Driving with Rewards

Its encouraging to be recognised for good driving habits.


I'm sure that other people share the same experiences as I do. When you find yourself thinking in a certain direction, and then you discover that someone else was on the same wavelength, but they actually did something about it.

For some time I have been thinking that perhaps there is nothing so fraught with rules as driving, and people just lying in wait for me to commit some kind of infracton. The relation between the police and the public seems to be completely adversarial. However, they police us with our consent, so I'm fairly certain we did not contemplate having them splitting our skulls, shooting us to death, or pulling us out of our cars to dump us in jail.

I do agree that we need to conduct ourselves with commonsense and courtesy toward our fellow drivers, so rules are important to guide us. But, it is all about rules and infringements.

Now comes along a television program through National Geographic called, "Under Control." I have to say that I am enjoying this program as they have tried some ideas that actually reward drivers respecting the speed limit, and other safe practices. In the test town the police are  noticing when people are naturally considerate and safe drivers, and they are issuing these people with Thank You certificates.

Imagine you are moving along at your customary pace and taking care of cyclists and pedestrians, when you hear a short burst from the police cruiser behind you. The first thing out of our mouths will likely be: "Now what the hell does he want?" The officer comes up to your window and says, "Good day, Ma'am, or Sir. I just wanted to thank you for driving with care and courtesy, and for being such a fine example to others. I present you with this certificate on behalf of the Commissioner of Police and all my fellow officers. Have a good day and keep it up!"

I think if that happened to me it would take me a litle while for it to sink in, and then you would see the biggest smile on my face. I would definately be encouraged to continue in the manner that got me recognised.

I think it might also go some ways to recognize the police as human beings and our fellow residents. Some times we, and they forget that their remit is to protect and serve us, their fellow law abiding citizens.

Copyright (c) 2014    Eugene Carmichael

Cancel Christmas?

Christmas is too wonderful to cancel because someone in the family lost their life in a road crash that could have been avoided. Most can be avoided. I always ask the question when I come upon a crash scene: Hundreds of thousands of cars have passed this spot without crashing into one another. Why not you two?

While watching the news there was a story of a car that had broken down on the highway in the left lane. The police were called, and during the time it took for the police to arrive that car sat there in what a lot of people call the fast lane without anyone crashing into it. That alone is amazing.

Finally, the police arrived and stopped in the left lane, with all their emergency lights working, to shield the stalled car. From the Dgt camera we see a car approach from the right hand lane and cross over the center lane to score a direct hit on the police cruiser. What the hell was that about?

At this time of year, whether a person is seeing the season from a religious point of view or not, the most important objective is to survive the fiestivities on the road. There is nothing more effective than someone in the hospital or the morgue to take the joy out of the season.

Of course, as we are in Spain we should be aware that there are many who will not have anything to celebrate except perhaps their faith. Faith is important, if you believe, but so many people have gone through many Christmas' without anything in the way of creature comforts. It would be good to be aware of our neighbours and to spread some goodwill if we can. Also, hopefully El Gordo will help people who really need it. (Like me.)

The best wishes of my family and myself are extended to all of you, dear readers, that you spend the holidays surrounded by love, and by giving love. A world without love is not worth living in.

May 2015 be a year of growth and excellent health for us all. Above all else, let's remember the thought for the day is: The most important thing is to return the way you left.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael  



All I want for Christmas is.....

this gorgeous baby to droll over and to love more than life itself!

This is the Masereti Quattroporta VI Generation.
It is a four-door sports luxury saloon that I dream of as though it were my woman. (Sorry Lorna)

Why on earth do I have such a yearning to own a Masereti? Probably because it is a rare breed. I already own a Jaguar, and that is a prestigeous name in the world of cars and I do adore my Big Cat. However, it is a classic that I drive only on very rare occasions, provided the sun is shining. My faithful Volvo does all of the heavy lifting day-to-day, but she is getting long in the tooth. I really do need to replace her with something new. I was first thinking that I should choose a Jeep. That brand name has the distinction of having served the armed forces of the United States in war times and acquitted itself well. I would be proud to be a Jeep owner, but I just can't get the idea out of my head that I really do want a Masereti. The sign of Neptune's Trident stands proud and alone among the upper quality range of cars, in my opinion.

I am looking at a secondhand 2007 model that is for sale. The model shown is the latest, but these are some of the features of the 2007 car. It has heated seats, electric front and rear adjustable seats, electric rear blind, in case the people in the back seats require privacy. Why would they? Make something up. Parking sensors, 19" alloy spoke wheels, HiFi radio and Cd player, of course.  Climate control is dual controlled, and the driver's seat has memory positions. The steering column is electronicially adjustable and is multi-functional, and the car has traction control.

Anti-theft features high volume siren and immobiliser. As an option I would also like to have ejector seats or hand locks with an automatic puncher in the gut that can be operated from a long distance.

In the technical department it has a 4244 cc engine that produces 395 bhp. Supposedly it will get you from 0-60 mph in 5.6 seconds, and will do a top speed of 167 mph.  I am not worried about that because at my age I need to slow the world down.

This one is advertised for sale at 18,000 Pounds, or I could buy a brand new one for about 100,000 pounds.

Santa, that last bit of information was especially for you.

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

More Spanish Rules of the Road to review.

Our bad driving habits become the norm.

Things are forever in a state of change when it comes to driving on the road. Things that were once tolerated have become objects of zero tolerance, so it makes sense to keep abreast of what's going on. When I first came to Spain fifteen years ago, many drivers went through the day in a constant state of inebriation. Now, that is not tolerated.

What about the Stop sign? A long time ago I was driving behind a car that went through the stop sign at about 30 kmh. The police were parked across the street and made no indication to go after him.  I concluded that the maximum speed per hour in my country counts as being stopped here. No longer! Periodically, the police target specific offenses and when it comes to bringing your car to a stop those wheels need to be absolutely still, neither rolling forward or backward. Stop means an absolute standstill. This is a problem far greater than anything else for a lot of us who have become complacent, especially if it is obvious that the road is clear. However, the law is the law, and compliance is what this is all about.

