A Cinderella Story. Brawn-Mercedes

Once upon a time there was a F1 team that was on sale because its owner was very affected by the financial crisis. This team was the Honda Racing team, and it was sold by Honda to Ross Brawn (the team's director.) Everything was uncertain. Mr. Brawn had to find the money for the team, The Honda car was not that good in the last years. It has been struggling in the races. Last year alone, most of the time the cars finished in the fifteenth place. The pilots could not do more and they were frustrated in most of the races; and the team spirit was low. As you can see this year's season was a big question mark.

Well, so far this F1 season is incredible for the new Brawn-Mercedes team. The team has won 6 of the 8 races. All of these races were won by Jenson Button who is an excellent driver, but until now did not have a competitive car. Before this year he has only won a few races in his entire F1 career. Rubens Barrichello, the other team driver, has been second in most of this year's races, and is second to Jenson in the F1 Drivers Championship. Ross Brawn is showing that he is a F1 genius because of all of his correct decisions in this year's races, and how he prepared the car for this season. F1 experts say that now in order to win a F1 race you have to have a good car (80%), and a good Driver (20%). As you can see the car is a very important factor.

This team was practically broke, for sale, and without an owner at the beginning of the year, and now It is the dominant team in F1 beating Ferrari and McLaren. It is very close to become this year's champion in the team and driver category and it is only half the season. Where is the trick?. I don't really know, but I guess it is a mixture of the experience of Ross Brawn, The driving abilities of Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello (who is also a very experienced driver), the know how of the previous Honda team, knowing the correct people, and finally a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck. This is a real Cinderella story.

Image is a courtesy of www.brawngp.com

F1 Red Bull Team Showcar Run

I had the opportunity to see this showcar run in Lima Peru, and it was very impressing. You could hear the noise of the Red Bull car's engine and it was pretty loud. David Coulthard reached a speed of 280 Km/h., and also used the car to spin a lot. You could smell the burning of the tires and watch the smoke coming from them while he was spinning with the F1 car. It was a great show. 50 thousand people showed to see the spectacle, and most of them were yelling at Coulthard's maneuvers. It is more impressive to watch these F1 cars live than on TV. because of the noise that those engines make. If you have the chance try to watch them live. Here you can watch a video.

Statistics Of Car Accidents

These statistics show you the big picture in traffic accidents. They will help everybody to understand why we should consider that car safety, pedestrian safety, and traffic safety are very important. We should follow all the experts advices, and be more careful when we are on the streets.




Fatalities In Car Accidents Per Country

----------Year---U.S.---Peru---Total Cars U.S.---Total Cars Peru----------

• 1,998--41,501--3,323--- 215,496,003----------N/A
• 1,999--41,717--3,214---220,461,056----------1,114,191
• 2,000--41,945--3,118---225,821,241----------N/A
• 2,001--42,196--3,208---235,331,382----------1,209,006
• 2,002--43,005--2,929---234,624,135----------N/A
• 2,003--42,884--2,856---236,760,033----------1,290,471
• 2,004--42,836--3,166---243,010,549----------N/A

-------Year---Cars Per Fatality U.S.---Cars Per Fatality Peru-------

• 1,998----5,193--------------------N/A
• 1,999----5,285--------------------347
• 2,000----5,384--------------------N/A
• 2,001----5,577--------------------377
• 2,002----5,456--------------------N/A
• 2,003----5,521--------------------452
• 2,004----5,673--------------------N/A

As you can see, despite the bigger number of fatalities in the U.S. It is doing better in traffic safety than Peru, because the number of cars per fatality is much higher than in Peru. Approximately, there is one fatality every 5,500 cars in the U.S. And in Peru there is one fatality every 390 cars. Anyway, 42,000 fatalities in car accidents per year in the U.S. is a lot. Remember, always drive safely, and be a good pedestrian.

Statistics provided by The Bureau Of Transportation Statistics, www.Car-Accidents.com, Statistics Office Of The Peruvian National Police, Statistics Office Of The Health Sector In Peru.

Common Sense For Night Driving

This picture was taken in a main avenue in Lima, Peru. You can see a big truck with no back lights and without proper signs. The truck is also overloaded; It is carrying too much stuff. The driver of this vehicle is putting himself and the drivers around him in danger because of the lack of back lights and proper signs such as reflective tapes. The truck can cause an accident specially at night because of lack of visibility. Remember to always have your car or truck in good condition for night driving. Always check your lights.

Common Sense

This Picture was taken in the Pan American Highway in Lima, Peru; As you can see there is a crossing bridge for people to use, and it is very close to the two persons in the picture. There are also guardrails that are there to prevent people from crossing the highway without using the crossing bridge. These two persons in the picture look that They don't care about all the infrastructure the was built for safety reasons, the car drivers, and their own lives. They are not using their common sense. To avoid situations like this you have to give more education to the people, and teach them the basics of road safety. You can also give stronger penalties, like bigger tickets, or make them do community work.

Pedestrian and Driver Safety Tips

Driver Safety Tips

Stay focused and alert for pedestrians.

Stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk when the pedestrian is crossing on your half of the road.

Stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk when the pedestrian is approaching from the opposite half of the roadway and is close enough to be in danger.

Stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk while executing a right or left turn and the pedestrian is in the half of the roadway that your vehicle is entering.

Look out for pedestrians that may be hidden from view by other vehicles that have stopped.

Be extra vigilant for pedestrians when driving at dawn or dusk.

Anticipate the difficulties of the elderly or young children who are crossing the street.

Obey all traffic laws and pay attention to traffic control signals and posted signs.

Courtesy of Honolulu Police Department
http://www.honolulupd.org/

Pedestrian Safety Tips

Pedestrian Safety Tips

Always cross within marked crosswalks or at street corners.

Look left, right, then left again for vehicular traffic before stepping onto the roadway.

Yield to any approaching vehicles while crossing even if you have the right of way. Oncoming vehicles may reach you faster than you anticipate.

Make eye contact with drivers to ensure that they see you.

Keep to the right of the crosswalk, and be patient and alert when crossing the street.

Walk across the street, never run.

Obey all traffic signals and use the pedestrian signal button at intersections.

Cross the street only when the green "Walk" light is on. Do not begin crossing if the red "Don't Walk" or upraised hand is flashing or steady.

Be especially careful of vehicles that may turn right on red or turn left at an intersection. Drivers may be busy looking out for other vehicles instead of pedestrians.

If buses or other large vehicles are blocking your view, wait for them to pass before crossing. These vehicles may also be blocking the view of drivers in the other lanes.

Do not walk behind a vehicle that has its reverse lights on.

Walk on the sidewalk. If there is no sidewalk, walk on the left side of the roadway so you can see oncoming traffic.

Stand at least ten feet away from the curb while waiting at bus stops.

Do not allow your children to walk near roadways or cross the street unsupervised. Parents should accompany their young children until they are sure that their children can cross the street safely.

Courtesy of Honolulu Police Department
http://www.honolulupd.org/