You were incredibly lucky. There was the Darwin award nominee whose BMW was found rammed into the concrete pillar of a bridge. His body was at the wheel, the newspaper still spread in front of him.
That reminds me of a funny story: My family did a university sponsored exchange with a family in France. We got their house and car for a year, and my parents got jobs at their university, and vice versa. The French family came to the US first. So their father got in our big old Ford Galaxy 500 for the first time, fired the car up, shifted the first three-on-the-tree automatic he'd ever seen into drive, and hit the gas as hard as he was used to doing with his little Citroën. The giant V8 obliged by launching the car away from the house, down the street, across another street, and into a telephone pole before he could blink. He leaped out of the car, horrified, to discover that he hadn't even scuffed the bumper.
The problem with drivers in this country is that so few of them ever touch a real transmission. Driving stick can be an eye opening experience. Perhaps literally. In my experience, I've found that people who have owned a manual are much better drivers. when you drive stick, you somehow become much more aware, and especially learn not to tap the damn brake all the time.
The problem with drivers in this country is that so few of them ever touch a real transmission. Driving stick can be an eye opening experience. Perhaps literally. In my experience, I've found that people who have owned a manual are much better drivers. when you drive stick, you somehow become much more aware, and especially learn not to tap the damn brake all the time.
I drive a stick, maybe that makes me not a better driver, but at least more aware of lazy automatic drivers. I don't know.
Just saw a few seconds of 20/20 today and someone was ranting about bad drivers. I guess either he reads Netscape News or AI.
My favorite "a-hole driver" pet peave: people who tail-gate me because I'm only going 78mph in the left lane of a four lane highway...
While I try not to indulge in road rage anymore this still makes me crazy. Whenever I see somone coming up quick behind me I make sure they can get around. If they insist on tailgating and really piss me off I merely wait until someone in the next lane is going about 45 and then I drive the same speed as them so that the tailgater has nowhere to go. I think driving in the US would be much better if law enforcement started cracking down on tailgaters instead of speeders.
I think driving in the US would be much better if law enforcement started cracking down on tailgaters instead of speeders.
We have some video-equipped insuspicous looking police cars here that are used to catch tailgaters and speeders with a smoking gun. Every now and then, you can see a TV feature showing the work of these policemen: There are lots of people that deny their faults even when they are shown their own video...
So the cops are being rude, dumb drivers to get other people angry and give them tickets if they tailgate or pass on the right. (Yea, that is against the law too) No wonder we are such bad drivers! It all makes sense now.
On motorways France , commendably, has a lower speed limit for when it is wet,110 Kmh as opposed to 130 . This didn't stop a rabid Citroen driver zooming up to my tailgate as I was overtaking someone on my right at about 120Kmh. Where was i supposed to go? Push the other car off the road to make way for him? This was just the start of along drive up from Albertville to England, boy was it a scary, long day. You haven't been tailgated until you've driven in France or Italy in the wet. From then on , we fly to the ski-slopes.
As a general rule we shouldn't think of slow or fast lanes but use outside lanes for overtaking, once you've completly passed slower moving traffic, pull back in.
On motorways France , commendably, has a lower speed limit for when it is wet,110 Kmh as opposed to 130 . This didn't stop a rabid Citroen driver zooming up to my tailgate as I was overtaking someone on my right at about 120Kmh. Where was i supposed to go? Push the other car off the road to make way for him? This was just the start of along drive up from Albertville to England, boy was it a scary, long day. You haven't been tailgated until you've driven in France or Italy in the wet. From then on , we fly to the ski-slopes.
As a general rule we shouldn't think of slow or fast lanes but use outside lanes for overtaking, once you've completly passed slower moving traffic, pull back in.
Now with the road repression, people in france tend to respect more the limitations. Ask any french people about this subject
We had just driven down the mountain from Courcheval 1650, where we had been ski-ing. Next year we're off to Les Arcs, by plane. I'm glad to hear about drivers paying more attention to the limits, if you want driver repression, come over La Manche!
We had just driven down the mountain from Courcheval 1650, where we had been ski-ing. Next year we're off to Les Arcs, by plane. I'm glad to hear about drivers paying more attention to the limits, if you want driver repression, come over La Manche!
I am going to Courchevel this week end. I hope that the snow will still be there, and that the weather will be fine.
