Comments on: Bad Weather Round Up

By: Maya Yarbough

Maya Yarbough — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 18:48:20 +0000

I know this if off topic but I’m looking into starting my own blog and was curious what all is needed to get setup? I’m assuming having a blog like yours would cost a pretty penny? I’m not very internet savvy so I’m not 100% certain. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Cheers

By: xashruak

xashruak — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 07:41:26 +0000

Naughty spammer

By: dig chinese

dig chinese — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:56:21 +0000

Cheers for the translation

By: Colin G

Colin G — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:26:53 +0000

I found this….

http://fifthgear.five.tv/jsp/5gmain.jsp?lnk=401&featureid=901&show=s12e2&section=Consumer

It’s the article I was talking about.

By: Ash

Ash — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 12:43:00 +0000

Thanks for that.

By: Colin G

Colin G — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 12:04:58 +0000

Not always. About 9 months ago a motoring show put an old(ish) Volvo 960/V90 estate up against a Renault Modus in an offset crash on a runway at 60mph (or thereabouts) to see if the old addage of ‘tank is best’ was actually true.

The results were startling. The renault survived, the doors opened and the occupants would have been alive (they used dummies instead). Granted they’d have some broken bones an whiplash. Those in the Volvo would have died or been severly crippled. It was a real eye opener.

By: SiE BKK

SiE BKK — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 02:44:03 +0000

Here’s the link

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/02/04/china.weather/index.html

Quote “saw an auto manufacturing plant — perhaps half a kilometer long — in Xiangtan, part of Hunan province, that had collapsed under the weight of snow and ice”

Must be a whole lot of snow.

By: ash

ash — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:49:48 +0000

Then surely over built mini tanks like the Santana 2/3000 must be excellent cars for crash protection?

By: Colin G

Colin G — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 14:14:39 +0000

I agree it must be horrendous to be in a crash like that and yes teh chances of survival are slim but I’d prefer to start my journey in a 5 star car than a 2 or 3 star car, you must be increasing your chances of survival if your car is stronger??

By: Nick in Shanghai

Nick in Shanghai — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 12:22:52 +0000

If there is any justice it’ll be the one producing the Geely auto of death……..but there is never any justice and there is no God…..in China anyway

By: Ash

Ash — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 08:52:47 +0000

I cant find that – im looking through foreign/chinese news but with no luck!

By: Ash

Ash — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 08:40:36 +0000

Most of the cars in the above pictures are foreign cars, with decent crash test results, and most of them are mashed to pieces. God help you if you ever get into the above situation.

By: Colin G

Colin G — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 08:26:22 +0000

I agree with this up to a point. If you’re hit by something very large going very fast out of control you stand a slim chance of survival. However, if I was in this position I’d rather be in a 5 star rated car than a 3 to at least give myself a fighting chance of survival. I think it’s all too easy to dismiss the star system and say that it’s al in controlled environments. This is true but these controlled environments are making cars safer and that can’t be a bad thing. The sooner the chinese car makers sign up to this ethos the better!

By: SiE BKK

SiE BKK — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 08:25:47 +0000

A CNN report mentioned a large car factory had collapsed under the weight of the snow. Anyone know where and what brand?

By: Ash

Ash — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 07:47:30 +0000

Yes, the weather is severely effecting the business capabilities of China Car Times. Not many car factories are able to operate, and the ports are running slow…

By: Ash

Ash — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 07:45:46 +0000

They do? I honestly didnt know that!

snowing in Qingdao today! Lots of it, Just been out doing hand brake turns like a proper English scally.

By: Jon Andrews

Jon Andrews — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 07:07:10 +0000

Great story, I was working with people who were battling through this weather to get things to us in California.

On a different matter, what plugin are you using to do the photo pop-ups?

By: Mememe

Mememe — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 21:37:31 +0000

it usually snows in the northern part of China but the snow in the southern part is really a weird thing.

By: karnut

karnut — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:39:37 +0000

This comment about 3 and 5 star safety ratings bothers me, and I’ll tell you why. 3 and 5 star safety ratings are NHSTA government-issued safety ratings performed in controlled conditions, usually in offset, side and head-on tests at about 60km/h. The writer is correct that a 5 star vehicle is safer than a 3 star, but I think it becomes a problem when people start to rely on these numbers, the ‘passive safety’ of a vehicle, before they consider ‘active safety’, i.e. safe driving technique. If you get hit by a transport at 110, whether your car is a 5-star vehicle or not, you’re in trouble…note the picture of the Honda Accord crushed to bits behind the transport, one of the highest rated cars for safety by the NHSTA. To be safe, people need to take the time to learn how to drive in bad weather. There are countless schools and programs to teach this, and its not just Drivers Ed. My heart goes out to those involved in this horrific collision, as even the best drivers have accidents. Its a reminder to everyone that reads this to drive smarter.

