Driver Dies At Volkswagen Test Track

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VW Kills 7/14/2009 11:37:00 AM Holy smokes batman !
VW 7/14/2009 11:47:00 AM I pray for the family of the drivers and for the 2nd driver to recover in body and mind.
Tragic, but why is this news worthy? 7/14/2009 12:59:00 PM Why is this news worthy? It is an unfortunate accidnet and nothing but that. I would think the local media would have covered it and that is that. It isn't sensational. It isn't titillating. No movie stars died and heaven forbid Barack Obama wasn't in the car. Give it a rest. I didn't see any news about the aircraft that had to make and emergency landing due to smke in the cockpit either.
Commentor -Tragic, but why is this news worthy? 7/14/2009 2:09:00 PM Unlike the commenter, I found the article to be very news worthy. In that there will probably be many people caught in sudden downpours around the world that are driving VWs. The attention of this possible potential problem has been brought to the attention of many, therefore the investigation will be under the scrutiny of many waiting to see if there may be an electronic or mechanical antiskid safety problem. I'm sure many that are planning on buying VWs will find this information very worthwhile when it comes to the lives of their families. The Associated Press and Manufacturing.net are to be commended for having the foresight to include such articles as these.
Airbags failed -Farfegnugen 7/14/2009 3:20:00 PM I'd say that the test track demonstrated actual driving conditions quite well. Unfortunately for the test driver, it also demonstrated the lack of stability control and the airbag system VW is advertising. That's Farfegnugen...
remarks for Commentor 7/14/2009 3:23:00 PM "Tragic" was right on the money... this was not newsworthy, but it was a shame. here were two guys who must have loved their job running those cars at the limit - on a closed Test Track - got caught in the rain undoubtedly going to fast and had an Accident! that's why they're called 'accidents'. it was something unforeseen, even by professional test drivers! on the other hand... "Commentor" must be a 'brown-noser' that works for the author or editorand for some reason wants to rip VW and make it seem that it's their fault.
RE: remarks for Commentor .... 7/14/2009 6:58:00 PM Careful flameboy, your professionalism is showing through. But, what can one expect of a neanderthalic troglodyte.
What vehicle was being driven 7/15/2009 8:52:00 AM I don;t think you can assume there's any correlation between production vehciles and what was being tested. VW also tests a wide range of vehciles including no production prototypes. They could have had summer tires or even race slicks on the car if it was a car being tested for touring car racing. The manager of the test facility could be liable if that person failed ot monitor weather conditions and properly warn the drivers or even halt testing. Professional test drivers are ultimatly :mules" that primarily do what they are told. If managemnet says to go check the high speed stability of the vehicle...then you do it. also note that safety systems such as air bags and stability and traction control may have been disabled. The car could have had a racing seat and harness installed for testing. Without more detail, no further conclusions can be drawn. There is no reason to think this was a production vehicle. Europeans are however, often a little more relaxed in their safety procedures due to less letigation in the court system. The US, is the opposite.
The test driver's death 7/16/2009 10:58:00 AM I doubt if the cause of the crash was due to the cars. No information was given regarding as to what type of vehicles were involved. Further information I found indicated that both cars aquaplaned (hydroplanning) on water on one of the long straights of the test track causing each driver to loose control. But both cars may have been moving at relatively high speeds. If the cars wre production vehicles, you must realize that the driver that died was killed when his car was struck by a second car after his car had crashed. The air bags in the car driven by the deceased driver would have been deployed during his car's crash and then would have deflated. His car came to rest along a barrier after sustaining collision damage. The air bags can only be inflated once. So when his car was struck again he would not had had the air bags deployed to protect him. Also, a damaged car will not protect the occupants as well as an udamgaed car. I am sorry to hear that he died. I'm sure he had been observing all the rules and procedures that the VW test drivers must follow during testing.
News worth 7/16/2009 12:12:00 PM It's news worthy because it's an accidental death at a manufacturing facility. I don't see any sensationalism in the article. This is Manufacturing.net not Fox News. Some jobs are more risky than others and a test driver has one of the most risky jobs imaginable. What happens on a test track with vehicles pushing the limits during development can't be compared to what you would expect to happen on the road with a production vehicle. I can't believe the flaming that goes on at this site.

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