Big Brother Is Watching (You Drive) Part Deux: Rule Britannia!

In the past we’ve reported on American insurers that are offering lower premiums to young drivers in return for some of their privacy. The idea is that a camera or electronic “black box” is installed in a provisional licensee’s vehicle, which monitors driving behavior on the road. It’s Big Brother behind the wheel and a lot of parents – and a few reluctant teens – are more than willing to make the trade.

Now a UK based insurer called Marmalade will offer a similar package across the pond. The idea is a simple one: Marmalade will lease cars fitted with a data recorder (a.k.a. “black box”) to newly qualified drivers. Information on every journey is recorded and beamed back to the insurance company’s website analysis. This includes how fast the car accelerates, how quickly it corners and how harshly it brakes.

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Big Brother Is Watching (You Drive) Part Deux: Rule Britannia!

In the past we’ve reported on American insurers that are offering lower premiums to young drivers in return for some of their privacy. The idea is that a camera or electronic “black box” is installed in a provisional licensee’s vehicle, which monitors driving behavior on the road. It’s Big Brother behind the wheel and a lot of parents – and a few reluctant teens – are more than willing to make the trade.

Now a UK based insurer called Marmalade will offer a similar package across the pond. The idea is a simple one: Marmalade will lease cars fitted with a data recorder (a.k.a. “black box”) to newly qualified drivers. Information on every journey is recorded and beamed back to the insurance company’s website analysis. This includes how fast the car accelerates, how quickly it corners and how harshly it brakes.

Read more »

This is what Happens when you Enter a Highway the Wrong Way… [Video]

The following accident took place on a Scottish motorway near Aberdeen and was captured by a “black box” GPS/video system mounted on a semi-trailer truck. From what we can tell, the Vauxhall Corsa entered the highway on the wrong side and drove towards oncoming traffic like a kamikaze, taking a truck driver completely by surprise.

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This is what Happens when you Enter a Highway the Wrong Way… [Video]

The following accident took place on a Scottish motorway near Aberdeen and was captured by a “black box” GPS/video system mounted on a semi-trailer truck. From what we can tell, the Vauxhall Corsa entered the highway on the wrong side and drove towards oncoming traffic like a kamikaze, taking a truck driver completely by surprise.

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Maserati Teams up with Sicilian Bike Maker to Create Limited Edition 8CTF

BMW’s M division has one, and so does McLaren, Audi and even German tuning firm Lumma Design introduced a bicycle bearing its name in 2009. Therefore, it doesn’t come to much of a surprise that Italian sports car maker Maserati has presented a two-wheel creation.

To be precise, Maserati joined forces with Sicilian bicycle maker Montante Cicli for the development and production of the 8CTF that borrows its name from the Italian automaker’s famous racing car that won 500 miles of Indianapolis in both 1939 and 1940. The Montante for Maserati 8CTF will be produced in a limited run of just 200 individually numbered units, with all bicycles to be custom made to fit the rider.

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Maserati Teams up with Sicilian Bike Maker to Create Limited Edition 8CTF

BMW’s M division has one, and so does McLaren, Audi and even German tuning firm Lumma Design introduced a bicycle bearing its name in 2009. Therefore, it doesn’t come to much of a surprise that Italian sports car maker Maserati has presented a two-wheel creation.

To be precise, Maserati joined forces with Sicilian bicycle maker Montante Cicli for the development and production of the 8CTF that borrows its name from the Italian automaker’s famous racing car that won 500 miles of Indianapolis in both 1939 and 1940. The Montante for Maserati 8CTF will be produced in a limited run of just 200 individually numbered units, with all bicycles to be custom made to fit the rider.

Read more »

Oops Moment: Vitantonio Liuzzi Runs over F1 Marshal [Video]

The Formula 1 Grand Prix held in Malaysia last weekend gave spectators a pretty eventful race, with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel winning again, but one of the most memorable moments took place on Friday, during the final practice session. Hispania Racing Team driver Vitantonio Liuzzi had to stop the car outside the track because of technical problems, so he exited the single seater and went to the pits. The race marshals took over from there and started pushing the car to a safe location.

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Oops Moment: Vitantonio Liuzzi Runs over F1 Marshal [Video]

The Formula 1 Grand Prix held in Malaysia last weekend gave spectators a pretty eventful race, with Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel winning again, but one of the most memorable moments took place on Friday, during the final practice session. Hispania Racing Team driver Vitantonio Liuzzi had to stop the car outside the track because of technical problems, so he exited the single seater and went to the pits. The race marshals took over from there and started pushing the car to a safe location.

Read more »

Teen Girl Rams Stolen Jeep Wrangler into a Church During Police Pursuit [with Video]

A police video camera has captured the pursuit of a speeding Jeep Wrangler that ended with the 4x4 plowing a Church in Socastee, South Carolina on Friday. The driver turned out to be a 15-year-old girl who had stolen the red-colored Wrangler. Despite the severity of the crash, the teenage girl managed to escape with serious but non-life threatening injuries. Read more »

Teen Girl Rams Stolen Jeep Wrangler into a Church During Police Pursuit [with Video]

A police video camera has captured the pursuit of a speeding Jeep Wrangler that ended with the 4x4 plowing a Church in Socastee, South Carolina on Friday. The driver turned out to be a 15-year-old girl who had stolen the red-colored Wrangler. Despite the severity of the crash, the teenage girl managed to escape with serious but non-life threatening injuries. Read more »

VIDEO: Lotus Renault F1 Driver Vitaly Petrov’s Yee-Haw! Moment at the Malaysian Grand Prix

It was only a matter of time before someone edited a video of Vitaly Petrov’s spectacular exit from last week’s Malaysian Grand Prix. The Russian pilot of the Lotus Renault F1 team ran too wide at a turn near the end of the race and as he tried to get inside the track again, he hit a bump on the grass that launched the race car high into the air.

