Ready for Alternative and Cleaner Energy Sources Yet?

Sorry, but in the 21st century this method of acquiring an energy source is absolutely barbaric.

The death toll from a blast at a West Virginia coal mine rose to 25 on Tuesday, federal safety officials said, making it the worst mining accident in the United States in 25 years.

[...]

Mine safety officials said that there were three groups of miners affected by the blast. One group consisted of nine miners who were leaving the site at the end of their shift in a vehicle known as a “mantrip.” Seven of the miners in the man trip were killed by the explosion while two others were injured and taken to the hospital by rescue workers.

A second group of 18 miners was said to be working a bit deeper in the mine, closest to the area where coal was actually being extracted. All 18 of them died.

A third group of four miners — the ones still unaccounted for — was even deeper in the mine.

The miners were all thought to be working more than 1,000 feet underground.

And the problem isn't unique to the United States.

And I Thought I-35 Sucked

I cannot quite grasp how a 259 car pile-up could happen, even in Germany where the autobahn is essentially a race track.

Don't they have guidelines, like we do, regarding tailgating and slowing down when the roads are wet? Or do some people ignore those rules just like in the US?

Seriously, try to imagine 259 cars piling up one after another. I try visualizing this in my head and I get rather nauseated after about ten of them.