World's Most Exciting Roads

In February 2011, AutoEvolution ran a feature exploring some of the world's most exciting roads. If you happened to miss it, it really is worth a look, here they are again:

ATLANTIC OCEAN ROAD – NORWAY

Known to the locals as Atlanterhavsveien, the Atlantic Ocean Road is part of the Norweigian national road 64 and links the villages of Karvag and Averoy with Vevang in Eide.

Currently, the Atlantic Road ranks at the top of the list for tourists going in the region and is recommended by almost all the travel agencies as a worth remembering road trip experience. At the same time, the road has been voted Norwegian Construction of the Century.

Pictures below: Atlantic Ocean Road - Norway

The construction of the road begun in 1983, taking the builders six years to complete the 8.3 km (5.2 miles) stretch of road. During this time, the construction site was hit by no less than 10 severe storms.The road uses small rocky islands as support, giving it one feature you don't easily find with other roads; as you travel along, you can feast your eyes on the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The fact the road has been built to include fjords and mountains adds to the dramatic effect.

JEBEL HAFEET MOUNTAIN ROAD – UNITED ARAB EMIRATES


From the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean to the scorching heat of the desert... As with most of the gargantuan engineering projects in the oil rich Gulf region, the Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road is a more recent accomplishment, having been constructed to help motorists climb the mountain wearing the same name. Jebel Hafeet Mountain is the highest peak in the United Arab Emirates, rising 1,249 meters above sea level and overseeing the city of Al Ain.

Pictures below: Jebel Hafeet Mountain Road

The road, which stretches for 11.7 km (7.3 miles), as everything constructed using oil money, comes close to perfection. The 60 bends and corners that animate it mean nothing for a well-balanced car, which travels on the perfectly flat tarmac. 

SEVEN MILE BRIDGE – FLORIDA KEYS, US

Considered by some the most exhilarating road in the world, the Seven Mile Bridge is a... nearly seven-miles-long bridge. It links Knight's Key to Little Duck Key over the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The bridge, the longest segmental bridge in the world when it was finished in 1982, rises 65 feet above the water (20 meters) to allow boats to pass underneath it and has been built to withstand winds of up to 200 mph.

Considered a wonder of the engineering world, the current bridge builds on an older one, the Knights Key-Pigeon Key-Moser Channel-Pacet Channel Bridge, erected in between 1909 – 1912 and nearly destroyed by a hurricane in 1935. Parts of the original bridge are currently used as fishing piers and access to Pigeon Key.

Pictures below: Seven Mile Bridge - Florida Keys, U.S.

The popularity of the bridge is so big that each April it is closed on a Saturday for 2.5 hours to allow scores of people to take part in what has come to be known as the fun run (or Seven Mile Bridge Run), an annual event meant to celebrate the building of the bridge.

GROSSGLOCKNER HIGH ALPINE ROAD - AUSTRIA

Austrian road in between mountains links the state of Salzburg with the state of Carinthia, taking tourists into some of the country's most respected and highly regarded natural wonders, the Hohe Tauern National Park, the Grossglockner mountain (the highest in Austria, 3,798 meters) and its glacier, the Pasterze. 

Pictures below: Grossglockner High Alpine Road - Austria

The Grossglockner High Alpine road stretches for 48 km (30 miles), bringing the tourists and passer-bys through 36 bends and all the way to an altitude of 2,504 meters (8,215 feet). During the trip, drivers and riders will encounter anything and everything from alpine meadows, mountain forests, massive cliffs and, of course, tons of ice.

TIMGAD – ALGERIA

Proof that, at times, the ancients were way ahead of some of the nations currently considering themselves as part of the modern age can be found in Algeria, in the former Roman town of Timgad.
Built by Emperor Trajan in 100 AD at the convergence point for no less than six major roads in the region, the ancient city has been erected with respect to all the city building principles in use today.

Pictures below: Timgad - Algeria

At the centre of the town lies the 12-metre-high triumphal arch, called Trajan's Arch, underneath which the main road of the city passes. As a witness to the engineering capabilities of the Romans, the road has survived pretty much in its original condition to this day.

TRANSFAGARASAN -ROMANIA

In between the Carpathian Mountains, where Dracula is said to have been born, lies a 90 km-long piece of road (56 miles) that is surely going to give you nausea. The road is called the Transfagarasan and it passes through the tallest section of the Carpathians.

Caught in between the two highest peaks in the country, Moldoveanu and Negoiu, the road connects Transylvania to the cities of Sibiu and Pitesti, on the outside of the mountain arch.

Pictures below: Transfagarasan - Romania

The road is full of twists and bends, climbing to an altitude of 2,034 metres (6,673 deet) and taking the tourists not only through a wide range of landscapes, but also from summer at the bottom of the road to all out winter at its highest point.

So there you have it! Do you have any suggestions? please feel free to comment below!

For credit for each stunning picture and content please visit the original AutoEvolution article.

Ford Launches Free Accident Management Programme for UK Customers

The U.S auto-maker, Ford Motor Co., has launched a new accident management programme that the company says will help customers in the UK to simplify communications between the Ford repair network and insurance companies. All new and used Ford vehicle drivers can utilise a special hotline to have repairs conveniently carried out at their nearest Ford Accident Repair Centre using genuine Ford parts fitted. The new programme follows the recommendations of the House of Commons Transport  Committee in creating a transparent and efficient programme to drive down the total cost of claims.

