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259-Car Autobahn Pile-Up Largest In German History
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fanboy.took.my.star
07/21/09

In reply to 259-Car Autobahn Pile-Up Largest In German History
and as usual...the tow trucks are always the first at the scene....
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ShirinSkunk
07/20/09

In reply to 259-Car Autobahn Pile-Up Largest In German History
actually this stretch of autobahn is limited to 120 km/h (~75mph) and - as said before - very wet conditions and very low sun resulting in no view at all
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DWBF1
07/20/09

In reply to 259-Car Autobahn Pile-Up Largest In German History
Looks like VW is going to get a nice windfall from this. Maybe it was another one of their weather experiments that caused the crash?
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something_unique_and_descriptive promoted this comment DWBF1 was starred DWBF1 was unstarred

pauljones
07/20/09

In reply to 259-Car Autobahn Pile-Up Largest In German History
Methinks this may lead to a push to regulate speed on the autobahn.

Also, I can now point this out to the next European tourist I meet who complains about Americans not knowing how to drive (which is true, but sometimes, the rest of the world is no better).
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Parramore
07/20/09

@pauljones: After this is forgotten we'll again be elevating German drivers to mythic status, don't worry. I've always assumed they were considered better drivers because they're highly regulated on the roads. An instance like this only proves that driving within strict parameters doesn't necessarily equate to great driving skill or good judgment.
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pauljones promoted this comment Parramore was starred Parramore was unstarred

r0ver
07/20/09

@pauljones: In some sort of perverse status thing,everywhere I've been in the world,the locals claim they are the worst.They are all wrong(except the Indians)-and yes I've been to NJ.
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pauljones promoted this comment r0ver was starred r0ver was unstarred

pauljones
07/20/09

@Parramore: The autobahn is actually unregulated in many places, and I wonder if the location of the accident is one of those places. I agree with the poor judgment thing, though, because, really, there's just not a whole lot of excuse. If the weather is bad and you can't see well, you slow the hell down.

If it's only safe to drive 25 mph, you drive 25 mph. I don't care that that means it will take you two hours to get to work. It's your job to be responsible for your safety and those around you. So shut up, drop into the right lane, and slow down. Alternatively, you could call out of work and enjoy an extra day to relax and get things done around the house.

@r0ver: I've never been to India, so I can't comment on that one, but the Chinese are pretty much the worst I've ever seen. The top three after that in my experience are (in order): New York, New Jersey, and Florida. Then comes Los Angeles.
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pj134
07/20/09

@pauljones: Yeah, we got the Korean Krunchers here in Philly. It's funny to see cars that are just 4 sides of crinkled metal.
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2Wheelsor4: The Moto-Stig
07/20/09

@pauljones: Germany has been suffering the same kind of explosive development that the US has, but since it's a country thats just a bit bigger than louisiana it's gotten a bit cramped, and has led to speed restrictions on the autobahn in developed areas and cities. Though the crashes can still be quite epic, they're not quite like the crashes of say, a Michael Bay film, more Jerry Bruckheimer.
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Al Navarro promoted this comment

PhilipHubs
07/20/09

@pauljones:
That specific strip is actually speed limited to 130/120/100, so no high speed driving.
The German media says it happened due to wet roads and low sun leading to a bright reflection and limited view of drivers.
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something_unique_and_descriptive promoted this comment PhilipHubs was starred PhilipHubs was unstarred

NcSchu
07/20/09

@pauljones: For freeways there should just be one rule of driving. Drive the speed you want but if you see the person behind you clearly going faster than you and getting closer then don't be a db and move over to the lane away from the median. It's that simple. That way you avoid people weaving in and out of lanes to maintain the speed they desire.
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FTGDWolverineEdition'09
07/20/09

In reply to 259-Car Autobahn Pile-Up Largest In German History
http://www.thelocal.de/national/20090720-20701.html
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B1663R promoted this comment

GwendolynCorcyra
07/20/09

In reply to 259-Car Autobahn Pile-Up Largest In German History
It's real all right, the German media is full of it.

259 cars all in all, 66 people hurt, 10 life-threatening, 21 seriously hurt. No deaths luckily so far. Insurances talk about 1.5 million Euros in material damage.

Happened over a stretch of 30 km on the A2 between Hannover and Braunschweig over the course of two hours.

Causes were very wet conditions, low sun, too much speed considering the conditions and too small a gap between vehicles.
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HyperMelon
07/20/09

@GwendolynCorcyra: That's what they think the causes are, but they are investigating and don't know for sure yet. At least all the reports that I heard and read stated that they are not exactly sure yet.

My guess would be as well though that it was a combination of those causes, I was driving on the Autobahn yesterday and it was indeed not much fun when the sun was low and it started to rain. And people driving too close to each other is something very common, unfortunately.
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CanadaCraig
07/20/09

In reply to 259-Car Autobahn Pile-Up Largest In German History
Hi Mr. Jalopnik!!
I found this re: the Autobahn Pile-up.
http://www.thelocal.de/national/20090720-20701.html
Craig!! :o)
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JC Whitless
07/20/09

In reply to 259-Car Autobahn Pile-Up Largest In German History

Anyone who doesn't have auto insurance and those of you who take public transportation leave the room now.
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FTGDWolverineEdition'09
07/20/09

In reply to 259-Car Autobahn Pile-Up Largest In German History
Anyone know what is the biggest pileup in the US history?
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mytdawg promoted this comment

mytdawg
07/20/09

@Formerlythegreatestdriver: I believe the I-96 pileup in the fog was pretty darn close. In recent memory anyway. 200+ cars.

Lansing State Journal
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mytdawg
07/20/09

@mytdawg: Here's the gallery - pictures
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gomerkyle9
07/20/09

@mytdawg: "It was like driving into a white sheet of paper"

I would like to think people would stop for such a thing...
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mytdawg
07/20/09

@gomerkyle9: I was on the highway that day too but I drove off onto the side streets the first chance I got when I found out how bad it was. People are nuts.
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Audaxero
07/20/09

In reply to 259-Car Autobahn Pile-Up Largest In German History
Seems like they might be telling the truth...Der Spiegel Online (and now the bbc too) have got an article and video on it here...
http://www.spiegel.de/panorama/0,1518,637012,00.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/8159096.stm

That's some serious piles of up-coming insurance paperwork by the looks of it...And thoughts for those involved or injured.
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Ray Wert promoted this comment Edited by Audaxero at 07/20/09 7:29 AM Audaxero was starred Audaxero was unstarred

Ford Tempo Fanatic
06/08/09

In reply to Ford CEO Hits Today Show, Says Nothing
Alan is so dreamy.
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.357
06/08/09

In reply to Ford CEO Hits Today Show, Says Nothing
He looks like the kind of guy who gives out apples during Halloween, while Fritz looks like the guy who puts razors in them first.
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SLRSpeedshop.. spewing crap here since 06,now wit deez Nutz!
06/08/09

In reply to Ford CEO Hits Today Show, Says Nothing
I really don't think Matt Lauer has the journalistic skills to actually write those questions he asked. You could tell he no real knowledge of what he was asking because he could not retort.
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leavethegun-takethecannoli
06/08/09

@SLRSpeedshop is dog tired of submitting stuff.: The guy is a cupcake.
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combat chuck
06/08/09

In reply to Ford CEO Hits Today Show, Says Nothing
Matt Lauer can suck it.
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The-Simpsons-Rule!!
06/08/09

In reply to Ford CEO Hits Today Show, Says Nothing
Why the hell was he focusing on GM?
UGH.
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