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CarSpace Alternate RouteTurn off the nav system, crumple up that MapQuest printout, and let's find out where the next random turn may take us! Oct 14, 2009 - Be Forewarned
Now understand that I'm coming off an experience yesterday of dealing with what had to be the world's stupidest appliance installation guy, (Dub may deal with that this weekend) so my tolerance for stupidity is at zero at the moment, but I'm going to make this wish list anyway. When that first snow hits the ground, you do have to be careful, but for the love of Pete, please remember that you remember how to drive in the snow. I'm just constantly amazed at the folks who have been living here forever who seem to forget how to drive when conditions are slippery. To the 4x4's and SUVs out there... your vehicle doesn't make you invulnerable, nor does it mean you don't have to worry about road conditions. But fear not, I'll have plenty of time to explain it to you down in the ditch when I stop to see if your OK after you run it off the road. And for those mental giants who absolutely have to use their cell phones or text while driving... those stopping distances are going to get longer. Almost rear-ending me at the traffic light this summer because you couldn't tear yourself away from that riveting text message, is going to end differently once the snow is on the ground and it's not going to be pretty for you. I know this is all futile, but I had to try, right?
Jul 16, 2009 - Stupid Is Forever
Case in point, apparently they're having a problem in Texas with people driving the wrong way on the North Dallas Tollway. As of June 25th they've had at least 5 wrong-way crashes on the tollway this year and 15 since 2007. Naturally, there are all kinds of suggestions to stop the wrong way drivers before they get started. Harris county has installed 14 sensors at exit ramps to detect wrong-way vehicles at a cost of $25-$50,000 per sensor. They've been triggered 10 times since being installed last year. Haven't stopped a single wrong-way driving incident from happening, but hey, what's another $1 million or so in government spending to be able to say, "At least we're doing something." In an ironic twist, an Iowa personal injury attorney who has tracked wrong-way driving incidents across the country for two years (I just bet it's the fault of the road design that these morons drive the wrong way and get hurt) may have actually stumbled onto the key when he says... "A lot of these people don't have a license, they don't have insurance, and yet they're out here drinking and driving. At the end of the day, people have got to take more responsibility for their actions." What a concept! Read the entire article at dallasnews.com
May 21, 2009 - I Don't Wanna Buy This Either
Nov 22, 2008 - Ask Dub Schwartz!
Whatever vehicle you choose, it's important to remember that you're the biggest safety factor when it comes to driving on slippery roads. Just because you have an SUV or a 4x4 truck doesn't mean the laws of physics don't apply to you. That's why you always see them in ditches or dinging off curbs when the first snows hit the ground because they think they don't have to worry about it. So choose your vehicle to fit your budget, put good tires on it - preferably snow tires if you live in an area that gets lots of snow - and be extra careful as the winter starts up and everyone re-learns to drive in "conditions".
Nov 8, 2008 - Ask Dub Schwartz!
Sorry to hear that Andy! I may not be able to cut you a great deal on the repair, but you can enjoy some compimentary chili from the Emporium while you wait! This time of year is almost more dangerous than the first snow of the season, because at least with the snow you think about it being slippery. With leaves on the road you sometimes remain blissfully unaware until it's too late and you're hydroplaning your way into trouble. Enjoy those fall foliage drives folks! But save the water skiing for the summer.
Oct 20, 2008 - Braking 101
It was Homecoming weekend at Penn State so there was a lot of traffic trying to get out of town. The first 12 miles of the trip headed towards Harrisburg is a two-lane, 55 mph road. That portion of the trip took 45 minutes. Mostly due to people tapping their brakes for no apparent reason and starting the accordian action. Brakes were tapped because the road started to climb, or fall, or turn, or a truck was coming the other way, or sometimes for no apparent reason at all. I even had a motorcycle in front of me have his brake lights come on as he was accelerating. I suppose somebody has to keep Dub Schwartz working!
Jul 18, 2008 - Third Pedal News
Here in Pennsylvania, new drivers have to log 50 hours behind the wheel over 6 months on their permit before they can take the test to get their driver's license. It's a great idea as long as the parents are conscientious about filling in the log. It really lets me set goals for each session behind the wheel and teach the kid what she needs to know. As you can imagine, we've had our share of stalling the car, especially at those pesky traffic lights on upgrades. My daughter's "reboot" times had improved to where she could restart the engine in a flash and get on her way quickly on the second start attempt. Yesterday we passed the milestone of zero stalls in about an hour of drving around town with many starts and stops, so I'm almost ready to declare her competent on the clutch and ready to move into more complicated moves like parallel parking once it's clear she's not really thinking about operating the clutch. Overall she's doing very well and we only had one instance of trying to start up in third gear. To be fair, the throw of the gear shift on the Versa isn't all that big, so to a new driver third and first feel pretty close in position. Then again, there's nothing like the smell of a hot clutch to let you know you've made a mistake!
Jul 2, 2008 - The Big Day
So right after 6AM basketball practice - that's right, 6 in the A of M - I'll be taking her to the driver's license center to take the permit test. Now it will be at least 6 months until she can get her junior license, so there's more waiting involved. But here in Pennsylvania she'll have to have at least 50 hours behind the wheel, kept track of in a log, before she can take the driving test. It's a really good idea, as long as the parents are on top of it and don't just fill in the book to have a filled in book. Our first daughter had about 150 hours logged and over 1500 miles by the time she took her test and I expect about the same this time even with the price of gas. We've owned nothing but manual transmission cars since 1979 so the kids get the full car control experience. I really feel that has made my daughter a better driver as you have to pay attention to what's going on with the car when you're behind the wheel. Oops... don't want to be late for practice! Happy Birthday Kate! (Time to work on that jump shot)
Mar 27, 2008 - Coloring Between The Lines
At our church the front entrance to the parking is a driveway that comes off the street and shoots straight back to the rear of the building. A circular driveway swings around in front of the building and rejoins the main driveway. I'll generally park along that circular driveway right at the end of it where it rejoins the main driveway. Now some people don't seem to be able to stay between the lines and will park just anywhere, so I try to maximize the parking behind me by pulling right up to the very end of the circular drive. And pretty much every time, someone thinks there's room for one more and parks in front of me. With a big crowd expected on Easter Sunday I was going to make sure that didn't happen so when I parked it pretty much looked like my car might have been extending into the main driveway a bit. Naturally, when we came out of church, someone had pulled up nose-to-nose about three inches in front of my car with their car blocking over two thirds of the main drive. Without rules and regulations we have chaos folks!
Mar 20, 2008 - Between The Lines
The main road from my place to town is a rural, two lane road that's basically a straight road. No sharp turns, just the occassional bend. I was heading into town following an inappropriately named Navigator who seemed to have trouble keeping it on the road. At first I thought they were one of those drivers that shied away from oncoming traffic and would veer to the right side of the road when oncoming traffic approached. That only explained the first trip to the right shoulder. In three miles, the Navigator bounced back and forth between getting the right side wheels off the road and drifting over the centerline. No cell phone use that I could see, just lousy driving. That, or evidence that you really can find a license in a box of Cracker Jacks!
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