Personal injury claims will not be included under the Ford Accident Management Programme, which allows customers to retain their legal right to make a valid claim but neither Ford no any of its partners will benefit from this. The new programme requires no signing of credit agreements by drivers underwriting the cost of repairs or hire car provision. 

Ford's collision repair manager, Paul McDermott, said Ford's Accident Management Programme takes over many complex parts of the repair process such as contacting the insurance company, organising vehicle recovery and providing a courtesy car, with a single phone call.

Ford Use API Technology (Google) To Predict Driving Behaviour

Ford and Google are teaming up to try and predict driver behaviour and optimise performance for their EV’s and Hybrids. Using Google’s Prediction API, Ford aim to increase efficiency and decrease commuting times by tracking regular routes that drivers embark on on a daily basis.

The API technology which was released last year by Google, can convert information on a driver’s actions in the past into real-time predictions, such as where they’re likely to be headed at a particular time of day. The predictive API will be exclusively focused on the driver, logging and analysing driving history. By studying a car owner's driving patterns, the system tries to predict where the driver is going and then optimise the upcoming trip with respect to electric driving zones. Data is collected remotely by Ford and transferred to dedicated server hardware as the history logging and route analysis is quite intensive, in terms of storage and processing power.

Ryan McGee, a Ford Technical Expert said "The Google Prediction API allows us to utilise information that an individual driver creates over time and make that information actionable. Between Google Prediction and our own research, we are discovering ways to make information work for the driver and help deliver optimal vehicle performance". 

Apparently the system will work as soon as the driver starts the vehicle. Making a note of what time the driver has switched on the vehicle will determine what regular routes they would normally take at this particular time of the day. When the vehicle starts, Google Prediction would use historical driving behaviour to predict the most likely destination, check with the driver that it's correct and then optimise driving performance for the journey. When drivers start using the service, an encrypted driver data usage profile could be built, based on routes and time of travel.

A plug-in hybrid vehicle could program itself to optimise energy usage over the total distance of the route, in order to preserve enough battery power to switch to all-electric mode when travelling within an EV-only zone. McGee goes on to explain that "Once the destination is confirmed, the vehicle would have instant access to a variety of real-time information so it can optimise its performance, even against factors that the driver may not be aware of". 

Ford and Google are keen to assure drivers that their privacy will be protected. "We realise that the nature of this research includes the use of personal data and location awareness, something we are committed to protecting for our customers in everything we do," says System Architect, Johannes Kristinsson. 

"A key component of this project is looking at how to develop secure personal profiles that will ensure appropriate levels of protection and specific data use only by the driver and the vehicle to deliver the best driving experience."

Watch a video that goes into more detail about this here:

Ford First Automaker To Back Ban On Using A Mobile Phone When Driving

Ford Motor Company is one of the first auto-maker to back a ban on using mobile phones when driving in the USA. 

Ford have said they are endorsing a bill introduced last month by U.S Rep Carolyn McCarthy.  Pete Lawson, Ford's Vice President of government affairs, said the company is backing the bill "because it represents a practical, common-sense approach to a national problem."


Ford has been eager to protect drivers from distractions that could cause accidents such as using a mobile phone while driving. Sync and MyFord Touch are technologies developed by Ford that allow drivers to make hands-free calls and receive or send text messages orally, rather than using a hand-held mobile phone.


Although nine states and the district of Colombia have introduced a mobile phone ban whilst driving, there are still a substantial amount of states that still have not banned their use. According to The Governors Highway Safety Association, this is because they want to postpone any bans until further research has been completed.

"Research conducted in labs and on roads shows that activity drawing drivers' eyes away from the road — whether text messaging, manually dialing a cellphone or reading maps — substantially increases the risk of an accident or near misses,"Lawson said.

"Ford believes hands-free, voice-activated technology significantly reduces that risk by allowing drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and eyes on the road," Lawson said.

Telecommuncations giant Verizon also has endorsed the bill.

McCarthy said "Ford is demonstrating great leadership and being a good corporate citizen" by supporting her legislation.

"GM has been way out in front for years, among our employees, states and consumers, with a simple message of put the phone down and drive," said General Motors spokesman Greg Martin.

"We're still doing our part, but we're not certain what meaningful effect a federal ban would have at this time as these issues typically reside with state and local enforcement," he said.

GM bars employees driving company cars from using a hand-held cellphone behind the wheel.

States that refuse to comply within two years could lose 25 percent of their federal highway money.

Source: Detroit News.

June's Photo Competition Winner - MondeoSTOC.com Forum

Mondeo Spares Ltd are club sponsors of Mondeo ST Owners Club forum and have been helping to choose winners for the photo competition that the forum runs on a monthly basis.

In June, the competition was to send in a photograph of your Mondeo with the theme 'Old Buildings/Churches' in mind.

 

Thanks to everyone who entered this month!

We'd like to congratulate Steve Feltham  who won this months competition. 

Here is the winning photo:

The photo was taken by Steve outside Old Plumstead Hospital, Norwich. 

Some details about Steve's Mondeo:

05 Plate Mondeo ST TDCi Estate

A few subtle modifications include:

Focus ST 225 brakes;

full stainless exhaust;

and a few badge changes!

Good with a camera???

Don't forget to enter next month's competition for July. 

Go to www.mondeostoc.com to find out what the theme is for this month and you could win yourself some free Mondeo Spares goodies!!!