Terrifying Japanese Tsunami Video From Inside a Car

JohnJD

15 years ago

This is soo unreal! In a few seconds everything was wiped off!! So sad.

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bravo75

15 years ago

Water just seemed to come from nowhere. What would you do in a situation like that?

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Kurt

15 years ago

Originally Posted by bravo75

Water just seemed to come from nowhere. What would you do in a situation like that?

That's a good question and one I've thought about even before seeing this latest video.

I think (guess) you'd want to stay put in the car as long as it's floating. A lot of people caught in tsunamis are hurt/killed from the debris in the water and the car gives you protection from the debris.

While I'm just floating around, I'd hope I was wearing pants and not shorts and tie my pants into a make-shift life preserver, like taught in the navy/merchant marines, if there isn't anything better in the car.

However, at the end of the video you hear glass breaking. In this case if it's my car window breaking, all bets are off and I'd try to get to one of those pallets floating around, using my homemade life preserver for a little extra bouyancy.

Here's a video that shows how:

http://videos.howstuffworks.com/disc...cket-video.htm

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Roaddog

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Kurt

That's a good question and one I've thought about even before seeing this latest video.

I think (guess) you'd want to stay put in the car as long as it's floating. A lot of people caught in tsunamis are hurt/killed from the debris in the water and the car gives you protection from the debris.

While I'm just floating around, I'd hope I was wearing pants and not shorts and tie my pants into a make-shift life preserver, like taught in the navy/merchant marines, if there isn't anything better in the car.

However, at the end of the video you hear glass breaking. In this case if it's my car window breaking, all bets are off and I'd try to get to one of those pallets floating around, using my homemade life preserver for a little extra bouyancy.

Here's a video that shows how:

HowStuffWorks Videos "Man vs Wild: Making a Life Jacket"

Remember that training well Kurt...my first thought was why didn't I think of that? It's that simple a concept.

Since your kind of (as far as I can tell) an innovator and inventor with all these green type things, how feasible do you think would my previous suggestion be of a water activated flotation 'bumper' (which you would need for debris) device be for cars.

I can't see it costing that much.

Jim

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Kurt

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Roaddog

Remember that training well Kurt...my first thought was why didn't I think of that? It's that simple a concept.

Since your kind of (as far as I can tell) an innovator and inventor with all these green type things, how feasible would my previous suggestion of a water activated flotation 'bumper' (which you would need for debris) device be for cars.

I can't see it costing that much.

Jim

Hey Jim...

I doubt it's that hard to do, especially with a car that's already equipped with air bags.

I'm guessing the hard part is where do you put the "external airbags" to keep the car afloat?
I don't think you really need much more bouyancy as today's cars are close to floating on their own. So I'm guessing making sure that attachment of the air bags to the car was strong enough would be another issue.

The trunk seems like one place that would work, but you'd probably need another in the front to keep the front of the car above water too. I'm not sure how to do this while considering the engine, heat, etc. Maybe they shoot out of the headlights?

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Kurt

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Kurt

Hey Jim...

I doubt it's that hard to do, especially with a car that's already equipped with air bags.

I'm guessing the hard part is where do you put the "external airbags" to keep the car afloat?
I don't think you really need much more bouyancy as today's cars are close to floating on their own. So I'm guessing making sure that attachment of the air bags to the car was strong enough would be another issue.

The trunk seems like one place that would work, but you'd probably need another in the front to keep the front of the car above water too. I'm not sure how to do this while considering the engine, heat, etc. Maybe they shoot out of the headlights?

Rethinking my first answer, I wouldn't put them in the trunk or behind the headlights. The trunk itself should/could be water tight, creating bouyancy, so there's no point in opening the trunk to let an airbag out.

I "think" the best place to position them would be behind the front and back bumpers.

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Roaddog

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Kurt

Hey Jim...

I doubt it's that hard to do, especially with a car that's already equipped with air bags.

I'm guessing the hard part is where do you put the "external airbags" to keep the car afloat?
I don't think you really need much more bouyancy as today's cars are close to floating on their own. So I'm guessing making sure that attachment of the air bags to the car was strong enough would be another issue.

The trunk seems like one place that would work, but you'd probably need another in the front to keep the front of the car above water too. I'm not sure how to do this while considering the engine, heat, etc. Maybe they shoot out of the headlights?