One other thing: For goodness sake, stop behind the line instead of poking your nose out until you can see clearly. By that time you may indeed see that you are about to get broadsided by a truck!

Speeding

This is even more complex than stopping and standing still. Personally, I am very good at driving at 80 or 100 or 120. The problem arises when we are supposed to slow down. When we see a sign mandating a lower speed, by the time we pass that sign our speed must not exceed the number. However, given the really dopey sign posting, in order to comply we sometimes would have to just about stand on our brakes to go from 70 to 50. There is one stretch of road when we are leaving a town with a 50 maximum. We are advised that we can take her up to 70, starting at the sign, but just as you get to 70 there's another sign that says 50. Oh shit! Clearly there was no need for the 70 sign. There are so many assinine situations like this, and sometimes the police lie in wait right there. Its a really easy catch, sort of like fishing in a barrel.

I can't say that I don't want the police to enforce staying within the speed limit. I drove with a friend the other day, at least I think he's a friend. We were in no hurry at all, but he drove at speeds up to 180 kmh. I was fairly certain that would have been my last day among the living. Even the ambulance doesn't travel that fast. Such stupidity!

Almost all car crashes involve inappropriate speed. That may not necessarily mean a lot of speed, but if conditions call for us to move at no more than 20 and we're doing forty, that's a problem going somewhere to happen.

Giving someone who has broken down a tow.

This was allowed at one time, although it was never a safe thing to do Now, because of modern cars that require the engine to be running to operate brakes and steering, it is no longer possible or legal.

Which brings to mind what to do if you are driving an automatic shift car and the gas pedal gets stuck. There is only one thing to remember to do and that is shift into neutral. The car will scream like a banshee but you will still be able to pull over to the breakdown lane and stop, before turning off the ignition. If you do anything else you will most likely end up dead. Remember, shift into neutral, let the engine make all the noise it wants while you drift to the side of the road, then turn off the ignition.

Then you contact your roadside breakdown service to come and put you on the back of the truck and haul you off to a garage. Nothing else will work.

We'll review some more of the rules that we have forgotton about or that practise has changed in future columns.

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

Time to review Spanish driving rules

Texting while Driving- Utter madness! Most likely the life that will be lost will be that of someone else.


Someone has kindly gone to the trouble to alert those of us in the Jaguar Enthusiast Club that we need to revisit Spain's driving rules. As time goes by we tend to forget the specifics and find ourselves creating bad habits. The model in the above picture is reflecting one of the most serious bad things a driver can do. If just speaking on the phone while driving is dangerous because it distracts us from concentrating on the road ahead, texting is just plain murderous and suicidal. Please don't do this.

I was glad to have these reminders because over time I have developed a really bad habit of cruising along the middle lane. My thinking was that this makes it easier for merging traffic, which of course it does, but the rule is that we cruise in the right hand lane by default unless we have to overtake. Here in Valencia, another bad habit has grown, that of overtaking along the right side. This is caused by driver impatience and by those of us, and we are many, who hog the middle lane.

Well, it seems that this habit is deemed to be dangerous driving and can result in time spent in jail, even if it does not cause someone else to crash.

Another interesting rule that has become muddled over time is that of driving the car of someone else. For so long we have been saying that provided that you hold a valid European driving license you can drive anyone's car. Well yes, but only with their permission. If the owner is in the car with you, no problem. If not, they must have your written permission in Spanish.

What happens when you are asked for your car? The person is always in a hurry and anxious to get going. All they want is the keys. They really don't want to hear, just a minute while  I sit down and write up a letter giving you permission. Well, tough, but that is just what they should have to do, otherwise it will be another act of kindness that will be punished.

Also, there is the matter of cyclists to take into account. This is a growing sport and exercise activity which means that we are encountering more and more groups of cyclists. They have every right to use the road, and for those of us in cars we have to learn to respect them and to give them space. To overtake them we should cross over to the other lane as though they were a car. And, of course, they can be strecthed out over a distance and that makes overtaking very tricky. If we are unable to overtake the lot, we should not even begin to do so.

I will highlight other rules as a reminder in the near future. For now, drive safely and turn your common sense on.

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

The Jobsworth in Action!

The Highway Toll Booth

During this Summer there ocurred a number of fires in Spain. One such fire required the assistance of all hands, so dangerous and enormous was it. It devoured a whole mountain and threatened hundreds of homes in the area with a city just beyond. In other words, as emergencies go, this was about as serious as it can get.

One fire engine from a community that was at a distance went speeding on its way to give assistance. The fastest route was along the toll road. As it neared the entrance to the toll booth the operator opened the barrier and let the engine through without having to stop or get a ticket. That made all the sense in the world. However, when they wanted to exit the toll road the story was very different.

This would be a really funny story were it not so sadly serious. Here you are, a fire engine with siren warning all to pull over to the side and clear a path for us because we are trying to stop a fire from doing serious damage. Traffic makes a path for you, but you arrive at the barrier and the operator does not lift it. The siren is still screeching but the engine has come to a stop.  "OPEN THE BARRIER!" demanded the driver. Sir, you have to pay, says the simpleton jobsworth.

To the astonishment of absolutely every person who witnessed the incident, and probably all who have read or even heard about it, an argument developed between the driver, together with the firemen, urging this appparently absolutely moronic operator to open the gate and let the engine proceed.

With precious moments slipping away the driver finally paid with his own credit card and the engine went on its way.

Of course, that was not the end of it. It has not been reported as to what the outcome of complaints made to the roads management was, but I would bet money that the operator did not lose his job. I think if management recognised that the man was incapable of making the decision to treat emergency vehicles with discretion he would not have been replaced. His union would not hear of it. If such vehicles are to be given free passage management would have to put that in writing and specific instructions given to all employees.

