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As a man thinks, so he is. Some people are never. Recent Posts
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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! Nov 6, 2009 - Style Or Substance?
Sounds noble enough, and I'll even give them clever on the marketing side. But when is enough going to be enough on this quest toward the "100% safe car". There's no such thing and every safety feature added to vehicles not only adds weight (I thought mileage was important), cost and complexity to the vehicles, but it also seems to give a signal to a large number of drivers that there's one less thing that they have to worry about while driving their car. The list keeps growing. ABS Brakes - wonderful idea, but some think to seem they mean you'll be able to stop no matter what situation they put themselves in. Daytime Running Lights - another seemingly clever idea to make your car stand out in traffic. Only problem is that as soon as a large number of vehicles had them, you didn't stand out in traffic so much any more. Then there are the mental giants you think DRL's are headlight and run with them at night. I seriously doubt that DRL's have prevented anything. Air Bags - again, I agree they are a good thing if you happen to put yourself in a crash situation, but I get the feeling that some think they don't need to buckle up because the airbag will protect them. Yet we constantly hear news items about fatal accidents where the victim wasn't wearing a seat belt, but people who survived were. The list of future ideas is even scarier. Cars that brake for you, cars that drive themselves. Here's an idea. When you're in control of a couple of tons of steel heading down the road, turn off the cell phone, buckle up, and take care of driving your car!
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
Nov 19, 2008 - Darwin
I'm second in line at the light and car #1 accelerates away from the light and proceeds to drift right over the white line as the road continues to bend. The curb is a good 6 - 8" tall, painted bright yellow, and now has a new mark on it where the driver managed to drive right into it at about 40 mph while yakking away on his cell phone. I'm sure that whatever was so important that he had to be on the phone was worth the large amount of damage he caused to his vehicle. Thankfully it was a left-hand bend and missing the turn didn't drift him into opposing traffic. I love it when Darwin nails an idiot without hurting anyone else in the process. Talking on the phone is not the same as having a conversation with a passenger or listening to the radio in your car. Something about a phone conversation demands your attention and concentration. The repeated near-misses - or would that be near-hits? - that you can see around you every day are more than adequate proof that the seat behind the wheel should be a cell-phone-free zone.
Sep 26, 2008 - dnt txt n drv DUH!
It's sad that we've reached a point where people have to be told that they need to drive their car when they're supposed to be driving their car. I can't wait for the first lawsuit claiming that someone's "rights" to text while driving are being infringed. In the wake of the recent train wreck in California there's also legislation being proposed to mandate technology that will stop trains on a collision course. In general I've noticed that when you introduce a technology that makes humans think they don't need to know how to do something - like keeping control of your car or train - those humans will jump at the chance to not be responsible. Try asking an 18 year old who grew up using calculators to do math in their head if you don't believe me. I'd say this one is a no-brainer, but apparently there are too many people out there with no brains so I'll use small words... You have to drive your car to not kill you or me. And just to cover all the bases...u hv 2 drv ur cr 2 nt kl urme
Sep 20, 2008 - Ask Dub Schwartz!
Yea, aren't all those safety warnings and labels annoying? Close cover before striking Don't use this step Don't remove this tag Keep right except to pass Since all the cars made now are loaded with this stuff and you want that free and easy feeling when driving, why not give up your car and switch to a motorcycle? You can ride without a helmet in a lot of places. Ah yes, that wonderful feeling of having nothing between you and the scenery rolling by!
May 14, 2008 - Smart For You?
Not surprisingly, the president of Smart USA thinks this is the best thing since sliced bread. "This is important news for consumers who are looking for vehicles that offer both excellent fuel economy and safety," Dave Schembri, president of Smart USA, said in a statement. "IIHS tests are very stringent and highly regarded as indicators of actual crash performance on the road, and we are very pleased with the results." In the NHTSA front crash test, the ForTwo earned the top rating of "Five Stars" for driver protection, but just "Three Stars" for passenger protection. Few vehicles today get ratings as low as three stars in NHTSA's front crash tests. So while a lot of folks like to tout these crash test results, and worse yet, some people feel like because something got a top crash test rating that nothing can happen to them in their car, color me as a realist who sees that I'd be in a world of hurt if I got into a serious situation in a smartfortwo. Read the entire article at CNNMoney.com
Apr 26, 2008 - Ask Dub Schwartz!
Well Ludd, the answer is right in front of you, and beside you and behind you and all over your new car. That old Sentra got great mileage, but it wasn't weighed down with air bags, ABS, creature comforts and emissions requirements. So your new Sentra is heavier, you're safer, but you don't get something for nothing and the cost is our mileage. With the new mileage standard that's going to need to be met, either some tehnological breakthrough is needed or you might need to be responsible for more of your own safety behind the wheel.
Apr 6, 2008 - Lessons Learned
I guess the first lesson is to try and not hit things at high speeds, but when you look at what's left of Michael McDowell's NASCAR ride after a crash in practice and realize he walked away from what used to be that car, you have to figure that one, he's very fortunate, and two, the safety precautions did a pretty good job. We never even had a car with seatbelts until our 1966 Chrysler Newport, and actually wearing those lap belts was sort of hit and miss. Around 1980 when my future brother-in-law was going through his med school rotations, he came out of his stint in the ER a believer in seat belts. In every single case of patients brought into the ER from car wrecks, everyone who was wearing seat belts were treated and released, and everyone who was not wearing a belt remained in the hospital or died. It convinced him, and I'm not sure what he said or how he said it, but it convinced us. I haven't been in a vehicle without a seatbelt on since. And everyone that may be riding in the car with me buckles up too, or the car doesn't move. I've been fortunate enough to not test how well the seat belts would protect me, but to bypass such an easy thing to do and take a risk seems silly, even if it's just driving down the street to pick up a kid babysitting at a neighbor's house at night. You never know what's going to come up when you're behind the wheel. If you want to see the practice crash that resulted in the photo, check it out at ESPN.com
Mar 28, 2008 - Back Off
I'm not sure if this is the case around the world. Research published in the UK showed that "at-work" drivers are more likely to tailgate and speed on motorways and in towns than other drivers. The research indicates that the majority of at-work drivers are feeling pressurised to get somewhere fast, risking lives. Now the group that did this research is calling for the Department for Transport to publish its research into satellite-controlled speed limiters (Intelligent Speed Adaptation, or ISA) and if it is as successful as early results have suggested, roll out to all vehicles. Satellite-controlled speeds? Has anyone seen Big Brother lately? The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Read the entire article at EasierMotoring.com
Jan 8, 2008 - Idiot Boxes
As soon as you tell a human being that they don't have to pay attention to something, they won't. Look at the complete and utter dependence of some drivers on navigation systems now. I have relatives who cannot drive their car, even in their everyday driving, without using their nav system to tell them where to turn. They should call it Tom Tom Doh! That's why quotes from people like Carnegie Mellon director of technology Chris Urmson scare the heck out of me. "We want to make it so you can get in to go to work, read the paper, drink your coffee and get there safely." Aren't there things called buses, trains, and planes that allow you to do this already? I'm sure their intentions are good, just like the inventors of daytime running lights. Yep, those first DRL's sure made you stand out from the crowd and people were less likely to pull out in front of you because they could see you. Only now everybody and their uncle has DRL's so you're just another set of lights in the crowd. And how many times have you seen someone running around in the pitch black with just their DRL's on? Unintended and entirely predictable consequences are waiting just around the next corner as cars are turned into idiot boxes which turn out to be boxes filled with idiots who don't think they have any responsibilities behind the wheel. Read the full story at AFP
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