By: AMcA

AMcA — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 03:46:31 +0000

My Dad taught me how to drive in snow. He taught me to watch out for ice under 35 degrees.

Those Chinese drivers: their fathers didn’t have experience driving in slick conditions that they could pass on to them. It’s going to take a generation . . . .

By: Jason

Jason — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 02:16:26 +0000

Thanks for the translation of this story. It shows how bad the situation really is. It also shows how fragile life is.

By: mark

mark — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 12:48:49 +0000

Don’t drive on icy roads would appear to be the answer!

By: Hunxuer

Hunxuer — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 19:22:17 +0000

Well…considering the national average overall driving experience in China is a year, I guess they are lucky more people aren’t killed everyday. But as Chairman Mao said, “we have more than enough people…we can tolerate the loss of a few million more…”

Thank goodness the electrical workers were made martyrs. I’m sure that comes with a lot of bennies and prestige these days.

By: dragin

dragin — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 16:40:37 +0000

Nick you’re point is well taken. I don’t know if signs warning people of this bridge phenomenon are very common in China. We have to remember that most of these areas have not seen such freezing and snowy conditions for maybe 50 years or so. So despite my ranting the lack of readiness, and the loss of vehicle control, is in a way understandable.
Does anyone have an idea of the make of the worst damaged cars seen here? I’m guessing that they were Santanas but am not sure.

By: Jonny Boy

Jonny Boy — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 09:14:41 +0000

May God bless China this time. Wish everyone a safe journey home.

By: Nick in Shanghai

Nick in Shanghai — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 07:29:16 +0000

I wonder how many drivers in China know that bridges or elevated roads freeze over before the roads at ground level ?

Sounds like this may have been one of the causes. Sad story.

By: chriswaugh_bj

chriswaugh_bj — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 04:51:36 +0000

I’m astounded this guy has the balls to admit publicly he was doing 110 in such atrocious conditions- I’d be too ashamed of my own stupidity. Still, he obviously wasn’t the only one, and it’s pointless abusing them. But it’s an incredible story, or at least it should be incredible in the literal sense of the word. My heart goes out to those caught up in it all.

By: joninchina

joninchina — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 03:10:01 +0000

As macabre as that sounds dragin (your comment about a potential business opportunity), you’re right. This is a REAL wake up call for China as far as highway AND weather emergency preparedness, improved drivers training for hazardous road conditions. I’ve said this before….the INFRASTRUCTURE needed to handle the vastly growing numbers of vehicles on the roads simply isn’t there yet – and what’s even MORE shocking is how the weather here has paralyzed the railway system as well. The trains here are China’s LIFEBLOOD, and some cities are approaching crisis conditions due to fuel and food shortages. I’m lucky where I’m at – the temps are around 35-45 (farenheit) so nothing freezes here in Nanning. Let’s hope that the people in power learn from this and make the necessary investments to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.

By: Ash

Ash — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 03:03:32 +0000

Ive seen a Chinse road gritter – the truck that puts salt on the roads.

Its a flatbed truck with two guys standing on the back shoveling salt onto the roads.

By: mark

mark — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 02:31:49 +0000

What a story. Better listen to Wen Jiaobao and not travel.

By: dragin

dragin — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 21:18:16 +0000

This was a real tragedy. Very sad. How many died will never be known, but to a few.
Road-related winter weather/hazard readiness is something it is going to take time for China to become skilled at. And the special driving skills associated with the above conditions don’t come overnight either.
Perhaps those more experienced like Northeasterners can be employed to teach the others.
In all the photos of the various recent snowstorm locations, I saw no signs of appropriate snow plows. The front bucket loader seen above is not the kind of equipment needed for plowing and sanding these major highways. This is an opportunity just screaming for someone to get rich on.

By: Mememe

Mememe — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 19:26:17 +0000

omg , 110 kph and still survive ? that’s miracle.

By: MGBMAN72

MGBMAN72 — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 19:09:45 +0000

That very last pic shows why Europe and the US are so concerned about safety. I can not see how anyone could have survived in that car, but the difference between a 3 star safety rating and a 5 star safety rating could have possibly meant the difference between life and death. I wish all the survivors good luck and a speedy recovery.