If you’re going to crash a car – and I wouldn’t ever recommend it – it’s probably best to do it before you’ve completed the transaction making it yours.
Crashing on a test drive almost gives the driver the perfect excuse as they can simply say ‘No, I don’t think I’ll take it, the car was a bit too ‘crashy’ for me’ when asked by the salespeople how the drive was.
I’d just hand the keys back and say thanks but no thanks.
Then again, the more discerning citizens among you might feel a tad guilty about destroying a car and a car dealership, as this woman did, upon returning from test driving a brand new BMW.
Check it out:
The unnamed woman, who was test-driving BMW’s new X1 plug-in hybrid for the Chinese market, is said to have confused the accelerator pedal for the brakes.
CCTV footage from the BMW dealership in Guangzhou, capital of South China’s Guangdong province, shows the driver approaching the entrance of the business in the blue SUV.
However, she fails to slow down and proceeds to roll right into the glass door and windows, shocking the staff who fortunately manage to move out the way.
Evidently still unable to find the brakes, the driver appears to speed up as the car goes through the glass entrance and into the front desk and the showroom wall.
Quick-thinking members of staff were able to jump out of the way of the oncoming vehicle, with no one being hurt or injured during the incident, according to witnesses.
Footage taken in the aftermath shows the woman gingerly climbing out of the driver’s seat of the crashed BMW.
It is understood that local authorities are still looking into the details of the freak accident.
It’s not often that a driver confuses the accelerator for the brakes, but I understand how – in a moment of panic – it’s easy to slam your foot down on the closest pedal to try and stop the car.
One guy who didn’t confuse the pedals, however, and knew exactly what he was doing, was another driver filmed on the Changchun-Shenzhen Expressway.
After missing their exit, rather than do the sensible thing and carry on to the next one, the thoughtless driver decided to stop in the middle of the highway, causing one lorry to overturn completely and one to jackknife across all three lanes.
Unbelievably, the driver of the white car seemed to decide to ignore the horrific crash, and still tried to reach their missed exit.
They turned their car sharply across one the motorway lanes and headed for the off-ramp.
In a shocking display of pure selfishness and ignorance, the driver of the white car simply carried on their way. They reached the off-ramp leaving a trail of destruction behind them.
Thankfully, no one involved in the lorry accidents suffered any serious injuries.
The driver of the white car has reportedly been tracked down, but there has been no comment on whether they have had their licence taken away for their reckless actions.
If you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via stories@unilad.co.uk
Charlie Cocksedge is a journalist and sub-editor at UNILAD. He graduated from the University of Manchester with an MA in Creative Writing, where he learnt how to write in the third person, before getting his NCTJ. His work has also appeared in such places as The Guardian, PN Review and the bin.