As a result of the delay that obstructed the arrival of the engine team we can reasonably assume that more damage was caused that otherwise might have been limited. Street Justice can only hope that the operator will learn to his own chagrin what can happen when unnecessary obstruction is put in the way of those who are trying to help.

"What goes around , comes around."

Copyright (c) 2014   Eugene Carmichael

What are we thinking when we overtake?

Sometimes I wonder!

What has got me thinking is this past week I have confronted two trucks on two seperate occaisions overtaking two cyclists on two bends. On both times I have been driven into the side of the road. Clearly, both of these drivers have excrement where they are supposed to have brains. Still, the question is a good one because drivers put themselves out into the lane of oncoming traffic, and that has killed so many innocent people.

I recall some incidents from the news that were so incredible I have never forgotten them. In the region of Torrevieja there arose a traffic jam. A man who was driving a right hand drive car suddenly decided to pull out into oncoming traffic, even though he could not see if anything was coming. An oncoming bus carrying school children slammed into his car, instantly killing his wife in the passenger seat, and their friend who was sitting behind her.

The bus went out of control and turned left into the line of traffic pushing a sports car carrying a male driver, who was killed, and his pregant girlfriend, who survived with her baby intact. Bus and car went through the guardrail and down an embankment, and the bus landed on top of the car. Inside the bus children were thrown about like toys. One of the girls went straight through the windscreen and had to be taken to hospital by air ambulance.

The driver of the car survived because he was on the right side of the car; however, no-one could find out what he was thinking because he lost his mind and is locked up as a criminally insane person.

A whole category of insane nutters are those who have overtaken me only to pull off the road right in front of me, causing me to at least take my foot off the gas, and sometimes I have even had to tap the brakes. To all of you brainless wonders I really do hope that you will do something, without injuring someone else, that causes you such pain, expense, and inconvenience that you come to see the folly of your ways. You are Public Enemy Number One! I hate you!

For ordinary people simply driving along the motorway, we choose a speed and we will inevitably catchup with other people who are driving slower. To overtake such slower moving traffic is no big deal, provided we overtake on the left. In the Valencia region it has become a habit of so many drivers to overtake along the right side outside of city limits where this is strictly prohibited, and is a very dangerous practise. Now what could possibly be going through those people's minds? There cannot be any justification for doing something like that. The person most at risk is the one passing along the right side, and as such is suicidal. Of course, it's simple laziness.

Finally, the national roads in Spain have all been called dangerous, when the roads themselves just sit there waiting to be used responsibly. They are all generally two lanes, one for each direction, or at least they carry two-way traffic. They are busy thoroughfares which mean that to place your vehicle in a lane for opposing traffic must only be done with extreme care. There is no room for error.

Death through head-on collision is the number one killer of the guilty and innocent alike. The stories reflecting such events make very grim reading indeed!

What the hell were they thinking?


Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

Beware Motorists, The highwayman is busy in your area!

There are people who want to stop you and relieve you of your valuables!

Everyday, seemingly ordinary people  arise, have breakfast and go off to work as part of the multitudes who do the same thing. However, this group work at stealing your valuables if you let your guard down for a moment.

I wish to warn you that an old con is back in play with a new twist, and is causing a lot of people serious problems.

The Setup

The target driver will be someone driving alone.

Usually the thieves need a busy parking lot,such as a commercial centre to make the setup. They will place a large nail against one of your tyres at an angle so that when you move forward you will drive the nail into your tyre causing a flat to develop. As a routine, you can foil this plot by simply rolling backwards before moving forward.

If you do not do this you will leave the parking lot to find that by the time you reach the first roundabout you have a tyre that is fully flat. Typically, the thieves will target the rear tyre on the driver's side so that your attention will be focused on that side.

The execution

When you pull over there will be a man standing on the side of the road. He will take notice and come over to offer assistance. What he is looking for is an opportunity to grab your personal bag and make a run for it. You can foil this if you lock the car when you exit, preferably taking your bag with you. You can always call for roadside assistance after placing your warning triangles and just sit in the car and wait.

What the thief stands to gain, and you have to lose

People who have fallen victim to this ploy have said that they lost money and other valuables, credit and debit cards, keys to their house and the house address, mobile phone that even stopped them calling the police, and their bank, etc; as well as various other personal stuff.

So, remember, whereever you are, roll back before moving forward, and lock your car when you get out, especially if there is someone around. As a more thorough security measure we should actually look at our tyres, both in front and behind to ensure that nothing has been placed there. It will only take a little time before the thieves are more cunning in thier setup.

Be vigilant!


Copyright (c) 2014   Eugene Carmichael

Far fewer people take driving lessons.

Heading for the open road


Sometimes here in Spain we find ourselves driving in the campo through orange or lemons fields, where there will be lots of fallen fruit on the path. That inspired someone to write a popular book called, "Driving over lemons." Now, some wiseass has come up with a title, "Driving over Spaniards." He has the title but the book hasn't been written yet. I hope it never will.

The Spanish authorities have been struggling with the same problem as other countries, that being rising congestion on the roads. Spain has partially confronted the problem by building a wonderful network of roads crisscrossing the countryside. Sometimes a driver can find he has the road all to himself. However, all of those wonderful roads eventually lead to towns and cities, where it all goes horribly wrong.

In the past it has seemed that the problem was addressed by making it very difficult to pass the exams. Firstly, it was necessary to study the rules of the road, followed by exams to determine how much the student had understood and retained. However, I found when sitting my test that it was more about my understanding of how the test was administered than what I had learnt from the book.

This had the effect of holding back the numbers of newly certificated drivers to go out and buy yet a another car to add to the clutter.  One examination center was testing about 5000 students per week, or 20,000 per month times twelve. If everyone who simply knew the information passed , that would add about a quarter of a million new drivers a year on the road. That alone might not be that bad, although it would still increase the clutter if they were only driving cars that were already registered. But, more than likely they would go out and buy their own cars and now we can quickly see the problem.

