cause the ensuing chaos. The shaky amateur video may not be the best quality, but the carnage is still clear to see. [via BridgeToGantry]

Six Perish In Massive Bee Swarm Following Chinese Truck Accident

Ben Wojdyla — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 16:00:00 EDT

An accident involving a bee hive truck near Changchun, in Jilin province, China, has resulted in six deaths due to the ensuing swarm of angry bees. Three people were stung to death attempting to flee the scene and three more perished trying to avoid the accident and massive cloud of insects. In the pantheon of really terrible vehicles to crash, "bee hive truck" is right up there with munitions transporter and toxic waste shuttle. What a terrible way to go. [DailyMail, Photo credit Naturalplane]

Nissan GT-R Crashed In The USA

Mark Arnold — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EDT

Godzilla, or the new Nissan GT-R as some call it, has only just started stomping around our shores, already we've got our first report of a GT-R smashed up somewhere stateside. Details are vague (some say the GT-R got into some fisticuffs with a Corvette ZR1 in a dark alley) but it's clear the incident wasn't exactly a minor fender-bender. The forum fanboys at MyGTR think it may have had something to do with the GT-R being driven into a pizza parlor, so maybe it was trying to take out a Ferrari or something. Geez, whatever happened to fighting it out on the Nürburgring?

After seeing the first crash of a GT-R in Malaysia, and another one crunched by the boys at Top Gear, we're sadly starting to get used to the sight of Godzilla with battle scars. Perhaps the beast really is too fast to tame. (Hat tip to Joe!) [MyGTR]

Second $2 Million Bugatti Veyron Crashes, This Time Into British Wheat Field

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 12:52:00 EDT

Apparently the second known Bugatti Veyron accident has occurred in the British countryside near West Berkshire, UK. The $2 million plus supercar lost control on a sweeping curve, plowed through a hedge line and ended up backwards in a wheat field. The pictures are of poor quality, but the damage seems pretty extensive (and expensive) with a thoroughly reshaped left fender, destroyed lower fascia and shattered windshield. Seems like another case of the driver not knowing the limits in a car far exceeding his abilities — won't someone please think of the supercars?

[GTSpirit]

Lamborghini LP640 Tangles With Yamaha XJR1300, Results Smashing

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 11:20:00 EDT

And the parade of wrecked Lamborghini LP640s continues as we peek in on a crash that happened in England between the ragin' bull and a now FUBAR'd Yamaha XJR1300. Without more detail there's no way to tell who was really at fault here or to know the condition of the motorcycle driver, but we do know that's going to be a hefty bill for the repairs on the Lambo. Looks like every panel on the right side is buggered in some way and that front left wheel seems to indicate its suspension is much worse for the wear. We'd advocate a "Save the LP640's" t-shirt, but it just doesn't roll off the tongue as well, and we're apathetic about the fate of a footballer's car anyway.

[Autoblog.nl via Autogespot]

Bentley Continental GT Crashes In Russian Countryside

Mark Arnold — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EDT

We're not sure exactly what series of events led to the remains of the Bentley Continental GT you see here, but it was probably the most excitement this piece of prime real estate in Krasnoyarsk, Russia has ever seen. We sometimes shed a tear when we see a mangled supercar, but for this Continential, not so much. Think about it: This was never a proper Bentley in the slab-sided, blower-equipped V8, rear-wheel-drive sense. No, the Continental GT has always been more of a new-money playboy's car, and as such, they should be expected to be crashed spectacularly much to the amusement of others. It's the circle of life... or something like that. So, to whomever ran this high-dollar motorcar into the Russian countryside, job well done.

[via englishrussia]

Bermuda Triangle-Like Russian Intersection Attracts Unnatural Number Of Crashes

Mark Arnold — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:00:00 EDT

With a Twilight Zone-like eeriness, these photos show a compilation of accidents, all happening at one particular intersection in Russia. As with the Bermuda Triangle, there's no definitive reason why the spot has attracted so much chaos; in fact, every municipality probably has an intersection or two with a similar appetite for accidents. But rarely do you find one documented so...thoroughly.

