Autoblog

Woman survives 7 weeks in wilderness in her Chevy Astro

Jeff Glucker — Mon, 09 May 2011 19:25:00 EST

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Etc., Chevrolet, GM

Rita Chretien survives for seven weeks in her Astro Van - Click above to watch video after the jump

The Chretiens left British Columbia with their Chevrolet Astro Van pointing towards Las Vegas. Rita and her husband Albert were embarking on a 1,200-mile road trip. Unfortunately for the Chretiens, and for reasons we don't know, that Asto Van ended up stuck in the mud out in the Nevada wilderness.

After sitting helpless for a few days, Rita's husband couldn't wait around any more and left on foot to try and find some help. Rita stayed behind, and survived for seven weeks in the Chevy before a group of hunters came across the stuck vehicle. Rita Chretien had survived by rationing her trail mix and drinking melted snow. Sadly, Albert has not yet been found but the search for Mr. Chretien continues. Click past the jump to watch an ABC News spot on this story.

Continue reading Woman survives 7 weeks in wilderness in her Chevy Astro

Woman survives 7 weeks in wilderness in her Chevy Astro originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 09 May 2011 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Study: Average male drives extra 276 miles/year because he won't stop for directions

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:29:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., UK

That long-running joke about men unwilling to stop for directions? Well, it's no joke, at least not according to British insurance firm Sheilas' Wheels. In fact, the average male motorist in Britain travels some 276 extra miles per year simply because he refuses to ask for directions. Worse yet, that amounts to £2,000 ($3,100) worth of wasted fuel over the stubborn man's lifetime.

In the UK, 25 percent of all men would rather wander aimlessly for up to a half hour before stopping to ask for directions, and one in 10 simply refuse to ask altogether. On the flip side, three quarters of women polled have zero qualms about asking for help. And here's our favorite stat: 41 percent of men admitted to telling their passengers that they knew where they were going... even though they didn't.

Though the study took place in the UK, we'd bet that, if anything, it's worse here in the States. After all, as a much larger country with sometimes huge stretches between destinations, we probably waste more time and fuel pretending like we know exactly where we're going.

[Source: Telegraph | Image: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images]

Study: Average male drives extra 276 miles/year because he won't stop for directions originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 17:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Report: UK man claims he lost Lamborghini while drunk, beats insurance fraud charges

Dan Roth — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:58:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Government/Legal, Lamborghini, UK

Initially, authorities in England charged Glenn Knowles and Richard Mant with trying to defraud their insurance company. The pair of men co-own a Lamborghini, or at least they did, until Knowles misplaced it during a night of binge drinking. Prosecutors weren't buying the story that Mr. Knowles took the car and then drank until he erased his mind as a way of coping with a bad time in his personal life.

The matter went to trial, and after six days, a jury conceded that it didn't seem like fraud, ultimately acquitting the pair. It's not the first time Knowles has lost a car. He once tucked a Mercedes behind a nightclub so well that it took a deep search to find it. This time, the Lamborghini seriously cannot be found, despite having a tracking system installed. Mitigating the charges of fraud are the long history of high-end car ownership by the two men, and their ability to keep making payments. So, despite the nutty insurance claim, it didn't strike the jury that this was an attempt to bilk the company. Perhaps, even though exonerated, Mr. Knowles might do well to be sentenced to a period of walking. Then, he'll only have to worry about losing a shoe.

[Source: Telegraph.co.uk]

Report: UK man claims he lost Lamborghini while drunk, beats insurance fraud charges originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Mar 2010 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

English trucker blindly follows GPS down the wrong path

Michael Harley — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 16:34:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Technology

A little more than a month after one bloke followed his GPS guidance into the path of a train, we find a lorry driver in Great Britain pulling a similar blunder. Instead of looking outside the cab of the truck and noticing the large sign indicating the road was "unsuitable for heavy goods vehicles," he ignorantly followed the GPS display as it led him down a narrow farm lane. Within minutes, his 45-foot tractor trailer became firmly wedged in the mud and thicket. Needless to say, his trip to carry timber from north Wales to Birmingham was abruptly cut short. The driver's job is likely in jeopardy, but he is thankfully uninjured. The owner of the land, who now has to drive an extra two miles around the detour, is understandably irate.

This isn't a rare occurrence. In November, a Czech truck driver in the U.K. was led off course by his GPS and ended up spending three nights stuck in the woods. And who can forget the Brit who followed his GPS guidance into a river? GPS is a wonderful technology, but it is no substitute for common sense! Thanks for the tip Bobby!

[Source: Engadget]

English trucker blindly follows GPS down the wrong path originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 24 Feb 2008 16:34:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Car wins game of hide and seek with owner

Frank Filipponio — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 18:29:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Europe

Hide and seek was such a fun game as a child. Trying our darndest to keep our feet from showing from underneath the curtains, oblivious to the fact that our giggling, wiggling forms were so obviously clear to the seeker. As an adult it doesn't have the same appeal, unless you're reading about someone else's misery over losing a seven month long game of it.

The Sun brings us this charming story of "absent minded Eric" who parked his car to do some sightseeing in an unfamiliar town, and failed to record the exact location of his parking spot. Seven months later, the car and Eric have been reunited. You see, Eric came back to the place where he thought he had parked, but the car wasn't there. We suspect some type of Herbie-like spiritual possession. So he searched and searched to no avail. He eventually gave up and took a cab home only to return ten times over the next few months to search again. But the car had hidden itself pretty well. The police couldn't even find it until seven months later when two neighbors finally realized that little Focus out front didn't belong to the other as they had thought, and finally phoned it in.

One of the officers remembered Eric and made the connection. With only a dead battery to show for its shenanigans, the car was soon back in its owner's hands. While we at Autoblog will admit to the odd instance of searching a large parking lot for several minutes trying to remember where we parked, this is truly in a league of its own. But we know some of you must have similarly outrageous stories to share, so feel free to drop us a line in the comments and let us know about that time you misplaced your car.

[Source: The Sun]

Car wins game of hide and seek with owner originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 18 Sep 2006 18:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments