BMW Test Driver Killed in 3 series Active Hybrid Road Test

windsor027 commented:
September 24, 2012, 1:19 pm

It is horrid man. I can just imagine what the speed difference must have been. Also the impact seems to have been on the left side front. Remember the latest crash tests, the F30 tested only marginally in those test. Not that it would matter I think he must have hit that truck at over 80 mph. But still one wonders. Very very sad.

Michael Schott commented:
September 24, 2012, 2:13 pm

Tremendously sad. My hear goes out to his family and friends. I can't imagine that anything other than a tank could survive that sort of accident. I does not make me worry for one second about BMW's safety record.

samualcc commented:
September 24, 2012, 2:22 pm

Very sad, but FYI the impact in this accident is not what was considered marginal in testing. The marginal test result was a very specific test, extreme off set frontal impact test. This is not what happened here. It looks like he basically rear ended the trailer and went under the truck. Just based on how the hood is slid backwards (not crushed into a ball) and the top of the car is basically mangled. As you can see the front tires are in good shape which means most of the impact was on the top of the hood and the passenger compartment. Not much chance of living through that at 80 MPH. Sucks.

SuperTerp commented:
September 24, 2012, 2:40 pm

Given the severity of what happened the car actually looks in best possible shape feel bad for the family.

JustinTJ commented:
September 24, 2012, 3:35 pm

For anyone who's driven on the autobahn at a high speed, you know how scary those truckers are. Especially on the two lane unlimited sections.

Byteman commented:
September 24, 2012, 7:30 pm

Follow the link and look at the slideshow which shows much more of what happened. Guy didn't have a chance.

jlukja commented:
September 24, 2012, 7:45 pm

Anyone read what the speed of the truck was at the time of impact?

raleedy commented:
September 24, 2012, 8:26 pm

Here's the thing, and it's worth remembering for anyone who wants to do a European Delivery and experience the German interstates. There are not many opportunities for driving with no speed limit, but there still are some. On those stretches, the speed differentials are beyond anything you'll ever experience on American highways. You'll have some traffic moving at 150 mph, and some truck traffic at 40 mph or less. In those circumstances, the 40 mph truck might as well be a brick wall. You have to be constantly alert, and things happen incredibly fast. It can be fun, and it can be deadly. The commercial truck traffic is especially frustrating on the four-lane stretches as it can take literally minutes for a truck going 72 km/h to overtake one going 71 km/h. And will the driver in the right lane slack off for a second to let the passer get around? Nie und nimmer.

mdsbuc commented:
September 24, 2012, 8:59 pm

I took my 5er up to the limiter a couple of times on my ED in 06. I was fortunate to have a relatively clear stretch or traffic, and a 7er in the left lane to "blaze" the trail. I wouldn't want to take 'er to the top even in moderate traffic, and especially wouldn't want to with truck traffic.

.

Turbo_525 commented:
September 24, 2012, 9:46 pm

Sure sorry to hear this and my thoughts and prayers are with this person's family. It's a risk as was mentioned, but any BMW verses a semi truck isn't going to end well for the car driver.

EDF30 commented:
September 24, 2012, 10:58 pm

from this pic it does not look like it was a squared on hit, more like an offset front left hit similar to the test.

http://www.autoevolution.com/news-g-...ery/86871.html

bmw_or_audi commented:
September 25, 2012, 1:01 am

Nothing to do with that test about which I'll say more later. Did you check the pictures? The BMW basically went under the truck, which does not seem to have the kind of rear guard rail that prevents smaller cars to go under. I think such guard rails are mandatory in the US. The test driver got perhaps almost decapitated. This was possibly a preventable death.

It is incomprehensible to me to have high speed left lanes into which trucks can wander. Either they should not be allowed to pass on two-lane sections or high speeds should be allowed on only three and plus lane sections. In California, where most freeways are four to five lanes, trucks are required to stay in the rightmost two lanes, although I sometimes see out-of-staters drive in the second left lane on 4-lane stretches (CHP should ticket their asz).

As to the new test, if you look at the videos of all the cars tested, the ones that did well basically glanced off the obstacle, those who did not basically "caught it" with their cage, which violently stopped and rotated the car. A few cms in offset can result in one scenario or the other, so I wouldn't make too much out of the test.

windsor027 commented:
September 25, 2012, 7:51 am

Guys there is no car made in this world that will protect the driver in a crash like this. I just made the comment the car hit on the left side, not head on and whether we like it or not the F30 got a marginal rating on such crashes. yes it seems the car actually went under the truck, still even if it didn't no way anyone can survive.