And for the drivers, we have entered in France in the deepest phase of repression of our whole history. The sad part, is it works
1) don't have a clue as to how a roundabout works.
2) Have no clue how 4 way stop signs work.
3)believe that if THEY are doing the speed limit, then everyone else should to. These IDIOTS actually believe that speed limits on highways are about safety. These IDIOTS do not know that such limits were imposed as a means of fuel conservation and were kept as a means of generating revenue for the State.
4) fail to realize that most fatal accidents happen at speeds less than 55 MPH. In fact most accidents occur at speeds below 45MPH.
5) Fail to realize that in states where speed limits were increased from 55 to 65 there were no changes in the average speed of drivers but there was a 5% decrease in the number of accidents. This is in direct contradiction to the "speed kills" lobby.
6) basically a failure of the general public: "excessive" speed, when present, is ALWAYS and ONLY a contributing factor in any accident. The driver's state of mind and experience is ALLWAYS the determination regearding the control of a particular vehicles. It is NEVER correct to say that "because x was speeding." rather it is correct to say that "X was unable to control his or her vehicle at y speed and therefore had a wreck."
7) fail to realize that regeardless of the velocity of the upcoming vehhicle, if one is in the way of a vehicle that is traveling at a higher rate of speed in the passing lane, one must move out of the passing lane and let the vehicle pass OR increase ones speed to match that of the upcoming vehicle ( exceptions for emergency vehicles) To not do so is legaly blocking traffic which is a ticketable offence which is rarely enforced. Most rear enders on highways are caused by people who commit this type of moving violation yet they are rarely if ever ticketed on that offence.
back in my "stooopid" days while I worked in Montgomery Alabama, I used to do somethign real dumb. On 85 north headed back to Tuskegee at about 1:30 AM, whenever I got stuck behind someone who "wouldn't" move over I would kill all my lights. So imagine this car running up behind you at say 90 MPH and then basically disapearing! The road was basically pitch black. The people in front of me would quickly pull over to the slow lane (where for some reason before they couldn't find space..ha haaa). I'd flick back on my lights and proceed to run up on the next car and repeat if neccessary. And when I say off with the lights I mean all of them, No aux, side lights either.
Hmm, that reminded me of being terrified by a singer who thought that killing all the lights was a funny thing to do as he drove us back from the studio late at night,at speed, through English country lanes. We'd shout and swear and he'd keep doing it. There were no other cars on the road, just one being driven by a pillock who got his kicks from the smell of fear.
The biggest problem here is actually around 1:30am and later, when I'm driving back from a gig. The number of Expeditions and Navigators lurching drunkenly away from town is unreal, especially given the police presence downtown that's trying to catch them early.
When I was puttering around in a little Justy, every drive home was like Jurassic Park 3: The Frat Party.
I have to concur on the problem people have with rotaries (roundabouts, for those across the pond) and four-way stops. Of the two, I consider four-way stops to be less intrinsically hair-raising, but the number of people who use them as the playing field for a four-way game of chicken is disturbing.
Comments
Originally posted by Amorph
You were incredibly lucky. There was the Darwin award nominee whose BMW was found rammed into the concrete pillar of a bridge. His body was at the wheel, the newspaper still spread in front of him.
That reminds me of a funny story: My family did a university sponsored exchange with a family in France. We got their house and car for a year, and my parents got jobs at their university, and vice versa. The French family came to the US first. So their father got in our big old Ford Galaxy 500 for the first time, fired the car up, shifted the first three-on-the-tree automatic he'd ever seen into drive, and hit the gas as hard as he was used to doing with his little Citroën. The giant V8 obliged by launching the car away from the house, down the street, across another street, and into a telephone pole before he could blink. He leaped out of the car, horrified, to discover that he hadn't even scuffed the bumper.
Originally posted by Splinemodel
The problem with drivers in this country is that so few of them ever touch a real transmission. Driving stick can be an eye opening experience. Perhaps literally. In my experience, I've found that people who have owned a manual are much better drivers. when you drive stick, you somehow become much more aware, and especially learn not to tap the damn brake all the time.
I drive a stick, maybe that makes me not a better driver, but at least more aware of lazy automatic drivers. I don't know.
Just saw a few seconds of 20/20 today and someone was ranting about bad drivers. I guess either he reads Netscape News or AI.
My favorite "a-hole driver" pet peave: people who tail-gate me because I'm only going 78mph in the left lane of a four lane highway...
