h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Ducatos are mostly harmless. The real bane of German Autobahns is the Daimler-Chrysler 308 - 316 van series, commonly known as "Sprinter". The combination of 3,5 tons gross weight, turbocharged Diesel engines with up to 165 HP and no general speed limit makes them the favourite choice of parcel delivery services and "overnight express" haulage companies. The problem is that lots of those beasts (top speed 190 km/h on a good day) are driven by freshly licensed 18-year old part time workers under impossibly tight schedules. They have no idea on how to actually control these missiles, but they speed like hell, especially at night. If you see one of them (with the characteristic slanted headlights and the chrome-plated star on the grille) coming up from behind, GIVE WAY! Unless you drive a large lorry, you can only lose...

Hi there

Thanks for reading the piece! Yes, the 'Sprinter' is a missile. What made me point out the Ducato was that in my experience (all subjective, of course), Sprinters are more likely to adapt to the current situation. Be it due to their power or maybe that they are carrying less heavy cargo, you *can* observe that they are accelerating and slowing down on occasions. Ducatos, on the other hand, appear to be heavily laden and obviously the driver wants to keep it at speed under all circumstances, no exceptions made.

There's more to the 'missile' aspect: the ADAC have shown that more often than not, the cargo isn't well secured inside the van body. Thus, if the driver were to hit the brakes, he (have you ever seen a female there?) is most likely to be killed instantly by some parcel or craftsman's equipment coming from behind.


... hey, you're new here
You *should* change the default text of your personal space (use the 'edit' button somewhere on top of the page)! As long as it says 'Welcome to the personal space', nobody can post their greetings on your space.

Oh, by the way... how about a at Bolle's Berliner Bulettenbude? ----> F36649?thread=158841&latest=1