29.12.2009
We first spotted this video posted over on Jalopnik, which inspired us to root around for a few more examples of the hazards of car ownership when conditions turn cold.
But first the video above, which was filmed by a neighbour in housing estate in Paignton last week. The Ford Fiesta which was being driven slowly down the road begins to slide out of control and rather than stay in the car, the occupants decide it would be a better idea to bail out. The driver was very lucky not to be injured after being partially dragged under the car.
The person filming the scene (wynne1975 on YouTube) describes what he saw;
Shocking driving conditions in Paignton on the busiest shopping day of the year. The car is barely moving but the hill makes stopping impossible and both people in the front of the car decide to jump out?????
The couple were warned by neighbours not to venture out that day and they were the only people to attempt to drive on that road. There were numerous pedestrians around who could barely walk on the black ice so a car really stood no chance.
Near the start of the video you can see a recovery truck. This had been stuck there, blocking the road for 3 hours and didn’t move for another 2 hours after this incident.
The reason the video ends abruptly is because my wife and I raced downstairs to see if there were any injuries to the couple. Once I made it past the red cars in the right of the frame, it was clear that several people were seeing to the couple around where the car ended up.
Pretty obvious to see why many people are finding this so funny but believe me, not one person who witnessed this was laughing at the time. My wife and I felt physically sick, as did many others. Thankfully, the couple involved didn’t suffer any serious injuries. More importantly, no pedestrians or children were hit by the abandoned car.
PLEASE, check your local roads before setting out on a journey. Listen to local radio, speak to neighbours and try to avoid being part of incidents like this.
Merry Xmas all!
Picture of the Ford Fiesta after coming to a halt
Sometime the roads are just too icy to drive, so let’s be careful out there during the festive period.
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- A burst pipe plus freezing conditions near Lake Michigan
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- Ice storm at Lake Geneva – photo: Jean-Pierre Scherrer
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- Ice storm at Lake Geneva – photo: Jean-Pierre Scherrer
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- Ice storm at Lake Geneva – photo: Jean-Pierre Scherrer
About Steve Davies
Steve is a media, venture, and technology advisor and a former Partner at KPMG Consulting, PriceWaterhouse Coopers and Managing Partner at EIM - his clients range from global web and media companies to small start-ups. He formed Drivers Republic (DR) in 2007, the UK's first digital automotive magazine, with a team of EVO and Autocar writers before creating SkiddMark, and also writes as a guest contributor on Unruly Media’s Meme Machine blog and for Econsultancy’s digital marketing blog.
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4 Comments
Mike GT
December 29, 2009I like Florida 1000% better now.
Mike GT
December 29, 2009I like Florida 1000% better now.
Steve Davies
December 29, 2009I should probably explain for the benefit of our members in the sunny states what driving on an icy road feels like..
The UK must be one of the poorest countries to cope with cold weather, we make a great fuss about salting the roads and then occasionally get caught out by sudden changes in the forecast. Recently we’ve had quite a downfall of snow, which then melted and re-freezed leaving an invisible sheen of ice (black ice) ready to catch out the unwary.
We get so used to driving on icy roads that have been salted, that we forget what they’re like when untreated – you stand little chance of walking on it far less driving.
I still can’t figure out why the people in this video chose to get out of the car.. =-O
Steve Davies
December 29, 2009I should probably explain for the benefit of our members in the sunny states what driving on an icy road feels like..
The UK must be one of the poorest countries to cope with cold weather, we make a great fuss about salting the roads and then occasionally get caught out by sudden changes in the forecast. Recently we’ve had quite a downfall of snow, which then melted and re-freezed leaving an invisible sheen of ice (black ice) ready to catch out the unwary.
We get so used to driving on icy roads that have been salted, that we forget what they’re like when untreated – you stand little chance of walking on it far less driving.
I still can’t figure out why the people in this video chose to get out of the car.. =-O