Games Drivers Play

I can’t say that I actually enjoy driving, but I do enjoy the right to get up and go when I wish, and the facility of getting from point “A” to point “B” at my own leisure. In fact, while making my journeys I can get quite a bit bored, especially when going over the same territory every day. So, I like so many other people turn to simple games, or worse, daydreaming about what I will do with my winnings from the lottery.

That’s not good because sometimes you get into your own little world and fail to take in all the details that are necessary. I try to avoid that, but a simple little game of taking note of car license plates is harmless enough.

You may have noticed that here in Spain the numbering system employs four digits numerals. These range from 0000 to 9999. Therefore, there are 9999 vehicles in each grouping, followed by alphabet letters to denote the number grouping. What I mean by that is, the first grouping would have been 0000 to 9999 –A. There would have been 26 groups of single letter plates. At the front of the series would be the community letter. Thus, V-9999-A was a vehicle that was registered in the Valencia community, and was the last one in that series.

It is always a joy for me to spot a car with a single letter. It will be a very old car, because when you buy a new car you usually have to accept the new registration number.

Once all the single letters were issued they moved on to double letter series, repeating the same formula. Now three letters are being employed. I have already seen CNT and FCK. I can’t wait for the four-letter series.

The Spanish DGT (Trafico) had its origins in 1778 under Royal Decree that gave it it’s mandate. The General Rules of the Road (las normativos) were not formed until 1899. The original speed limits were 28km/h on roads between towns, and 15 km/h in town. In Valencia City that speed has hardly increased on most days. Some times, on average it has decreased.

The first car in Europe was created in 1769 for a man named Nicolas Joseph Cugnot. It was operated on steam and was invented by a man named James Walt.

The modern car had its birth in Germany in 1886. It was developed by Karl benz and Gottlieb Daimeler. The original matricula was PM-1. I suppose if that was in Britain it might have meant Prime Minister.

So, my game continues to be trying to make something of license plates. I am reminded of people whom I know back in Bermuda when I see their license plate numbers, and I can also make up words by adding the missing letter.

I agree its silly, but it keeps me sane.

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Daddy, What can you See?

Get ready for this!

This is about road traffic jams.

We all have experienced them at one time or another. Some people have to go through it every day. How tiresome must that be? The equivalent scare word to Boo! to motorists must surely be “Road Works Ahead!” The problem is that as each country tries to work itself out of its economic problems there will be lots of make-work projects like roads to be built or repaired or hedges trimmed, and a lot of that work will be carried out by previously high priced executives.

The one thing that will be common is that we the motorists will pay dearly with our patience. Those people who have nowhere to go will stay at home rather than go through all that business of just sitting in your car while craning their necks trying to see what the problem is.

The types of problems that we consider legitimate that make us late for work are crashes. The bigger the crash the more we have to enlarge on when we finally get to work. Even events that take place on the opposite lane can have the effect of causing a tailback on our side. People tend to have to rubberneck to see what’s going on. The result often is accidents happen on our side as we drive into one another.

There was once a major fire along the highway most travelled by me. It was in a large warehouse with lots of attending firemen. Nothing to do with traffic but lines formed for miles as we all had to get a snapshot on our mobile phones.

I have learnt a lesson that I try to live by, but not everybody agrees that if I have an important appointment I should leave lots of time for getting there to try and take account of possible traffic jams. Once I am parked and outside my destination I can always go and get a coffee or read a newspaper.

My big question about traffic jams is that men, and only men seem to have to get out of the car to see what’s happening. Women don’t do this. It is only a man thing. In the history of driving no man has ever answered the question “What’s the problem, Daddy?” with anything other than “I don’t know!”

Funny, don’t you think?

Copyright © 2009 Eugene Carmichael

Driving Music

Is it just me, or are you too affected by your choice of music while driving?

The radio/cd player is an integral part of the safety features of your car. It is there not just to entertain you, but more importantly to avoid the driver falling asleep through boredom. It is as much a part of the safety features as a good set of tyres, and it should be used with common sense.

Especially when engaging on long drives it should be employed for its prime use. The problem arises in the choice of music to listen to, and this is where the human factor comes in, and is as variable as the weather. The objective is to stop yourself falling asleep, so your choice of artist is completely up to the individual.

My favourite group are The Toasters, a popular Ska Band of very long standing. Their music is so good and so pumped up that it is impossible to fall asleep. The problem is that they are such high energy that I find my foot pressing the accelerator too much. I actually drive faster than I would without their influence. The opposite occurs when listening to music with a calming effect. On a long journey that is actually dangerous.

The best choice for me is a disc with various artists presenting a wide variety of songs. If I start to get going too fast another selection with a more calming effect will bring me back to my senses. My Volvo sound system is very good, and some songs just beg to be blasted as they are so powerful. This is a mistake to do in a moving vehicle because with the windows rolled up you will not be able to hear any road sounds. Naturally, we need to hear sirens and other warning sounds.

This may be considered as a cautionary tale to be careful when mixing driving with music. The worst case would be to collide with another vehicle and your music just keeps on pumping.

Copyright (c) 2009 Eugene Carmichael