[via englishrussia]

Audi R8 Jumps Into Roadside Canal, Can't Swim

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:00:00 EDT

Apparently, the law of equivalent exchange is alive and well, for just as one Ferrari Enzo is rebuilt, an Audi R8 is destroyed... or at least it's really, really waterlogged. These pictures come from the Netherlands, where the straight, flat, canal-lined roads ultimately proved too challenging for the guy test driving this particular R8. That's right, the guy who boogered this one up was testing the car and lost control while driving at speeds up to an alleged 125 MPH. Dutch law calls this a total loss, so we're thinking this is the perfect time to dream up a more gonzo use for the 420 HP, 4.2-liter V8 at the heart of this beast. Now if only someone will get Wert to stop crying.

[AutoJunk.nl via Carscoop]

Semi Truck Tries To Outrun Speeding Train, Fails

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 13:20:00 EDT

You have to wonder, at what point during this brief clip does the driver of the semi think, "This is a bad idea?" Is it before or after the railroad crossing gates close around him; before or after he tries to back his way out; before or after he tries to cross in front of a speeding train? Whatever the unknowable answer to that question is, the more amusing one is how long did it take him to clean his shorts out when it was all over? [YouTube]

This Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 Is The Most Expensive Crash Ever... In India

Mark Arnold — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Indian Autos Blog, the lovers of all things automotive on the subcontinent, claim the smash-up of this Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 was the most expensive car crash in India's history. Whether or not that's true isn't really clear, but we're more interested in determining the "why." Perhaps the driver was just trying to imitate Bruce Wayne's intentional bull bashing. Then again, maybe he just lost control due to the bright yellow paint's magnetic traits. (Hat tip to Raja!)

[VKmag via Indian Autos Blog]

Fiat 500 Sacrificed By Audi Q7 To Encourage Crash Compatibility Standards

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:20:00 EDT

This week ADAC, the German auto club, tried to convince automakers to consider small car crash compatibility when designing larger cars by obliterating a Fiat 500 with an Audi Q7. The point ADAC was trying to make is not that the Fiat 500 is unsafe — it actually scores five stars in Euro NCAP testing where the Audi Q7 only garners 4. Rather, the really awesome, slow-motion crash footage is intended to encourage automakers to engineer big cars with small-car crash survivability in mind. We don't know if it'll work, but you can just keep sending out crash test videos, ADAC. We'll keep scoring them to The Blue Danube. [Drive]

Porsche Carrera GT Suffers Death By Teenager

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 13:30:00 EDT

This one comes to us from the offices of intrepid commenter Drachen, who chatted up the driver of this flatbed after seeing its cargo — the remains of a Porsche Carrera GT in an Atlanta-area parking lot. According to the driver, he'd just pulled an all-nighter driving from Miami to Atlanta to deliver the car to the shipping docks so it could be crated and sent back to Germany. Seems the car was destroyed at the hands of — you guessed it — a teenager, and on prom night, no less.

This is getting to be an epidemic here lately. First it was the flying M5, then it was a disintegrated SLR, followed closely by an upended M3. It's craziness. If you have a very nice, very fast car DO NOT GIVE THE KEYS TO YOUR DUMB KID. Given the baked-in stupidity of your average teen, mixed with the "Look how cool I am" braggadocio inherent in prom night, one would think this idea would have been self-evident to the Florida family who handed over the keys to little Timmy so he could impress his prom date. We have a secret for you, Timmy's dad: If you're loaded enough to have a Porsche Carrera GT, and Timmy can't seal the deal without driving it, little Timmy is a failure.

BMW M3 Plowed Into House By Idiot Teen Driver

Ben Wojdyla — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:40:00 EDT

Potential idiot parents take note — the 2008 BMW M3 is a finely crafted, high-performance, German-engineered rocket sled. It is not a present to buy for your LA-area 19-year-old. When parents like you buy cars like M3s for your kids, things like this happen — they pile a couple of guys in the car, then take it out for high-speed foolishness. At the peak of teenage testosterone, they will hit the "M button," rocket up a hill, lose control, jump a curb and bash into a house.