The economic crisis is generally thought of as a bad thing, but perhaps not down at Trafico. It is having a major effect on driving schools as new student enrolments have fallen dramatically leading to business closures. The impact is both immediate and potentially for the future. There was a time when it was difficult to find anyone of driving age who did not hold a permit. Having a vehicle to travel from one place to another is no longer a luxury. It is an absolute neccesity. For instance, from my village there are two bus journeys a day. One in the morning to take people to the next largest town for connecting bus and train service; and one in the late afternoon back into the village.

Who can conduct business with such restricted public service? If young people are unable to obtain their permits when learning ability is at its best, what are these same people to do as they grow into mature adulthood. True, employment opportunities are scarce but when you add to the mix that you are unable to drive, that is like another nail in the coffin.

This is just another of the sad, but unintended consequences flowing from out of control economic management.

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael   

Vanity Plates

Where's the Humour?

The problem with vanity plates is that most motorists want to give a funny mesage but the DMLV in every country of the world has no sense of humour.

Here in Spain we don't do Vanity plates, so it's not a problem, except by error. We have four numbers followed by up to three letters. By converting to English we can make all sorts of meanings from letters that begin with F. There are actually cars driving around with the letters FU, and nobody even blinks, except the British and Americans. In fact. English swear words in Spain have no meaning or offence at all. Spanish swear words don't offend even British Nuns, although we hear them on television news and talk shows.

I have seen the letters HA, as in Ha! My own letters are ES, as in the letters used to express España.

I think in countries that allow it, probably the most overused or abused theme is sex. "IM2SEXY" or "ILVSEX" or "SEX4ME" are high on the list of wishful thinking.

What made me think of this was I found myself behind a car with the plate that read, "HMM", as in Hmm!

I would pay for that one.

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

There is nothing so sad as a sunken car

To find this when you come back to the parking lot must be the nightmare of all nightmares for drivers.

My country is just waking up to the aftermath of extensive damage caused by Hurrican Gonzalo, a category four hurricane. With so much to take in at once, the combination of damage to the house, the garden, the estate road, and the car must be overwhelming. Of course, there are those people who own both a car and a boat, especially a luxury boat. The human psyche is not designed to cope with that type of tragedy.

Some of us just get so carried away with our cars. For instance, I belong to a motoring society that goes well over the topic by being super car proud. We drive our classics, but only on sunny days. We take them home and we wash them, then we carefully park them in the garage, and then we cover them.

If our cars were actual women, having received such loving attention from us, of course they would want to have sex with us. The motorcycle lot are no better. I was once a member of a Goldwing club and the pampering our bikes got was just silly.

So, we lavish such attention on our cars and bikes only to either be involved in a crash, or worse, to have a deluge occur resulting in submersion.

My pride and joy is a clasic Jaguar XJ6 Sovereign that is in showroom condition. I was told when I bought it that no one had ever sat in that car with dirty shoes, not even the mechanic. What must it be like to come back to the car and find it full of mud. My cream coloured seats and mats destroyed forever. I truly do believe that I would simply turn and walk away. Like a disappointed lover on finding the love of my life had been with another man. She's damaged and dirty. I shall retire to my cave and have a good cry.

I sincerely hope that not too many people lost their cars, and their sanity  in this manner during the Bermuda hurricane.


Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

The loss of Jan de Jonge

The Last Hurrah!

Jan de Jonge considered me to be his friend, and I considered that to be a great honour. A couple of years ago I wrote about Jan and his hobby of racing MGB cars, of which he had seven  at the same time. Jan was a jeweller by professon, but he absolutely had a passion for MGB's. He was a member of the MGB racing community, and in that he was in good company. One of those against whom he raced was none other than Mr. Bean, a.k.a. as Rowan Atkinson.

Jan took early retirement a few years ago to enjoy life away from the stress of his profession, which appears to us laymen as being a gentle art, but which  I am assured can be a real headache. His days were kept busy, either preparing to race, or racing at home or abroad, including in England. When he was not doing that, he was working with his friend, Robert in rebuilding MGB's that were the worse for wear. The car pictured above was the last one that he rebuilt and finished just ahead of his demise. It is truly a gem!

Jan knew sometime ago that he was seriously ill. He underwent treatment that weakened his physical self, but not his spirit. Oh, he had his good days and his bad ones, but on balance he never lost his sense of humour. He lived in Holland, and to amuse himself he bought two cars recently, because he could not decide between them. He bought the James Bond brand, an Aston Martin, and he also bought a new model Jaguar. How on earth do you choose each time you leave the house between those two, I just don't know.

In early August my wife told me that we were going to be going on a  journey. I never ask where, or how, or why. However, for some time I had been thinking that I really must make the trip to Holland. Without consulting me, or not having any connection to Jan's illness, my wife had chosen a trip to Amsterdam. So, it was a complete surprise to me that I ended up at Jan's house, surrounded by all my Dutch friends, and I also got some one-on-one time with Jan.

Even more surprising was that he and his wife had decided to visit their holiday home that is next door to ours here in Valencia. They arived on the Thursday and we followed on the Friday. More quiet time was enjoyed between us over several days. We talked about death as not being a permanent state; and that our personal energy, accumulated knowledge, our talents, and even our personality are all recyclable, and are passed on to the new generation. In that regard we were here before, we are here now, and when we step through death's door we step into the next adventure. We are living eteranl life in the best way there is. Our lives are a serial story.

Three weeks later, after leaving Valencia, Jan passed away in his sleep, unafraid, peacefully, and I think, comfortable in the journey he was about to take.

He was one of those persons who made a lasting impression upon everyone he met. He was just such a pleasent man who never needed to raise his voice, and in his going he has left a surprising void where we did not expect.

