Woman injured in traffic accident

France Galea

Nov 19th 2010, 14:49

So how do you explain the hundreds of thousands of cars (and motorcycles!) which pass from the same "Grip Less" road every month, without having an accident? Tell us .... we're all ears !!!

Vince DeBono

Nov 18th 2010, 19:03

If the brakes were not actuated by the driver, ABS does not kick in. There is a limit to tyre adhesion even with the best compounds matched to the weather and road surface ( as in Formula racing). A driver should simply drive at the speed commensurate to all conditions - not just matching the sped to the traffic stream, or the maximum potential of the car.... Inability to gauge these factors can lead to an accident. Then a driver needs skill to respond and hopefully correct or mitigate a crash. So always keep in mind that a driver is supposed to drive easy on 'good' tarmac but ease off on the rest. Let's lobby for god road surfaces, but until then ......................................

France Galea

Nov 18th 2010, 22:02

I hope that by your comment you are not suggesting that the accident happened because of the bad road quality. Have you got the slightest idea about how many cars pass through that road every single day? Many thousands a day..... so don't you think that were it really the road's fault .... very many more cars would have crashed in the same way every single day? I happened to pass from there and the car was still overturned, not as seen in the video clip. Another thing .. a good driver would not crash because of poor road conditions, as he would be able to take that into consideration and adapt his driving (speed, braking, cornering) accordingly. If I were made to bet blindly on the cause of this accident, I would definitely go for using a mobile phone while driving, ESPECIALLY TEXTING MESSAGES. I see it all the time, particularly women. We all do. May she get well very soon.

Martin Agius

Nov 19th 2010, 08:37

The car probably had "Stability Control" which would have activated also..

But maybe not, as taxes are so high, cars are stripped out of this essential feature resulting in the above.

Deo Catania

Nov 18th 2010, 16:17

and what's so strange with this 147 here? is that a badly damaged front end for you? cosmetically yes, structurally no.

n mifsud

Nov 18th 2010, 16:21

do you afford to own one dear??

S.Farrugia

Nov 18th 2010, 17:46

@ Peter Korsten

You will not drive one of these even if you wanted (unless it is a second hand car) because they are now out of production. This 10 year old model is now replaced by the Giulietta, which according to the Euro NCAP test is the safest car in its category., beating all the other cars in production to date which are classified in this class.

Therefore if one intends to be fair, the car in the accident above should not be compared to today's cars but to those which were produced in 2000. In any case, as many people pointed out to you, the structure remained totally solid. In the mid 90s, cars have started to be built in such a way as to absorb the impact by allowing its body plates to deform, but the chassis remains strong and structurally sound.

John Borg

Nov 18th 2010, 18:48

@ Karl Abela
Forget about seeing any clues of brake marks. Brake marks are a sign that the wheels were 'locked'. This car being equipped with ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) will never have its wheels scratching against the ground.

David Schiavone

Nov 18th 2010, 19:33

@All - This is face-lifted Alfa 147, meaning the one prior to being replaced by the Guiletta. Once i saw a crash involving an Alfa 147, where i was driving near Mosta Technopark in the direction to Kinds Roundabout and all of a sudden I hear a car being literally raced and I just pulled aside, it was an Alfa Romeo being driven by two young boys - 18/19 and all of a sudden they crashed into the roundabout near kinds and also hit a small tree. The car upon impact was doing around 80 Km. The crash was so bad that the engine detached itself from the car. In this case I can see that the bumper was the main cause for the bonnet and grille to popup. I don't think however she was driving a lot.

Peter Korsten

Nov 19th 2010, 08:19

@S.Farrugia

I drive an almost 10 years old Renault Scénic, which is basically the same car as the first one, which came out in 1996. It scores a lot better than the 147.

Ever since I crashed into the side of a pick-up truck, who decided to make a U-turn without bothering if anybody was approaching, I've vowed that my next car must have five stars - and this includes Alfa Romeo as well. Which is great, because I love the looks of them.

S.Farrugia

Nov 19th 2010, 11:44

@Peter Korsten

You are right - today a 5 car rating is a must, especially for Maltese road conditions and some of the Maltese drivers:) Fortunately for us, nowadays most of (if not all) the major car manufacturers (including Renault which also has a good safety record with its recent models as well, like all the other major car makers) are not producing cars which score less than 5 stars in the Euro Ncap test, including small cars which form part of the super mini category.

D.Galea

Nov 18th 2010, 14:36

Very simple.

Light car, powerful engine and some foot on the pedal. Very simple to have an accident

Adrian Allain

Nov 18th 2010, 15:10

We have very many similar accidents to this in the UK, but they involve kids in stolen cars who can't drive and have never had driving lessons.

Karl Abela

Nov 18th 2010, 15:20

D. Galea

If we keep pinpointing at speed we will never manage to identify the true cause of accidents. At 1pm in Marsa, excessive speed can be ruled out due to heavy traffic.

It is clear that the driver was distracted possibly due to text messaging, ligting a cigarette or navigating the car stereo. There was no clue of brake marks so she must have clipped the pavement and went over.

Do not be fooled by the damaged car. Even at lowish speed accidents, modern cars can look very damaged because they are made to absorb the impact. The chassis will remain intact.

J. J. Borg

Nov 18th 2010, 16:19

Mr. Allain: too many of our kids never grow up because you can pretty much get away with anything in Malta. That's the real problem.