Autoblog

What do you do when you've got a lug nut that just won't budge? While you might want to blast it to smithereens, lots of dirty words, some mechanical finesse, a breaker bar, and heat usually get the job done. Of course, swearing like a truck driver is wholly unsatisfying when you compare it to the joy of firearms. A 66-year-old Washington resident had been dealing with a recalcitrant Lincoln Continental for two weeks when he decided he'd had enough.

A 12-gauge shotgun is not exactly effective at delivering a shock to a wheel nut, even with all that powder behind it. What did ensue, though, was a potentially deadly and certainly injurious shower of buckshot. Shooting a car wheel from an arm's length is a guaranteed way to create plenty of ricochet. The shot found purchase in the much softer organic material that comprises a human being, and the man sustained injuries from his feet to the middle of his abdomen. Next time, whack it with the BFH.

Thanks for the tip, James!

[Source: BBC]

The good news: he's alive. The bad news: he's a little busted up. John Force's dragster (yeah, that John Force, the one with the Driving Force tv show about him and his hawt drag racing daughters) went out of control at the O'Reilly NHRA Fall Nationals in Texas on Sunday. In the process of heading for the wall, he also took out Kenny Bernstein's car before smacking the barrier. Berstein is fine, Force is also largely fine, suffering a broken wrist and ankle in the crash. As he was being stabilized and extricated from his car, Force was apparently more concerned with Bernstein's fate, even though he was obviously aware of his own injuries. Force's chassis broke, which seems to be what caused the collision. His daughter Ashley, also an NHRA drag racer, withdrew from the semifinals to be with her father at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, TX. Our main question, after making sure he was okay, was the fate of the famously filthy Nomex suit - will he finally get a clean one?

Video embedded after jump

[Source: AP]

"Accidents happen." It's the oft-quoted mantra of anyone who spends time behind the wheel. Sooner or later, you'll witness or partake in a vehicular mishap. The Japan Automobile Research Institute aims to take a less stoic attitude about accidents and have set up a model street to evaluate accident prevention systems and practices.

The model street, which is larger than three football fields, includes straight and curved sections and will offer Institute researchers better insight into the conditions that cause accidents. We can't speak for what causes fender benders in Japan, but in the US, the number one cause has got to be drivers with absolutely no training paying limited attention to the task at hand. Who can blame them? The allure of text messaging is so much more enticing than piloting a 3500-pound projectile rendered in metal, composite and glass. Familiarize yourself with good car-brandishing skills and then observe the idiots that surround you. There's no institute needed to discern that inattention and ineptitude often play roles, but there are often plenty of other factors. That's what the model street has been developed to study. Here's to safer travels for drivers and pedestrians alike -- and let's hope they export the stuff that actually works at reducing incidents.

[Source: MSN - Mainichi]

We've all been there, you're pressing on, but you know you're dangerously close to falling asleep while behind the wheel. Rolling down the window, blaring the radio, and frequent shakes of the head just aren't doing it. Those jumping jacks you did at the rest stop a few miles back helped for a little while, but you can feel sleep creeping up on you quickly. Driving while drowsy is a big danger, and researchers from the University of Tokyo, Oita University, the Shimane Institute of Health Science have teamed up with Delta Tooling, to develop a seat that can detect a tired driver. Hiroshima-based Delta supplies dies for industrial presses and equipment to industry for the manufacture of products, mainly automotive seats.

The team first had to target what they were going to detect with the seat, so they set out to study the signs of sleep onset, paying particular attention to pulse and respiration. Once they determined what they were looking for, a sensing system was designed for integration into an automotive seat. In the seatback, sensors monitor the driver's pulse, while the bottom cushion has sensors that keep track of breathing. Testing in a variety of conditions was carried out, and the system is reportedly effective even through layers of thick clothing, such as winter coats. There have been drowsiness detection systems in the past, but this system requires no action from the driver, which is a new development. As long as there's a posterior in the seat, it's keeping vigil against the Sandman.

Now that the detection system has been dialed in, work can progress on just what to do with that information. There's currently no alarm tied to the sensors, but that's the obvious next step. Many safety ideas come and go, but we think this one, like ESC before it, has legs.

[Source: Pink Tentacle]

The world of auto enthusiasts was surely shocked to learn about the very serious accident Top Gear host Richard Hammond suffered on Wednesday. Current reports tell us he is now out of intensive care and in stable condition.

The outpouring of support for Hammond has been incredible in the last few days and shows just how much the British host meant to enthusiasts around the world. If you'd like to show Hammond your support and haven't done so already, you can leave a get well message for him at The Sun.

Our friends over at PistonHeads.com have also set up a way you can donate money via the website JustGiving to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance Charity. One of this service's helicopters flew Hammond from the scene of the accident to Leeds General Infirmary where he's being treated. These helicopters cost 3,600 a day to keep in the air, and so far fans have generously contributed 39,945.50 in Hammond's name. The first goal of raising 25,000 was met so easily it's been raised to 51,000, which will pay for 150 flights.

Thanks for everyone who sent in these tips.

Related posts:

• Top Gear's "Hamster" in stable but serious condition day after crash
• UPDATE: Details on Richard Hammond crash
• Top Gear's Richard Hammond in critical condition

We've just received word that racer and Road & Track contributor Paul Frère has been seriously injured in an accident near the Nürburgring. As reported by La Derniere Heure, the 89-year-old Frère was apparently involved in a heavy collision while driving a Honda Civic R. He is in a Frankfurt hospital with seven broken ribs, a shattered pelvis and two punctured lungs. The prognosis appears good, however. It is expected he will return to his home in France in October.

Frère raced on a semiprofessional basis for 15 years, including 10 Formula 1 races and the 24 Hours of Le Man, driving for Ferrari, Jaguar and Aston Martin. He also appeared in the 1966 film, Grand Prix. His greatest talent, however, lay in his ability to relate his experiences to others through the written word. Frère has contributed to many magazines, and has written several highly acclaimed books on his experiences in the automotive world.

[Source: La Derniere Heure via Hemmings]