"Jan, it was my great pleasure in getting to know you. I truly enjoyed the time we spent in each other's company. I'm very sorry you had to take your leave so early, but I feel certain we will recognize each other in the next life that you have already started. There is no point in me wishing that you Rest In Peace, because I know you will keep busy doing something that you love in your new body.

I do join with your family and all your friends in missing you!"

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

Cruisin

Looking Good!

We all buy the car that best suits our own personality. Ideally we should look cool while driving it. As young men we like to go cruising in our chick magnet because it feeds our massive egos. Well, that's life. The girls do the same thing and the world goes around.

From my youth comes a really sad tale that involves a man who was gay. This is not about gay bashing, it is simply a story about one very sad and lonely man. This particular man would drive up and down the country trying to give a ride to young boys standing at bus stops. At times you would be grateful, especially if it looked like rain.

Once you were in his car he was the essence of a gentleman. First he would start with small talk, but before long he was into what he needed and hoped you would help him with. I have no idea what his statistic was between those who said drive on, versus those who demanded that he stop this car. He could be seen cruising for many years. I used to catch the bus regularly. I made the mistake of getting in his car once. I kept him talking until he got to where I needed to get out.  I told him that I thought he was a very nice, but creepy man, and that I felt sorry for him. Clearly he was unhappy, and that his lifestyle was a cause of problems.

I also asked him to remember me because I really didn't want him to offer me a ride again. This worked for a while, but eventually he forgot who I was and stopped to offer to take me where I had to go.

Wonder whatever happened to Mr Creep Crawly?

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

Gross Abuse of Power?

Justice for All!

Firstly, readers are reminded when passing through an area of roadworks, whether lines have been painted orange or not, that we are obliged to have our lights on regular beam, just as we would do if the road had been modified from one way to temporary two way traffic.

The Costa Blanca News has reported an incident that seems to me to be gross abuse of power. It started with the police issuing a fine to a motorist who failed to turn on his lights while passing through an area of road works that was indicated by orange colored lines; and presumably work being carried out. The man was fined eighty euros with a 50% discount which he received by promptly paying the fine.

Time passed, when suddenly his bank account was frozen due to an embargo placed upon it due to a notional debt of 200 euros arising from the same traffic incident. This arose because the settlement of the fine had not been deemed satisfactory because trafico had decided that he had not been fined enough in the first place, so they arbitraliy increased the fine without informing him. Added to that they have assessed late payment interest that they have simply deducted from his account.

This of course raises the question who sets the level of fines and how are they set? I imagine that the police are as baffled as everybody else. Someone seems to think this is either very funny, or that they are a dictator. This case should be heard in open court and the person behind the pilfering of this man's account be required to explain themselves.

We live in a civilized society where the majority of us try to conduct our business and our lives within the law. That applies to everybody, and especially to those in authority whom we hold to a higher order. It is clear to reasonable people that something out of order has occurred and the citizen needs to be made whole.

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael  

It had to Happen!

The arm of a Dummy


We have all seen those drivers who cruise along with their left or right arm (depending what side the steering wheel is on) carelessly hanging out of the car window, sometimes with a cigarette in hand, or at other times gesturing as they have a conversation with their passenger.  I was following just such a driver recently when we were faced by an oncoming massive truck. It didn't occur to the car driver to pull his arm in.

I have been watching a National geographic program recently called 1000 ways in which to die. Other than being gruesome it really is a good program from the standpoint of pointing out the importance of thinking before we act. To take just a second to ask ourselves whether what we are about to do makes sense could make all the difference.

A classic personal example is something I do a lot. As I get to travel along certain roads and I get to know those roads well, I assess the danger potential from the standpoint of what could possibly happen. There is a long, almost straight dual carriage-way road leading up to my town. There is usually a temptation to put the pedal down as there are generally no police around. However, except the first time that I did it I have resisted a second experience because along that road there are several entrances from the fields.

Sure enough, I came upon a bad crash where one car was overtaking another only to crash into a thrid car that was entering the main road, but he had stuck his nose out too far. It was bound to happen, sooner or later.

Along our three kilometre estate road there are three stop signs that are habitually ignored. I have seen several near crashes, one involving a police car into which I would have crashed had I not taken the precaution that the other driver might not have stopped. Last month there occurred a broadside crash that brought an ambulance and three police cars, so complicated was it. That was bound to happen sooner, or later.

Now, the inevitable has happened. A passenger in a car travelling with his arm dangling out the window had it ripped off as the car passed too close to the side railing which acted like a razor blade. This is even worse than being the driver and was like just asking for it to happen. He was on the land side and he was not in control of the vehicle. Any movement by the driver to give more space to oncoming traffic could have been the cause of being right up against the railing. Apparently there was no damage to the car, so had the passenger had his arm in the car there would have been nothing to talk about. Now we have an example to quote to warn others not to do the same thing.

His arm was found and an attempt was considered for reattachment, however, it was too badly damaged and had to be discarded. So, this is a cautionary tale to us all.

Another thing that just has to happen will take place on an old fashioned train where you can open the windows and stick your head out to get a better view. Ugh!

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael 

Deaths on the Road: More bad news!

Summer Traffic


The Costa Blanca News has just reported something we didn't want to hear: deaths on the road from Summer driving increased within the Valencia Community by 107%.  Year over year (July and August), fifteen more people gave up their lives during those two months, from 14 lives lost in 2013 in 12 crashes, to 29 in 15 collisions in 2014.

This is such a tragedy because we have been doing so well as losses through driving have been steadily falling. The one thing that can be said on a positive note is that the national trend is still down over last year at the same time, so hopefully at year's end we will be able to draw some comfort from lower figures overall.

To die as a result of driving usually means that someone failed to do what should have been done, or did something that he should not have. A simple example is a failure to take care if you are a cyclist or motorcyclist to be sure to be seen, in order to lessen the chance of being struck by a car. It has been very noticable to me this year how a person on a bike just disappears into the landscape if the car driver is wearing sun shades. Such glasses are necessary to avoid being blinded by the sun, however, they do dampen the image generally.

