Drivers are doing crazy things all across Asia. They back into oncoming traffic and stop on busy roads to chat with friends on the sidewalk. They eat pork buns and fill in business reports behind the wheel. They speed. They drive drunk, and they fall asleep at the wheel.
Here are the five countries with the worst vehicular horrors:
No.5: Thailand
Many cars in Thailand have an amulet on their rear view mirrors or dashboards with an image of Buddha and a verse intended to protect driver and passengers from harm. Two-thirds of Thailand’s registered vehicles are motorcycles, and many of their riders ignore the country’s helmet law. Automobile seat belts weren’t required until October 1997. Just 1773 people were arrested in all of Thailand for drunk driving in 1996. The figure was so embarrassingly low in a country with 11.8 million licensed drivers that authorities launched a full-scale anti-drunk driving campaign in late 1997.
Some Thai drivers never think twice about stopping in the middle of a road, whether it’s an expressway or a narrow side street.
Reckless driving is common, particularly among long-haul truck drivers who work long hours. The U.S. Embassy warns in its country report on Thailand that visitors should be aware that "consumption of amphetamines or other stimulants by commercial drivers is common. It follows that warning with a bit of scary advice: " Congested roads and a scarcity of ambulances can make it difficult for accident victims to receive timely medical attention."
This week, Tata Motors from India just released what a lot are saying is a breakthrough in motoring. Priced at just $2000, the Tata Nano is now considered to be the world’s cheapest car. For this reason, the Tata is now also dubbed as the People’s car. The car currently has three variants with the basic not having air-conditioner, power steering, passenger side mirror nor an extra windscreen wiper.
The Nano has already won the Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award in the Transportation category in a ceremony last October with the judges falling in love with its design. According to Ratan Tata, the chairman of Tata Motors,, this car hopes to “revolutionize the lives of millions of Indians, most of whom live in rural areas many miles from the nearest bus stop. Even with its low price, the Nano is built to meet safety requirement, is fuel efficient and is low on emissions. So far the car is compared to the Volkswagen Beetle which also was an icon in the German Motoring industry.
I have had my share of weird concepts that will surely never see the light of day in a thousand years. I remember my YouTube video of concept cars for the year 2057 and how a lot of people are expressing disbelief that such cars will ever come into production, now or ever.
Today, I came into contact with an art concept for the BMW which just had me thinking a big WTF in my mind. (Yeah I had to keep the WTF as letters in my mind.) This is an art work from artist Olaffur Eliasson which looks more like a dried beehive than a car to me. I still think this artwork is gorgeous, though I clearly don’t see why its base should be a car. Required to be kept in fridge temperature, this hydrogen powered racecar is under an exhibit called Your Mobile Expectations.
I have seen this video getting popular on YouTube and not being a fan of graphic videos of people people doing face plants and getting hurt on pranks, I never looked at it until now. The first angle did not elicit any reaction from me. I guess I got so used to bigger explosions and collisions from Hollywood that it usually takes something with more bang to engage me.
The second angle in itself however tells a different story. I was really shocked when I saw the man vanish when he was hit by the semi going sideways. It seems unlikely that someone could survive something like this.
It was my opportunity a few weeks ago to attend an International Auto show held in Manila, the Philippines. I guess I was a victim of expecting too much, that the event disappointed me. I felt that I was given a reality check that day when the event did not deliver as I expected. As a whole, I think the organizers of the event saw it as a success. Still, I found myself looking for more while I was going around the wide show spaces of their trade center.
Leaning: A phenomenon in racing that is the result of a high speed vehicle managing a sharp turn like a hairpin turn. Common in motorcycles and bicycles, this also happens in four wheels vehicles.
Leaning is a result of the centrifugal force that is acting on a vehicle as it changes direction while maintaining a high speed or velocity.
Though not a skill or stunt, like drifting and doing a 180 turn, this is something that every racer must learn, to be able to control and manage sharp turns while at high speeds.
Using the concept of leaning, I have come up with skilled drivers from all over the world. Read the rest of this entry »
At the end of this year Google has especially noted the social bookmarking site Digg as one of it’s top referrers. This does not only tell us, web surfers, about the power of this site but it’s ability to determine which information is important or not. Though many has contested the way information is voted upon in Digg, and even with all the conspiracy theory on Digg mobs, on cannot deny the fact: If it make the front page of Digg, it is big news.
Listed below are the Top ten most dugg automotive related sites for the last 365 days. These are the news articles that are considered by most diggers as most important, controversial, provocative, or just downright entertaining. Read the rest of this entry »
No.5: Thailand
This is an art work from artist 
