The survey highlights roads that are brutal for drivers and
brutal for their cars. All are awful in their own ways, but the commonalities
are clear: crippling congestion, collapsing pavement, and potholes… lots and
lots of potholes.
To ensure vehicle designs are at their best, Ford believes
in testing on roads at their worst. That is why – inspired by horror stories
like Canada’s Worst Roads – Ford tests vehicles on its own homemade highway
from hell.
Drawing on years of global customer surveys, Ford found the
worst driving hazards the world has to offer and featured them in a brutal 1.9
km test track in Lommel, Belgium.
There are Brazilian-style speed bumps that can hit drivers
with the same G-forces faced by fighter pilots. There are broken Parisian cobblestones
that shake every screw, bolt and weld throughout the vehicle. There are
Monsoon-battered roads with ruts that could break a vehicle’s steering or
suspension. Taken together the track features 100 hazards from 25 countries and
massive potholes up to 12 centimeters deep.[1]
But by subjecting our vehicles to this driver’s nightmare,
we can ensure they are battle-tested and ready for any challenge.
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