Video: 130-car UK pileup injures hundreds, but no deaths

Filed under: Safety, Videos, UK

Emergency Services Attend Major Road Accident In Kent

A crash in the county of Kent in southeast England involving 130 vehicles on a bridge has injured 200 people, 27 of which required hospitalization. The incident, which occurred at 7:15 AM BST (2:15 AM on America’s east coast), was on a bridge on the A249, a road that connects two major motorways, the M2 and M20.

Poor visibility due to heavy fog is believed to be one of the primary causes of the pileup, with some witnesses reporting they could only see about 30 feet in front of them before the crash. There were reports from some drivers that the collisions went on for ten minutes, as other vehicles caught up to the scene of the accident and were unable to stop in time.

Chief Inspector Andy Reeves told the BBC, “It was…very hazardous. It was described to me as a very thick fog and it was certainly low visibility at the time.” Cars, vans, semis and even a loaded car carrier were involved in the wreck, which will likely keep the bridge closed for the remainder of the day. Scroll down for helicopter footage of the aftermath.

Continue reading 130-car UK pileup injures hundreds, but no deaths

130-car UK pileup injures hundreds, but no deaths originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Sep 2013 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: 130-car UK pileup injures hundreds, but no deaths

Filed under: Safety, Videos, UK

Emergency Services Attend Major Road Accident In Kent

A crash in the county of Kent in southeast England involving 130 vehicles on a bridge has injured 200 people, 27 of which required hospitalization. The incident, which occurred at 7:15 AM BST (2:15 AM on America’s east coast), was on a bridge on the A249, a road that connects two major motorways, the M2 and M20.

Poor visibility due to heavy fog is believed to be one of the primary causes of the pileup, with some witnesses reporting they could only see about 30 feet in front of them before the crash. There were reports from some drivers that the collisions went on for ten minutes, as other vehicles caught up to the scene of the accident and were unable to stop in time.

Chief Inspector Andy Reeves told the BBC, “It was…very hazardous. It was described to me as a very thick fog and it was certainly low visibility at the time.” Cars, vans, semis and even a loaded car carrier were involved in the wreck, which will likely keep the bridge closed for the remainder of the day. Scroll down for helicopter footage of the aftermath.

Continue reading 130-car UK pileup injures hundreds, but no deaths

130-car UK pileup injures hundreds, but no deaths originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 05 Sep 2013 12:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading “Video: 130-car UK pileup injures hundreds, but no deaths”

Official: Honda Mean Mower hits 60 mph in 4 seconds, cuts to 130 mph [w/video] [UPDATE]

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Honda, UK, Specialty

Back in June, we reported that Top Gear was building what it hoped would become the world’s fastest lawn mower, and had solicited help from Honda and its British Touring Car Championship partner Team Dynamics. Well, they’ve finished the build and the resulting contraption is the Mean Mower. With a top speed estimated to be over 130 miles per hour, it should beat the 96.529-mph record set by Bobby Cleveland and his Snapper race mower at the Bonneville Salt Flats in September 2010, and take the cake as the fastest lawn mower ever.

Let’s start off with the specs: 109 horsepower, 309-pound curb weight and 0-60 mph in four seconds. Crazy numbers, but maybe you’ll be comforted that the lawn mower is a Honda HF2620 in name only, with a custom chassis made of 4130 chromoly, a 1,000cc engine from a VTR Firestorm, a paddle-shifted six-speed transmission, a bespoke suspension and wheels from an ATV. The body was sourced from the production mower, however.

Sure, it can cut grass – at 15 mph, double the top speed of a regular HF2620 – using two electric motors spinning 3mm steel-cutting cables at 4000 rpm, but the grass bag has been reengineered to house the fuel tank, a high-capacity oil cooler and a secondary radiator. So much for that clean cut.

Honda says that it has topped 100 mph on track, but there’s no video to verify this. (Please Honda!?) But there is a great teaser with reigning BTCC champion Gordon “Flash” Shedden mowing the lawn in a mean way, below.

UPDATE: A second video of the Mean Mower has been added below, this time featuring The Stig.

Continue reading Honda Mean Mower hits 60 mph in 4 seconds, cuts to 130 mph [w/video] [UPDATE]

Honda Mean Mower hits 60 mph in 4 seconds, cuts to 130 mph [w/video] [UPDATE] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 17 Jul 2013 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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