While I try not to indulge in road rage anymore this still makes me crazy. Whenever I see somone coming up quick behind me I make sure they can get around. If they insist on tailgating and really piss me off I merely wait until someone in the next lane is going about 45 and then I drive the same speed as them so that the tailgater has nowhere to go. I think driving in the US would be much better if law enforcement started cracking down on tailgaters instead of speeders.
Originally posted by trick fall
I think driving in the US would be much better if law enforcement started cracking down on tailgaters instead of speeders.
We have some video-equipped insuspicous looking police cars here that are used to catch tailgaters and speeders with a smoking gun. Every now and then, you can see a TV feature showing the work of these policemen: There are lots of people that deny their faults even when they are shown their own video...
So the cops are being rude, dumb drivers to get other people angry and give them tickets if they tailgate or pass on the right. (Yea, that is against the law too) No wonder we are such bad drivers! It all makes sense now.
As a general rule we shouldn't think of slow or fast lanes but use outside lanes for overtaking, once you've completly passed slower moving traffic, pull back in.
Originally posted by Alex London
On motorways France , commendably, has a lower speed limit for when it is wet,110 Kmh as opposed to 130 . This didn't stop a rabid Citroen driver zooming up to my tailgate as I was overtaking someone on my right at about 120Kmh. Where was i supposed to go? Push the other car off the road to make way for him? This was just the start of along drive up from Albertville to England, boy was it a scary, long day. You haven't been tailgated until you've driven in France or Italy in the wet. From then on , we fly to the ski-slopes.
As a general rule we shouldn't think of slow or fast lanes but use outside lanes for overtaking, once you've completly passed slower moving traffic, pull back in.
Now with the road repression, people in france tend to respect more the limitations. Ask any french people about this subject
PS : what did you do in Albertville.
Originally posted by Powerdoc
PS : what did you do in Albertville.
We had just driven down the mountain from Courcheval 1650, where we had been ski-ing. Next year we're off to Les Arcs, by plane. I'm glad to hear about drivers paying more attention to the limits, if you want driver repression, come over La Manche!
Originally posted by Alex London
We had just driven down the mountain from Courcheval 1650, where we had been ski-ing. Next year we're off to Les Arcs, by plane. I'm glad to hear about drivers paying more attention to the limits, if you want driver repression, come over La Manche!
I am going to Courchevel this week end. I hope that the snow will still be there, and that the weather will be fine.
And for the drivers, we have entered in France in the deepest phase of repression of our whole history. The sad part, is it works
1) don't have a clue as to how a roundabout works.
2) Have no clue how 4 way stop signs work.
3)believe that if THEY are doing the speed limit, then everyone else should to. These IDIOTS actually believe that speed limits on highways are about safety. These IDIOTS do not know that such limits were imposed as a means of fuel conservation and were kept as a means of generating revenue for the State.
4) fail to realize that most fatal accidents happen at speeds less than 55 MPH. In fact most accidents occur at speeds below 45MPH.
5) Fail to realize that in states where speed limits were increased from 55 to 65 there were no changes in the average speed of drivers but there was a 5% decrease in the number of accidents. This is in direct contradiction to the "speed kills" lobby.
6) basically a failure of the general public: "excessive" speed, when present, is ALWAYS and ONLY a contributing factor in any accident. The driver's state of mind and experience is ALLWAYS the determination regearding the control of a particular vehicles. It is NEVER correct to say that "because x was speeding." rather it is correct to say that "X was unable to control his or her vehicle at y speed and therefore had a wreck."
7) fail to realize that regeardless of the velocity of the upcoming vehhicle, if one is in the way of a vehicle that is traveling at a higher rate of speed in the passing lane, one must move out of the passing lane and let the vehicle pass OR increase ones speed to match that of the upcoming vehicle ( exceptions for emergency vehicles) To not do so is legaly blocking traffic which is a ticketable offence which is rarely enforced. Most rear enders on highways are caused by people who commit this type of moving violation yet they are rarely if ever ticketed on that offence.
When I was puttering around in a little Justy, every drive home was like Jurassic Park 3: The Frat Party.
I have to concur on the problem people have with rotaries (roundabouts, for those across the pond) and four-way stops. Of the two, I consider four-way stops to be less intrinsically hair-raising, but the number of people who use them as the playing field for a four-way game of chicken is disturbing.