Pakistani Journalist Crashes Remote-Controlled Car Into Police Van During Test Drive

A Pakistani journalist was asked to test a homemade remotely controlled car — and promptly crashed it into a police van.

Pakistani journalist Muhammad Aalija posted a video on social media showing him testing a car controlled remotely by an operator via the internet and satellite communications. The vehicle was developed by a young engineer from Abbottabad, Ehsan Zafar, who asked the journalist to record a review of his invention.

While Aalija was describing the car’s capabilities on camera, the steering suddenly stopped responding to the operator. The vehicle then crashed into a parked police van at D-Chowk Square.

Just moments before the collision, the journalist said: “Pakistan has no shortage of talent.”

According to the journalist, everything had been working normally until the internet connection was lost. The interruption caused the operator to lose control of the vehicle.

The inventor later clarified that he had not intended to discredit the young engineer. Instead, he said he had filmed the video as a warning that new technology should be thoroughly tested before being put into use.