The maker of the video thought the scene with the F1 car going airborne looked a lot like something you’d see in The Dukes of Hazzard, hence the audio background. For Petrov, the incident wasn’t as funny as the impact resulted in a broken steering column mount that forced him to retire from the race. Enjoy the clip after the break.

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VIDEO: Lotus Renault F1 Driver Vitaly Petrov’s Yee-Haw! Moment at the Malaysian Grand Prix

It was only a matter of time before someone edited a video of Vitaly Petrov’s spectacular exit from last week’s Malaysian Grand Prix. The Russian pilot of the Lotus Renault F1 team ran too wide at a turn near the end of the race and as he tried to get inside the track again, he hit a bump on the grass that launched the race car high into the air.

The maker of the video thought the scene with the F1 car going airborne looked a lot like something you’d see in The Dukes of Hazzard, hence the audio background. For Petrov, the incident wasn’t as funny as the impact resulted in a broken steering column mount that forced him to retire from the race. Enjoy the clip after the break.

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Twit of the Day: Drunk Driver Finds Ideal Parking Space for his Range Rover Sport

A security camera in Russia caught a drunk driver in a Ranger Rover Sport climbing the doorsteps and parking the luxury SUV right in front of the entrance of an apartment building in Chelyabinsk, a city located to the east of the Ural Mountains, on Miass River. The intoxicated driver is seen in the security video stumbling out of the British SUV with a bottle in his hand.

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Twit of the Day: Drunk Driver Finds Ideal Parking Space for his Range Rover Sport

A security camera in Russia caught a drunk driver in a Ranger Rover Sport climbing the doorsteps and parking the luxury SUV right in front of the entrance of an apartment building in Chelyabinsk, a city located to the east of the Ural Mountains, on Miass River. The intoxicated driver is seen in the security video stumbling out of the British SUV with a bottle in his hand.

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VIDEO: Driverless Tractor on the Loose Wreaks Havoc at WalMart Parking Lot

In a scene that can only be described as surreal, a runaway John Deere tractor wreaked havoc at a Walmart superstore parking lot in Richmond Hill, a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday. The incident was caught on film by a couple who uploaded the video on Youtube.

Here’s how they described the incident: “My girlfriend and I was going to get my car wash, however both car was stations were closed. We took a shortcut route to home which pass by our local Walmat parking lot and to our surprise, we noticed a group of spectators all looking at the far end of the parking lot and the video will explain the next 5 minutes of what happened.....”

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VIDEO: Driverless Tractor on the Loose Wreaks Havoc at WalMart Parking Lot

In a scene that can only be described as surreal, a runaway John Deere tractor wreaked havoc at a Walmart superstore parking lot in Richmond Hill, a town located in Southern Ontario, Canada, on Wednesday. The incident was caught on film by a couple who uploaded the video on Youtube.

Here’s how they described the incident: “My girlfriend and I was going to get my car wash, however both car was stations were closed. We took a shortcut route to home which pass by our local Walmat parking lot and to our surprise, we noticed a group of spectators all looking at the far end of the parking lot and the video will explain the next 5 minutes of what happened.....”

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Las Vegas Classic Car Showroom Selling Half a VW Beetle: What Would you do With it?

When I was in high school, my teacher had the front half of a mid-‘80s Mitsubishi Sigma (sold stateside as the Gallant) that he used for teaching students car maintenance. It was blocked off behind the front seats with wooden slats and had two castor wheels at the back so it could easily be moved around.

All well and good, but what use would be the other, engine-less half? I mean, it’d just be a steel shell with a generous (if not altogether compact) lockable storage area. This is the question posed by this rather interesting automotive oddity: a 1972 Volkswagen Beetle “Front End Display”.

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Las Vegas Classic Car Showroom Selling Half a VW Beetle: What Would you do With it?

When I was in high school, my teacher had the front half of a mid-‘80s Mitsubishi Sigma (sold stateside as the Gallant) that he used for teaching students car maintenance. It was blocked off behind the front seats with wooden slats and had two castor wheels at the back so it could easily be moved around.

All well and good, but what use would be the other, engine-less half? I mean, it’d just be a steel shell with a generous (if not altogether compact) lockable storage area. This is the question posed by this rather interesting automotive oddity: a 1972 Volkswagen Beetle “Front End Display”.

Read more »

VIDEO: Ferrari F430 Scuderia Cone Drifting on the Wet

Yes, it’s another drift video, but who’s complaining, especially when the protagonist is a Ferrari F430 Scuderia? The clip was filmed during a special track day at the Circuit Park Zandvoort, which is located north of the town of Zandvoort, in the Netherlands, with the F430 Scuderia being tossed left and right on a wet course. Read more »

VIDEO: Ferrari F430 Scuderia Cone Drifting on the Wet

Yes, it’s another drift video, but who’s complaining, especially when the protagonist is a Ferrari F430 Scuderia? The clip was filmed during a special track day at the Circuit Park Zandvoort, which is located north of the town of Zandvoort, in the Netherlands, with the F430 Scuderia being tossed left and right on a wet course. Read more »