We notice that the police, emergency personnel and road crews all wear reflective apparrel that stand out against the general landscape and identify them as humans. I know no-one pays the least attention to what I say, but in the interest of self preservation I would think that each individual would like to lessen becoming a part of such heartbreaking statistics.

I'm just saying!


Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

BE SEEN TO BE SAFE !

An Extremely Important Cautionary Tale!

You are looking at the beginning of a guard rail over a bridge that became a railroad rail.


I have to ask you to use your imagination. During the week I came upon a most unusual accident scene. Unfortunately, I was not able to stop and take a foto because it had just happened and there were so many people in the area, I just had to keep going.

Apparently a car was travelling in the direction shown in the picture, but the driver evidently took his or her eyes off the road and drifted over to the right. The front right wheel became entangled in the rail and that acted as a guide driving the car along it and upwards. At some point the car spun around 360 degrees, pointing the car in the direction from which it had come.

The back wheels went over the rail, as well as the front left wheel, leaving only the front right wheel still firmly entangled with the rail while the rest of the car was hanging over the abyss. Fortunately, it was the gradual beginning of a 15 metre drop. However, I imagine if you were in the car it would have felt a lot different.

As an accident scene it presented an incredible sight. I think there were still people in the car as I passed as there seemed to be considerable activity around it. I have no idea whether anyone was injured, but it's a safe bet that those involved would have been extremely shocked.

There are numerous places where guardrails are tapered down into the ground as this one is. In many cases I have seen them turned at the end to avoid them becoming some kind of skid. That's a  lot safer than the blunt end that could impale a motorcyclist.

How does it happen that a car can drift off to the right or left to such a degree that it gets into such trouble? If this was a case of children in the back seat that  attracted the attention of the driver who turned his head to the extreme right, that action would have pulled the car to the right, and the rest is now history. Many years ago, I came upon a car along a straight road that had flipped onto its roof. The driver had no idea how it happened. One minute he was talking to his girlfriend in the passenger seat, and the next the car was on its roof.

The moral of the story is that when driving we really do need to keep our eyes on the road ahead. We only get to move our eyes and head within a very small arc to the right or left.

The penalty for ignoring this rule of the road can be very severe indeed, including head-on collisions and death!

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

Summer Driving

Everybody's headed out of town


My wife and I have done road trips during the Summer, but we leave after the mass exodus from the city, and we come back before everyone else. Consequently our experience is much like every day driving. However,  family vacation driving during June, July, and August can be a nightmare. Firstly, it seems that drivers think they cannot have a good time if they don't gulp down great quantities of beer or alcohol. Then, because the car is loaded with the kids they will almost certainly get on the nerves of the driver, but he or she has to stay concentrated on what they are doing.

The death on the roads during Summer attests to all the things that can go wrong. What a shame because people are in pursuit of leisure and pleasure. Instead their lives are ended.

Recently, a car carrying four men was completely demolished by an oncoming truck because the driver fell asleep. He may have been one of those drivers carrying goods to a supermarket that operate on a just- in- time inventory system. Such systems usually work well, but if things go wrong for the trucker carrying replacement goods he may have to push extra hard to make up time. Falling asleep could result, ending in lives lost.

Another crash occured on the roundabout at the entrance into Chelva on the CV-35. Three people were killed instantly in that case, plus another person was taken to intensive care. Traffic was backed up for over 12 kilometres for several hours in the blazing afternoon sun. Ten minutes after this crash at 15:30, another calamity occurred when a truck and trailer overturned on a paralell road that completely blocked all traffic.

When reading about these incidents the thought that occurs to me,other than the impact on the victims and their families, is how did the other motorists cope? I suspect that most of us normally jump into the car and set off without first thinking about water and other neccessities if we get caught in such a jam.

Invariably these things happen away from built-up areas, so you wouldn't have the opportunity to just pop across the road and buy water, or to use the toilet.  Of course, whether you find yourself stuck in a traffic jam or an elevator the first thing that occurs is the need to take a piss.

We humans are funny that way. When faced with some kind of emergency we immediately need to intake or output water. Go figure!

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

A City of Bikes

There were only two other bikes here when I left mine. Now there are 2,500.

It has been fifty years since I last visited Amsterdam. Only two things stood out in my memory. One of them was the concentration of bikes. We have become so accustomed to cars everywhere that we forget about the precious few countries that turn commuting into an exercise regimen. In all those countries where people are routinely obese, we could learn a lesson.

It is good to see people using bikes to travel around, but there is a downside. If you are a pedestrian the experience is a lot like being surrounded by a swarm of flies. They are silent and they are everywhere. Before you move your feet you have to look all around you, and you will surely spot a bike coming towards you.

It took a little while for me to notice that inspite of so much traffic, there are no STOP signs in Amsterdam. Tolerance is the watchword of The Netherlands, but this may be taking things too far. Having said that, the system does seem to work. There are a lot of close calls, of course, so much so as to be routine. However, I never observed a crash, and that included the struggling tourists.

The Netherlands is a curious country in that most of it is below sea level. The Dutch have brought water management to a fine art  The country has suffered floods in the past but has learned from such events. The fact that it is so flat is an open invitation to every citizen to have a bike. Everybody does, apparently, because there are 16 million inhabitants and 16 million bikes.

Cycling is not below the dignity of anyone. Government Ministers, including the Prime Minister can be seen cycling about, as does everyman in the street. It is good exercise and probably leads to Tall Person Syndrome, as perhaps the world's tallest people can be found in Holland. These are the people who are leading the way in the continuing advance of evolution.

In the midst of  the seven million bikes in Amsterdam, there are likely to be about 700,000 on the road at any given moment. However, I still managed to have very pleasent and close encounters with the latest in Jaguars, an Aston Martin, and a Masareti. I am convinced that is The Future; My Future.

