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Audi has let its sophisticated autonomous RS7 performance car loose on the famous Hockenheim race circuit, with successful results. The vehicle features advanced computing technology that allows it to drive itself and was able to achieve speeds of 240km/h while completing a lap on the Grand Prix race circuit. A combination of GPS location data and onboard camera technology enabled the vehicle to compare with stored track map information and identify its precise location on the track, allowing it to drive at

The driver of a construction truck in the Russian city of Voronezh recently had an unwelcome surprise when his own vehicle became the centre for a major road repair. The mixer truck was being driven along the road to a construction site when it suddenly fell into a large hole in the roadway. No ordinary pothole, this was sufficiently large for the rear of the vehicle to tumble inside, leaving only the cab poking out. The driver managed to jump out and was unhurt. The truck was less fortunate however as the

A Lithuanian man sparked an international police pursuit when he stole a BMW X6 car in Bavaria. The car thief hit speeds of 240km/h in the high performance car as he attempted to elude pursuit, with German police using no less than seven patrol vehicles to try and stop the stolen car. The thief headed towards the nearby German border with the Czech Republic, where Czech police had been alerted and then took over the pursuit, enlisting the use of a helicopter. When the stolen car ran out of fuel the driver a

A woman in the UK aged 86 has set a record for being the country’s oldest driver to be banned for a speeding offences. The woman was recorded travelling more 50% faster than the 50km/h speed limit along a stretch of road. As this was the firth speeding offence she had been charged with in a five year period, she earned sufficient points on her licence (more than 12) to be banned from driving for six months.

Two British men have set a new world land speed record for a mobility scooter. During timed runs to meet with official requirements, the heavily modified mobility scooter proved capable of hitting a speed of 172km/h. This tops the previous mobility scooter speed record of 131km/h by some margin. The mobility scooter is however not suitable for road use, despite having working lights and indicators, as it does not possess front brakes. Power comes from a 600cc Suzuki motorcycle engine that has been squeezed

In India an animal rescue worker has saved the life of a depressed dog, sitting at the roadside where its owner was buried after being killed in a crash. The canine mourner stayed at the site near Chennai for 15 days, despite being unfed. The animal rescue worker saw the dog repeatedly during her commute and realised that the canine was staying in the one spot. After much persuasion the animal was persuaded to eat and drink and has since been returned to health.

Transurban, an Australian manager of highways and developer of urban toll roads, saw toll revenue for the December 2014 quarter increase by more than 63% to US$304 million compared to the same period last year. For the half-year ended December 2014, toll revenue rose by 63.7% to nearly $602 million, compared to the corresponding period in 2013, a company statement said. Transurban, established in 1966 and based in Melbourne, owns CityLink in Melbourne, which connects three of the city's major freeways

The Algerian government is now talking directly to the Japanese government in an effort to resolve a dispute with sacked Japanese highways consortium Cojaal, In 2006, Cojaal won a US$5 billion deal to build the 359km eastern section of Algeria’s proposed 900km East-West Highway within 40 months. Algeria divided the contract into three sections, with the Chinese company Citic-CRCC winning the central and western sections, which in total was to cost around $6 billion.

Lithuania’s road safety record is improving, albeit slowly. Data from the police force reveals that there were 3,325 traffic crashes in the country in 2014. The number of deaths from crashes actually rose to 265, an increase of 3.5% from 2013. However the number of people killed in traffic stood at 61/million residents in 2014, down from 87/million in 2013. Pedestrians accounted for 40.8% of road deaths, while cyclists accounted for 7.2% of road deaths. Improvement was seen in the numbers injured in road cr