In today’s auto industry, safety is a major focus for car manufacturers. In fact, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, collision repair costs have risen to $1.3 trillion globally, while vehicle insurance costs have risen to $1.06 trillion globally. Way back in the day, before the days of safety consciousness, crazy car pile ups didn’t happen very often. But while they’re not quite as common as they used to be, the infamous accidents that have stood the test of time are undoubtedly some of the most scandalous.
While the car pile-up is not an actual event, it’s become a real-time meme, mostly due to its ability to spontaneously form in any city or town covered by Google Street View. At the time of writing, there are over 1,000 Google Street View images tagged with the phrase “The Most Notorious Car Pile Up in History.”
Car pile ups are a heart-breaking experience to watch. They are one of the terrifying events that happen on the streets each year, where people’s lives are in danger, and in many cases, lives are lost. Many factors contribute to these pileups, but in this write-up, I will be covering the most common ones.
There are few things that people enjoy more than a good car pileup. And over the years, there have been a number of notable pileups that have made headlines. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be part of one of these events, here’s a list of the most notable pileups in history.
300 Vehicles, Finland, March 2005
Finland has a reputation as a virtually traffic-free country. In reality, road accidents are a major issue. In the spring of 2005, the country had a terrible accident with over 300 vehicles involved, leading to 18 deaths. The accidents have been blamed on a lack of enforcement, bad weather conditions, and the fact that the country does not have a common border with other countries.
160 Vehicles, England, March 1997
The pileup accident was a road traffic accident in England in March 1997 involving 160 vehicles. This accident was caused by heavy snowfall. Many of the vehicles were only partially covered, causing them to slip and slide along the roads. The accident involved cars, vans, tractors, lorries, vans, and pickups.
259 Vehicles, Germany, July 2009
On Jul 15th, 2009, a series of pileups on the A6 Autobahn near Frankfurt, Germany, caused a mass accident. It’s considered one of the worst pileups in German history.
300 Vehicles, Brazil, September 2011
The car pile accident, which consisted of 300 vehicles in Brazil in the September of 2011, is where a massive pile-up on a highway in Brazil resulted in the death of hundreds of people.
216 Vehicles, Los Angeles, Nov 2002
On Nov 2nd, 2002, a very heavy snowstorm hit the Southwestern part of the U.S. There was a very heavy snowstorm that hit the Southwestern part of the U.S. over the Thanksgiving weekend. With that heavy snowstorm came heavy accidents with cars piling up which resulted in 40 people getting injured.
231 Vehicles, Czech Republic, March 2008
On a clear morning in the middle of a snowstorm, a massive crash of cars occurred in the Czech Republic, March 2008. It was a crash that left no survivors and would be the worst traffic accident in the history of the European Union.
176 Vehicles, Tennessee, Dec 2011,
On Dec 22nd, 2011, at around 4:30 AM, the Tennessee Highway Patrol received reports of a car pileup involving 176 vehicles on Interstate 40 in Clay County, Tennessee. The accident involved five tractor-trailers, 18 passenger vehicles, and 1 pickup truck. The highway was covered in road debris, and ambulances, helicopters, fire trucks, police, and the U.S. military were called in to help.
A car pileup is a situation where a large number of cars from different sources get mixed up. In a typical pileup, two cars from opposite directions will get stuck together at the same time. The drivers of the cars can get out of the cars and go back to their own car by themselves, but the situation is a little difficult for a car that is stuck. When a car pileup happens, rescue workers often have to work to get all the cars moving again.