It makes for an interesting comparison when thinking of future motoring being driverless cars. Holland seems to ask the question: "Yes, but what about exercise?"

The other thing that I remembered from fifty years ago was the sight of women sitting in windows selling sexual encounters. They are still there. Some things don't change.

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

Near to Home

Many crashes occur close to home

It is a well known fact that many so called accidents occur close to home. That may be because when we start our journey we may not be fully prepared, and in the process of making those last minute adjustments while actually underway our attention is distracted and we slam into someone or something.

Conversely, when nearing home after a long drive we start to relax within sight of home. We allow ourselves to become distracted and before we know it tragedy strikes. I remember all too well the case of an America's Cup worker who was on his way home on his bike at night. Within sight of his apartment block, with his wife and children sitting on the balcony, a car backed out into the roadway and directly in his path. He rode straight into the car and was killed instantly.

His wife didn't realise what was happening. She only knew something terrible had happened when all the emergency vehicles gathered. Slowly the realization sunk in because he was now late in coming through the door.

Another reason why crashes happen close to home is because the topography is familiar to us to the extent that we are contemptuous of our surroundings. We drive as though we own the road. That's what appears to have happened on our estate road recently. The road is winding and in very bad condition. There is a small bridge over a little riverlet, and there is also a stop sign that is near universally ignored.

Then, one day, one driver ignored the stop warning as another driver was passing and a crash occured which left one car looking very much like the car in the picture and the other ended up in the little river among the weeds. At least one person went to hospital as when I came upon the scene there were two Guardia Civil cars and one Policia Local vehicle, plus the ambulance.

By the time I returned home all was back to normal, including the crazy drivers who ignore the stop warnings, and who race over the potholes as though they own the road.

No one will be surprised when the next crash occurs. I promise to do my best not to be a contributor.

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

The Predictable Motorist

Everyone's a Formula One Driver

There are many nationalities that drive on Spain's roads, but they have all blended into one predictable personality. He, it's usually a he, can be counted on to do the following things:

-As we go around the roundabout he will cut across rather than follow a semi-circle path. The car in the extreme right lane can fully expect to be cut off by the driver in the lane next to him when entering the straightaway.
_ The driver in the extreme left lane, especially when there are six lanes, can be expected to cut across the other lanes because he wants to go to the right. The driver in the extreme right lane can also be expected to do the reverse.
-The driver who overtakes you just ahead of an exit can be expected to take that exit.
- The driver who overtakes several vehicles in a row can be expected to then exit the highway in full view of everybody he just overtook.
- The driver who overtook every car, truck, and motorycle he came upon can be expected to reach his destination, only to sit down and put his feet up.
-The driver behind you will overtake you just because?
-And, when he is finally booked by the police for something ridiculous and loses his license, he will ask with great indignation: "Why Me?"


Copyright (c) 2014    Eugene Carmichael

An Unhappy Statistic!

No one can do these two things efficiently at the same time!


Deaths on the road have been steadily declining since the introduction of the points system. A significant 223 fewer people lost their lives in 2013 compared with 2012. That was 223 fewer funerals; 223 fewer families who did not have to cope with such tragedies. In fact, overall, Spain is doing really well when compared with the rest of Europe.

The death toll on Spanish roads per milliom population stands at 36, compared to 52 for other European countries as an average. In my view this problem is totally controllable. Nowhere is it written that when we get in or on our vehicles we have to die. If we all drove soberly and without allowing any other thing to impair our judgement, we will all complete our round trips safely, as most of us do everyday. That still means that we have to be vigilant where there is bad road design that encourages crashes. We still have to maintain our vehicles in good running condition, and we have to avoid driving when we are not fully capable.

Almost half of all road deaths are caused by alcohol or drug consummation, but on a bright note I am becoming aware that there seems to be a growing number of people who choose not to drink if they have to drive. We simply value our license and our cars, and we are also realizing that we don't have to drink to have a good time.

However, we have reached the midway point for 2014 and the number of highway deaths are ahead of last year. We are now in the midst of holiday road trips, so this is worrying. There are changes proposed that when implemented may have a negative effect. We will just have to see how things develop, but any increase in deaths while driving will come as a major disappointment.

Drive safely!  The life you save may be your own.

Copyright (c) 2014   Eugene Carmichael

Using a 4X4 for what it was designed for.

Sunset from the Top of the World: Photo by Lorna Carmichael


My son's first car is a Nissan 4X4. It is older than he is, and it's as tough as a fighting bull. We learnt to drive off-road over terrain we thought was impossible. We did that because he has a  love of the mountains. In fact, he is in training to become a certified mountain guide. For a young lad who was born in a country, Bermuda, that does have hills, but no mountains, this is a quantum leap forward from anything he would have done had he remained in Bermuda.

He invited his Mom and myself to see the sunset from the top of a mountain range. Naturally we agreed, and so we set off toward the evening. Along the way we found ourselves alongside many shiny 4X4's that would never go anywhere near a real mountain road. Such roads are not paved, are full of potholes, many with water in them, which means mud. Many people buy big 4X4's to make the school run. The best thing I can say about that is that they do provide good defense against other traffic, but otherwise they have no intention of going seriously off-road. 

On the run up to the top of the Sierra Calderona we switched to 4X4 mode, and the car rode over rocks and roots and big ruts with absolute ease. My son has made this run several times so he has his favourite spots where we closed all the windows for a run through the mudbaths. Of course, as occupants of the car we got thrown around a bit. You had to hold on tight, but finally we came to one of the many lookout points.

The view is truly breathtaking. From that point all Valencia city can be seen, as well as north along the coast and far south. Then, as promised, we took in this spectacular sunset across the top of our world. There are many people who were born in this region, who have lived all their lives in this region, and have never seen this sight. For us it was a real privilege.

