Car enthusiasts complain a lot about how modern cars are getting heavier and heavier. It’s actually the biggest complaint among car enthusiasts with each new generation of car, as it always grows in size and weight. We’re guilty of it as much as anyone else. Yet, there’s a good reason for why cars are getting so big and so heavy — safety. Modern safety tech; including structural bracing, crumple zones, countless airbags and sensors; all combine to make cars very heavy. But as this BMW X1 driver will tell you, they weight is well worth the safety.
In the Slovak Republic, this BMW X1 was apparently experiencing what’s called “microsleep”, which ended quite badly. What is microsleep, you ask? In a nutshell, it’s very brief episode of when your brain sort of falls asleep, typically caused by sleep deprivation, but only lasts a handful of seconds. That’s an eternity when you’re behind the wheel of a car and traveling at highway speed.
This drive fell into a brief microsleep at the very worst possible time and his BMW X1 sort of drifted right, off the side of the road. It then hit a concrete barrier which acted like a ramp in Grand Theft Auto and launched the car up into the air. But wait, it gets worse. The car hit the top of a tunnel and did a 360-degree barrel roll. After it hit the ground, it bounced and rolled some more.
After seeing the astonishing video from the Slovak Republic Police, it’s amazing the driver is still alive. Not only is he alive but he only suffered minor bumps and bruises. That’s a damn miracle. He was given a sobriety test and checked for any alcohol or drugs but was completely sober. Just really unlucky timing to fall asleep.
Now knowing that he’s not seriously injured, the video is amazing to watch. It’s like something out of a video game. It’s also a testament to how safe modern cars have become. Twenty years ago, that driver wouldn’t have survived that crash. If anything, paramedics would be picking up pieces of the driver. Now, he’s safe and will see his family for the holidays. That’s quite incredible.
But, seriously, now that we know he’s okay, how many times are you going to watch that video in amazement?
The article Watch BMW X1 Launch and Crash into Tunnel — Man Miraculously Survives appeared first on BMW BLOG
from BMW BLOG http://bit.ly/2Rl7Abr
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