Autoblog UK

The last thing you would want to do if you had one of the 200 existing Bugatti Veyrons would be to suffer a tiny scratch, let alone drown it altogether in 3ft of salty water.

Unfortunately this is exactly what happened to Gilbert Harrison in La Marque, Texas.

The car enthusiast and collector got distracted by a pelican and drove his £1.25million pride and joy into a nearby lagoon, destroying its powerful engine, 16 cylinders and four turbo chargers in about 15 minutes.

The poor man has only himself to blame. Well, him and the pelican I guess. If you have something as nice as a Bugatti you shouldn't take your eyes off it, even if a flock of dodos was passing by: a) because it's so damn nice, b) because it's so damn expensive and c) because it's so damn rare.

Seriously, what was he thinking?

If you collect exotic cars you should at least make sure you're able to handle them otherwise, as Harrison demonstrated, you could be praying your insurance company has a very sympathetic attitude.

Watch the footage of the car plunging in the lake (warning: this video contains swearing)

And watch it being dragged out

Every child should be taught good manners – wipe your feet before entering the house, say thank you when given a biscuit, finish your parsnips and refrain from telling Grandma she smells like the attic.
And last but not least, say hello and goodbye. Conscientious parents will teach the "hello and goodbye" routine – generally accompanied by over-exaggerated waving motions – to their kids pretty much from birth.

Now in China, in the village of Huangping, the notion of politeness has been extended a notch, and kids must salute passing cars. Every child should salute passing cars on their way to and back from school. This rule, which has supposedly been passed to teach kids respect, actually doubles as a money saving scam. If kids make cars aware of their presence, no speed bumps will be needed around school areas, saving the town a bundle.

Needless to say, this is a little backwards but also could end up achieving the exact opposite. Drivers could start saluting back, becoming distracted and ending up smashing into trees. The road to school could end up scattered with fuming cars, broken poles and injured people. Kids could be in great danger.
They could also start getting confused between people and inanimate objects and start saluting everything around, turning playtime into a mad affair...

It's that time of year again, when the clocks go back and we gain an extra hour in bed in the morning. But that's little consolation considering the long, dark evenings ahead.
For drivers, the change in the hour on 25 October heralds months of commuting or doing the school run in the dark. Pedestrians, other road users and road signs become more difficult to see. Add to that the fact that the weather gets worse and you have a recipe for disaster.
So, what can drivers do to minimise these problems and make sure they and other road users are safe? Here are a few tips from the RAC:

· Spend a few minutes checking lights and brakes to make sure they're in good working order
· Clean your lights - a quick wipe over means you'll see better and, crucially, you'll be seen more easily too, and carry a spare set of bulbs
· Clean the inside and outside of your windscreen - a smeared windscreen can cause glare when driving at night or when the sun is low in the sky
· Don't forget to turn your lights off when parked - RAC anticipates a 15% increase in flat battery callouts due to vehicle lights being left on over the winter months compared to summer months
· Make sure your screen wash is working and top it up with the correct fluid, and check your wiper blades
· Autumn leaves and weather can make the roads slippery so check your tyres. Make sure they are at the correct pressure, that the rubber is in good order and that the treads meet minimum requirements – 1.6mm for cars, vans and light trailers and 3mm when it's wet
• If you feel tired – pull over and rest for half an hour