You do not have to one-up your idiot neighbors. In fact, do not buy your son a car at all. If you do, buy him a clapped-out 80's-era Volvo. We know you think your son deserves all the best, but he also doesn't deserve to turn into that idiot teen who gets ridiculed on the internet for crashing expensive BMW's into peoples houses — or for ramping off the end of a runway berm, killing everyone in the car. [E46Fanatics]

Top Gear Crashes Nissan GT-R

Mark Arnold — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:40:00 EDT

Top Gear Magazine was recently having some fun on the Isle of Man with a Nissan GT-R, but the playtime ended unexpectedly when the driver of the GT-R slammed on the brakes. That would be fine in any normal car, but Godzilla came to a halt so abruptly that the Audi behind it just couldn't stop quickly enough. [GT-R Blog] Update: The guys at CarTribe say this is indeed the same GT-R that the Stig had out on the Top Gear test track. We also know that the black beast (the only GT-R officially imported by Nissan UK so far) was quickly repaired and is now back to normal, as can be vouched for by anyone who saw it run at the Goodwood Festival of Speed just a few days after the accident.

For Sale: Clean Mazda Miata, Slight Water Damage

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:40:00 EDT

As Kim Taylor was running down the hill beside her driveway, chasing after her red Mazda Miata, she couldn't help but be confused. She was sure she had put the parking brake on. And yet there was the little convertible, on its way to her neighbors' pool for a 40 MPH splashdown. We have a feeling this was just one of those days.(Thanks Chris)
[York Daily Record via 11Alive]

It's Like A Three Stooges Bit, But With Cars

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:20:00 EDT

Apparently this happened along some tollway in New York; no word on the involvement of Larry, Curly and Mo. [Loqu]

Attack Of The Killer Lexus RX300!

Ben Wojdyla — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 13:40:00 EDT

It came from a northern Ireland supermarket parking lot, it had a lust for Porsche Boxster and Toyota Celica blood, and it would not stop until it had crushed both into submission: It was the killer Lexus RX300! Dun, Dun, DUUUUN!!!!! Local news reporters assumed it was the result of poor automatic transmission shifting skills, but those in the know won't be turning their backs on any RX300's any time soon... they're all out there, just waiting to crush your ride next.

Nobody seems to have been hurt here, but there are definitely some bruised egos. It's worth the trip over to the BBC website to check out the video, as it's rife with funny British words and pronunciations like "sa-LEE-ka," talk of bonnets, and amusing Irish accents. We're going to hell, we know. [BBC]

IIHC Wants Car-Like Truck Bumpers, Has Never Seen Aftermarket

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:20:00 EDT

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) will today formally petition the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to consider bumper standards for light trucks which are more car-like. For the sake of argument, let's forget about that whole BlockerBeam system on Ford trucks, and how the difference in vehicle mass contributes to the damage as much as relative contact geometry. We also have to forget about retrofit diamond plate bumpers and grille guards, and lifted trucks too, but we're getting sidetracked by details. The core question is, "why would the IIHS be interested in seeing lower bumper standards on pickups and SUVs?"

The simple answer is "because the IIHS is a consortium of insurance agencies." When massive damage occurs in something like an underride accident (where the car goes under the truck), they have to pay for fixing things. The remarkable part of the article in Automotive News was the complete lack of the term "survivability" in any of the IIHC's arguments. Our favorite part?

The insurance institute contends that its new request is backed up with fresh research showing that vehicle damage could be dramatically reduced with better alignment of bumpers between cars and trucks.

Well sure, you want lower bumpers! Especially if you're paying to have the other car fixed and you don't have to worry about your truck getting stuck on a stump. [Automotive News (Subscription required)]

Photo credit DieselPowerMag.com

Introducing: Monday Morning NASCrash!