Yep I would imagine you would have to balance them, according to where the weight distribution is on that particular 'auto'.

Cars are far more airtight than they used to be, when you see them floating they usually are floating engine down (normally front end), because of the weight.

Some cars are extremely airtight and then therefore just balancing would determine the distribution points.

I don't think the idea is that far fetched or unsellable, considering most people are going to be escaping the coast in cars.

I first noticed cars being airtight years ago when I had a VW Bug. When you closed the doors you could feel it in your ears (if the windows were closed).

I once sat, when I was a kid, (maybe hard) on the back end of a Porsche (believe 911) in extremely hot weather in LA, and the drivers window blew out. Air tight and heat. I always thought.
Needless to say I beat feet, first it shocked me, (didn't know that could happen, at the time) and then because anyone that had a Porsche around there was probably an untoward individual anyway...lol

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Roaddog

15 years ago

Man, those cars float well.

Try that with a 57 Bel Air.

Notice how the car is bobbin in the water for a time and the wipers are still working.

New product: Air bag floats that deploy on contact with salt water and turn the car into a boat and contact bumpers. (or fresh water)

I know they have salt water activated stuff for years now, cause I used to wear a salt water activated strobe on the flight deck.

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Kay King 15 years ago

Fascinating - I was surprised to see only one person who climbed on top of his car.
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TLTheLiberator

15 years ago

So do the Japanese drive on the wrong side of the road like they do in GB??

I couldn't tell.

TL

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Roaddog 15 years ago

Originally Posted by TLTheLiberator

So do the Japanese drive on the wrong side of the road like they do in GB??

I couldn't tell.

TL

Yea TL, they sure do...

When I was stationed over there, well let's say it's a 'learned natural' to look left when crossing a street as a pedestrian. If you are used to cars driving on the 'right' side...let's just say I was almost run over a couple of times, looking in the wrong direction....especially after a few.

'Till I got used to it.
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whateverpedia 15 years ago

Originally Posted by TLTheLiberator

So do the Japanese drive on the wrong side of the road like they do in GB??

No, they drive on the correct side of the road for Japanese traffic laws.
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- jimbo13 15 years ago
  
  Most people are right handed and would hold a whip in their right hand.
  
  Carriages therefore went on the Left Hand Side so that passing coach drivers would not inadvertently whip each other.
  
  Napolean decided to change this for no good reason which is why Europe drive on the left. No idea why America adopted the French way.
  
  We British however, know that 'Left is Right' and 'Right is Wrong.'
  
  Dan
  
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- TLTheLiberator 15 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by whateverpedia
  
  No, they drive on the correct side of the road for Japanese traffic laws.
  
  Thanks but Roaddog already gave me the answer I want.
  
  TL
  
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  whateverpedia 15 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by TLTheLiberator
  
  Thanks but Roaddog already gave me the answer I want.
  
  TL
  
  Excellent. You can get back to pasting links from HuffPo then.
  
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Fernando Veloso

15 years ago

OMG. Nerve wrecking.

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Kurt

15 years ago

Hey Jim,

I think it's more of a design problem for each model of car than a tech issue. If they were mounted in each bumper, front and rear, it seems it should just be a matter of using Archimedes' formula for bouyancy to determine how much water they would need to displace.

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derekwong28

15 years ago

Having driven both on the L side and the R side of the road. I would say that having the gear change lever on the right is more natural. But on the other hand, I would prefer my R hand to be on the steering wheel at all times.

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davidbarter

15 years ago

ohhh....how did the driver manage to shoot this video

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jimbo13 15 years ago

Originally Posted by davidbarter

ohhh....how did the driver manage to shoot this video

I was wondering this as there seems to be no human activity at all in it.

Not even a thrown arm or doors opening or slamming.

Dan
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bravo75

15 years ago

About a quarter of the world drives on the left, and the countries that do are mostly old British colonies.
Japan also drive on the leftclick here for this explanation.

This strange quirk perplexes the rest of the world; however, there is a perfectly good reason.

Up to the late 1700's, everybody travelled on the left side of the road because it's the sensible option for feudal, violent societies of mostly right-handed people.

Jousting knights with their lances under their right arm naturally passed on each other's right, and if you passed a stranger on the road you walked on the left to ensure that your protective sword arm was between yourself and him. Read More...