Autoblog

Surveillance camera shows Mercedes driver parking fail

George Kennedy — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:31:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, Safety, Videos, Mercedes-Benz, Luxury

It's happened to you or someone you know: You think your car is in Park and begin to exit your vehicle, and then it starts to roll. Now, most drivers catch themselves that moment, step on the brakes, throw the gearshift into Park and wait for their heart rate to come back down. This was not one of those times.

In this case, a Mercedes-Benz E-Class is the unfortunate vehicle involved caught on a security camera, and its operator thinks that the car is in Park or that the emergency brake is engaged. We won't even talk about the fact that the driver nearly drags the car along a cement wall while backing it out, but it it appears to come to a stop on the entrance to the street. When the driver gets out to pick something up in the driveway, the luxury sedan starts to crawl forward thanks to gravity, and unfortunately for the driver, it's aimed directly at her.

The driver initially manages to avoid being run over by her own Mercedes-Benz, but in the process of attempting to recover, things get... worse. We'll keep the conclusion a surprise until you check out the video below.

While you may not go to hell for muffling a chuckle in response to this video, we feel bad for the victim here. There is no description for this video, so we cannot confirm if she was badly hurt, but hopefully not. And we can't help but sympathize a little - we've always felt that Benz's newer column-mounted electronic gear selector (with its "P" button on the end of the stalk) can be a bit fiddly. Clearly, it takes some practice.

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Surveillance camera shows Mercedes driver parking fail originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Oct 2012 09:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Watch someone survive being ejected through a sunroof in a rollover

Chris Shunk — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: Safety, Videos, UK

Every once in a while, we see a video that defies explanation, and this is definitely one of those times. Scroll down to watch security camera footage of a young man in England who might be the luckiest individual on earth.

Los Angeles' KTLA5 reports that a man and his girlfriend were having a loud argument while she was driving when the car they were in hit a wall and rolled violently. The whole thing was caught on a security camera. Judging by the grainy footage, as the car slowed its roll, the man shot through the sunroof. Instead of laying on the cement writhing in pain, though, he appears to simply stand up, dust off his clothes and check on his girlfriend. Both individuals were reportedly taken to the hospital with minor injuries and released.

We're thinking it was a good thing that the sunroof was either open or shattered, but it would have been an even better thing if the man were wearing his seatbelt. Scroll down to watch the video for yourself.

Continue reading Watch someone survive being ejected through a sunroof in a rollover

Watch someone survive being ejected through a sunroof in a rollover originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 15 Jul 2012 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UK to use gas station cameras to automatically stop fueling of uninsured cars? [w/poll]

Jeff Sabatini — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 19:32:00 EST

Filed under: Government/Legal, UK

The British sure love their surveillance cameras, don't they? As if living in the police state that is modern Great Britain isn't bad enough for motorists, what with all the speed cameras and the like, there's a new plan afoot: Keep the uninsured from pumping gas.

According to The Mirror, a new government proposal would have surveillance cameras at gas stations determine whether a vehicle carries valid insurance and registration before turning on the pumps. Automatic license plate recognition is already in place at thousands of British fueling stations, acting as a deterrent to driving off without paying. The new measure would be as simple as allowing the systems to cross-reference databases of the national Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, according to the report.

One in 25 drivers in the UK are uninsured, according to The Mirror - some 1.4 million motorists. While the report calls this rate "one of the worst records in western Europe," it's far better than here in the United States.

According to data from 2009, published by USA Today, nearly 14 percent of U.S. drivers, or one in seven, has no insurance. In that report, the south stood atop the list of U.S. states with the highest rates of uninsured drivers, with Mississippi, New Mexico, Tennessee, Florida, Oklahama and Alabama all topping 20 percent.

What do you think about this initiative? Is it it a good idea or a bad one? Would you welcome similar legislation here in the States? Take part in our survey below and feel free to leave your thoughts in Comments.

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UK to use gas station cameras to automatically stop fueling of uninsured cars? [w/poll] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 19:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oh, Snap! Watch what happens when this bus slides through toll barrier

Zach Bowman — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:58:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Videos

It's common knowledge that buses fight dirty. Enter into fisticuffs with public transportation and you're likely to find yourself on the raw end of a well-aimed 2x4 plank. Just ask the pedestrian in the video after the jump. We're short on context with this one, but from the looks of things, the bus attempts to come to a stop for a traffic checkpoint or tollbooth, only to slide on black ice and bowl straight through the traffic control arm.

