While the Ford Focus RS’s innovative drift mode has been applauded despite how gimmicky it may be, we’ve already learnt that it can’t take a driver and simply turn them into the next Ken Block.

Drifting the new hot hatch king does require some skill and common sense of which, the following RS owner, clearly doesn’t possess, as he was recently caught on tape slamming into a cliff face when trying to slide the car.

Filmed during a cruise with the New York ST Owners Club, the RS can be seen on the edge of frame sliding around a hairpin bend. Clearly however, the driver was carrying far too much speed during the slide, lost control of it and slammed side on into the cliff face, bouncing off and coming to a rest in a ditch.

Ford itself says that the car’s Drift mode has been designed exclusively for use on race tracks but the feature can still be accessed and used on the street.

Here’s hoping that this isn’t the first instance of Drift mode-enabled crashes where the technology is blamed, as with Autopilot, rather than the stupidity and carelessness of drivers.

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