Deep clean

An impatient motorist in the UK recently learned a valuable lesson about paying closer attention to road conditions. Following intense rainfall, traffic on a short section of a busy road in South London came to a halt. Beeping his horn furiously as he negotiated a BMW estate car (station wagon) and a bus that were attempting to deviate to another route, the driver of the Vauxhall ploughed straight ahead. However he soon discovered to his dismay that the stretch of water the other vehicles were trying to avo
August 23, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
An impatient motorist in the UK recently learned a valuable lesson about paying closer attention to road conditions. Following intense rainfall, traffic on a short section of a busy road in South London came to a halt. Beeping his horn furiously as he negotiated a BMW estate car (station wagon) and a bus that were attempting to deviate to another route, the driver of the Vauxhall ploughed straight ahead. However he soon discovered to his dismay that the stretch of water the other vehicles were trying to avoid was somewhat deeper than he had anticipated. Video footage showed the vehicle plunging into the flood, before floating away with its engine compartment hanging low in the water while onlookers hooted with derision at his foolishness. The driver and his passengers were able to escape unharmed physically, but rather wet.

Related Content

  • Zipping up road lanes – with Barrier Systems
    September 10, 2018
    QMB has a Lindsay Road Zipper on duty near Montreal. World Highways deputy editor David Arminas climbed aboard As vice president of Canadian barrier specialist QMB, based in Laval, Quebec, Marc-Andre Seguin is sanguine about the future for moveable barriers. On the one hand, it looks good. The oft-stated advantage of moveable barriers is that the systems are cheaper to install than adding a lane or two to a highway or bridge. Directional changes to lanes can boost volume on a road without disrupting tra
    Read More
  • Wrong time to end right turns?
    March 15, 2024
    Banning right-hand turns after stopping for a red light is gaining momentum in the US. But debate continues about whether it will result in fewer incidents between vehicles and alternative mobility users. David Arminas reports.
    Read More
  • Modal shift in city transportation
    March 4, 2016
    The TV footage of the recent heavy smog in Beijing and other Chinese cities has shown clearly why attitudes to personal transportation need to change around the world. Vehicle transportation is a major source of air pollution, with the particulates from older generation diesel engines being particularly dangerous to health.
    Read More
  • Julián Núñez, head of ASECAP offers a little Spanish enlightenment
    May 1, 2018
    Julián Núñez, president of ASECAP, gets his teeth into the vision of a European strategy for toll roads. David Arminas reports from Madrid Getting European politicians to agree to a long-term cross-border highway infrastructure programme for toll roads is extremely difficult. It’s a bit like pulling teeth. People want to avoid the pain. This is perhaps a bad analogy to use in the case of Julián Núñez, president of ASECAP - European Association of Operators of Toll Road Infrastructures. Núñez had just sat
    Read More

Highlighted Content