It all sounds innocuous enough, but click past the break to check out the unintended result for yourself.

Continue reading Oh, Snap! Watch what happens when this bus slides through toll barrier

Oh, Snap! Watch what happens when this bus slides through toll barrier originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The life and death of Ford's SEMA show booth

Zach Bowman — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:58:00 EST

Filed under: Aftermarket, SEMA Show, Etc., Videos, Ford

As writers, we're treated to an interesting view of the auto show circuit. We kick in the doors, cram in as many press conferences and interviews as possible, then bolt from the scene as fast as we can. In doing so, we often take for granted the incredible amount of work manufacturers put into their displays. Set up and tear down often takes days, with hundreds of hours of planning and design work leading up to both processes. Ford has released a time-lapse video from this year's SEMA show depicting the long build-up and tear-down slog.

Using a smattering of RePlay XD1080 cameras strewn all around the booth site, it's possible to get a look at the forklifts, lighting, carpeting and cars as they trickle in to create a seamless booth packed with drool-worthy customs. Hit the jump to check out the clip for yourself.

Continue reading The life and death of Ford's SEMA show booth

The life and death of Ford's SEMA show booth originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Dec 2011 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Teen rides motorcycle into supermarket, crashes into automated doors

Chris Shunk — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:31:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Videos, Motorcycle

Teen joyrides in supermarket - Click above to watch the video after the jump

Have you ever pulled a prank only to wish you hadn't? We're guessing there's at least one teenage boy in Australia who knows exactly what we're talking about. The young man in question, who has yet to be officially identified by police, apparently rode his Kawasaki dirt bike right through a busy supermarket. If you think that's funny, then you should see what happens next.

Beyond the jump is store security camera footage of the incident. After the pubescent biker zipped through the first set of doors, he quickly approached the second set of automated doors, which failed to open as (poorly) planned. After appearing to slide for some distance, the biker runs headlong into the still-closed doors to the delight of blooper fans the world over.

Now, the biker didn't appear to hit the door all that hard, and he did eventually get away, but the Australian police think they know the identity of the suspected culprit. The local law enforcement is, as you may have guessed, very interested in talking to their primary suspect. Some of the charges being discussed are dangerous driving, driving without a license and conduct endangering life. Hit the jump to check out the video.

[Source: Herald Sun]

Continue reading Video: Teen rides motorcycle into supermarket, crashes into automated doors

Video: Teen rides motorcycle into supermarket, crashes into automated doors originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Drifting Cadillac thwarts purse snatching

Chris Shunk — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:00:00 EST

Filed under: Sedan, China, Etc., Government/Legal, Videos, Cadillac, Luxury

Click above to watch the video after the jump

Crime fighting Good Samaritans can take on all forms, and apparently that includes in the form of a 3,900 pound, rear-drive Cadillac CTS. FailBlog has stumbled upon a what looks to be a Chinese news program running street camera footage of a petty thief stealing the purse of an unsuspecting woman. But instead of running off into the night, the robber is instead intercepted by the Caddy driver in rather spectacular fashion.

It's almost a good enough display to have us wondering about the authenticity of what's going on (there are a lot of staged viral videos these days), but assuming it's the real deal, now might be a good time to change Cadillac's tagline to "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Bad Guys."

Hit the jump to watch the Caddy doing Starsky and Hutch proud.

[Source: Failblog via YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Drifting Cadillac thwarts purse snatching

Video: Drifting Cadillac thwarts purse snatching originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 28 Apr 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VIDEO: Mind the pole, please

Jonathon Ramsey — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Etc., Safety, Videos, Humor

Spectacular pole mishap - Click above to watch video

Spending all day blogging from the comfort of our mothers' basements and/or top-secret Dr. No-style lairs, we sometimes forget that there's a world out there filled with people who engage in truly questionable things. And then we get a video like this and we wonder, "Is that really what's going on outside?"

We're not sure what this driver was trying to do, but when he or she decides to kill a pole, they do a commendably thorough job of it. Follow the jump for the security camera footage.

[Source: StupidVideos.com]

Continue reading VIDEO: Mind the pole, please

VIDEO: Mind the pole, please originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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