[stevemfr]

I really have to disagree with the guardrail critics. Although I didn't drive that stretch yesterday or today and, unlike Heiko, do not know exactly where the accident was, I drive that stretch of the A5 very often and the guardrails are generally in very good shape. The safety standards for any sort of machine or other technical product are quite high in Germany (the TüV tests all sorts of stuff - not just cars or auto accessories) and implemented with formidable bureaucracy. I'd be willing to bet quite a bit that the guardrail did what it was supposed to - just in this case that turned out to be the wrong thing. Make 'em too high, cars and sliding bikes go under - make 'em too low and SUV's and trucks go over. Yeah, there are other solutions - but most are neither pretty nor economically feasible.

Whatever caused the accident (it was snowing on and off the past couple of nights up and down the Rhine valley and below freezing - maybe a less than optimal road surface?) if it really was a one-vehicle accident and discounting the poss of technical failure, it's a pretty safe bet to say that the accident was driver error.

Sorry for the rant, but I get a bit riled when witch-hunts ensue after accidents (and I'm a lawyer!). Does anyone remember the case in the 80's where a drunk chick spun a 930 at 90mph in a corner marked max 25mph and killed her co-driver? And then sued Porsche for building such a fast, spinnable car?