Mark Arnold — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EDT

We know despite our own usual disinterest with America's favorite racing series, there's at least a few of you NASCAR fans out there. Even for those of us who aren't fans of the always-turning-one-way-action there's one thing we can all come together on for entertainment value: the crashes. It may be the dirty little secret of NASCAR fans, which is why we're so ready to pounce on this idea with such reckless abandon. Thanks to the folks at SpeedTV, we've been able to create a mashup of all of the fantastic crashes from the past weekend of circular racing action — we're calling it "Monday Morning NASCrash". It'll be all the big bang-ups from all three NASCAR series of the past weekend: Sprint Cup, Craftsman Trucks, and the ~~Junior Varsity~~ Nationwide Series. Yes, whether you call 'em wrecks, bang-ups, or fender-benders, we can all enjoy a good, clean racing accident at the expense of someone else. [via The SPEED Report]

Old Man Backs Over Cop Car... Accidentally

Ben Wojdyla — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:40:00 EDT

Everyone gets a miffed when the cops write you a ticket. Even though you may have gotten nabbed and don't feel it's fair, that's no reason to back up and over the officers squad car. Well, according to the Daily Herald, 70-year-old Henry Raskin of Niles, Illinois was pretty miffed at the ticket he received, so miffed in fact that he intended to speed away from the cop. Problem is the car was in reverse. As a result, you can see yet another classic instance of the automotive mating ritual . We're sure this was only an accident and the officer was totally understanding.

[DailyHerald via Motive]

Car Technology Predicts Crashes, Braces Itself

Travis Hudson — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:20:00 EDT

We never knew that European engineers were in the Miss Cleo business, but it seems so with a new safety technology being developed. This system is pretty simple to explain, really. Radar sensors mounted throughout the car watch for potential crashes. If it senses a crash, 230 milliseconds prior to impact it will deploy a brace-bar to help transfer the energy over a wider area and lessen the damage. On a side-impact test the bar was able to reduce the crash damage by 10 centimeters, which could equal one life. The one question does remain: why not always have the bar intact?

Design constraints, like the need to lower the door window, mean car frames cannot be built with the beam already in place. Like airbags, once activated, the brace would need a trip to the workshop to be reset, but the team are working on making the brace retractable.

Hooray, safety! [New Scientist via Giz]

Detroit Cop Struck In Second Accident While Investigating First

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 20 May 2008 13:20:00 EDT

While investigating an accident along the metro-Detroit I-94 freeway, Officer Jason Zukowski was struck in a secondary accident involving everyone's favorite world car, the Ford Tempo. Zukowski managed to get two people out of the path of the accident, but was himself struck and rendered unconscious, leading many news outlets to dub him a hero. Remember, kids, pay attention out on those roads! [WXYZ Detroit]

Rum Bum DP Riley BMW Plays Bulldozer In Laguna Seca Dirt, Goes Up In Flames

Mark Arnold — Mon, 19 May 2008 11:20:00 EDT

If you found yourself accidentally watching this past weekend's Grand Am race at Laguna Seca, you may have actually witnessed some entertaining stuff. Now, while it certainly was fun to see just about every car drive straight through the dirt and completely ignore the corkscrew, the hottest action of the race was this series of unfortunate events which happened to Matt Plumb's Rum Bum-sponsored Daytona Prototype. We knew that burying a fire with dirt will extinguish it, but who knew that burying a car with dirt will cause it to ignite? [SPEED]

A Brief Lesson On How To Fail At A Toll Booth

Ben Wojdyla — Tue, 06 May 2008 10:00:00 EDT

This is one of those videos which leaves you just shaking your head. Operating an automobile is apparently a monumental task for this E-Class driver and the result is both amusing and confounding. And sad. Since she just drives away after her and her band of friends assess the damage. We're assuming she went directly to the toll office to pay for the damage. Yeah, that's what she did. [JoyBreak]