It seems that there is a seperate and really special group of car owners who form a club of  adventurists who have found out how diverse Spain really is. That only becomes apparent once you get off the beaten track.

To discover the real Spain you may have to trek through the mud; to cross over a river or two; and to get high in the mountains, high above the crowd where the select group spend their time. Once in a while I get to see a 4X4 with a snorkel that is covered in mud, and I have to ask myself; I wonder where he's been? I bet he has some interesting stories to tell.

Copyright (c) 2014   Eugene Carmichael

A bad week for close calls!

We have to take extra care when these are around.

This week, ending July 5th, 2014, has been one of extreme weather, including heavy hail in the north of Spain, and heavy rain everywhere else. Life had to go on regardless under sometimes very trying conditions. At times like those our normal lack of concentration tends to become non-existant, leading to all sorts of encounters. For some reason I seem to have been in all the wrong places at all the wong times. Yet, nothing actually happened to me, however, I was observer to more than I cared to see.

There was the cyclist who merrily rode his bike into the side of the car ahead of me. The cars were turning from a major road, during which we had to cross over the sidewalk. Cyclists and pedestrians were required to Give Way to the turning traffic. The pedestrians had no problem with this,  but the cyclist was in a world of his own. Fortunately he was not moving quickly and did no damage to himself or the car. I'm so glad he didn't hit my Jag. I think I would have been cool, or at least I hoped I would have.

Same day, I was driving along the lane next to the bus lane in the city while the rain was coming down by the bucketfull. Up ahead the road turned to the left, but with a branch off to the right, which is where I needed to go. On my right was the lane for buses and taxis, meaning I had to cross over their lane. Although I was indicating a right turn the buses gave no quarter, they simply thundered on past, leaving me stopped in my lane while all other traffic carried on past. When the bus lane was clear I made my right turn. A very dangerous piece of road, engineered and designed to promote crashes.

We tend to think that road designers actually know what they are doing. Sometimes, perhaps.

Incident number three: Picture in your mind's eye two parallell secondary roads that lead into a major road on the edge of a city. I was stopped for traffic while waiting to enter secondary road one which was on my left, when a car emerged from secondary road two, indicating a right turn onto the major road. A pizza man on his scooter at the stop sign on secondary road one, saw the right turn signal of the car, that had not cancelled itself,  and misinterpreted it to mean  that the car would turn into the road the pizza man was on. So, he just moved off to cross the road, but to his horror the car continued straight for the scooter. Pizza Man screamed Stop!! I screamed Oh No! The driver stood on his brakes narrowly avoiding slamming into the scooter, and thereby avoiding some scraped paintwork on my Jag. Whew!

There were a couple other incidents where bikers passed me on the inside and continued on ahead zigzagging between the cars, or prematurely pulling out into traffic risking a broadside.

The week is now over, the sun is back, and my Jag is safe and sound in the garage. The irony of everything is that when there is such bad weather I would not even consider taking the Jag out. However, my internal fan system is out of commission on my everyday use Volvo at present. The moral of the story is that a car is a car, and it is to be used in all manner of weather. I have been treating my Jag as thought it is a little kitten, rather than a bg cat. I usually wash it before putting it in the garage, and then I cover it, including absorbing sponge where it might get knocked as I move around the garage.

Mother Nature has a way of bringing us to our senses!

Stay focused and aware of cyclists, and motorcyclists at all times. It would help if they wore reflective vests to help us drivers to spot them.

"Be Seen to be Safe!"

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

Mobile phone use while driving can kill!

There is a motorcycle in this picture

This is a strip of pictures that is making the rounds of the Internet with the intention of making people aware that using mobile phones while driving is such a distraction that all manner of incidents might arise.

This car is specially placed on show to drive home the point of what can happen.

The car was being driven by a young woman. She was stopped at a side street while at the same time having a conversation on her mobile. In the car with her was a passenger. She moved out into the traffic without noticing the motorcycle coming at her at 85 mph. The cycle slammed into the side of the car, and is still inside the car, where the driver also ended up.

All three people were instantly killed!

Personally, I have trained myself to sometimes just let the dammed phone ring. The things that people interrupt to answer the phone immediately is amazing. We will tell the person to whom we are speaking to wait while we answer the phone. We will interrupt our meal, and we will even interrupt the act of sex. How riduclous is that?

Mankind is not wired to always be instantly contactable. Just the fact that the phone is able to ring generates a certain amount of stress. So, these are my recommendations: (a) when the phone rings while driving, either make a mental note to answer when you get to your destination, or find a safe place off the road where you can turn off the engine, (to save yourself a fine) and then answer or return the missed call.

(b) while in conversation with another person and the phone rings, just let it ring. You can return the call when it's convenient; (c) avoid the practise I see so many people engaging in, and that is sitting down at a restaurant table and whipping out your phone, or, just as bad, using your phone to text while at the movies, and, if you even might engage in any kind of lovemaking, turn the phones off, or you may find the whole thing is a turn off.

I know no-one will heed my advice, but there, I've said it.

Copyright (c) 2014   Eugene Carmichael

A Driver-Less future awaits?

I told you So!

Sorry about that. However, twenty-five years ago I celebrated my 50th birthday by writing a full page article for a newspaper that covered the first fifty years of my life.  In hindsight it was an interesting thing to do because over that first fifty years there were monmentous things that had happened, including the start of World War Two and the Franco dictatorship here in Spain in the year of my birth. I feel a little arkward about that connection, but I really had nothing to do with either event.

Without doubt, the greatest thing to have happened during the first fifty years was the coming  of the computer and the digital age. That changed everything in a bloodless coup that continues to this day, and will affect life far into the future. I ended my essay by making a few predictions about the future, one of which was that the day was coming when we would no longer have to actually drive our cars. That was based on the fact that there were so many lives being lost on the roads, usually because somebody failed to do what they should have, or did something that they should not, that something had to be done to take the responsibility out of the hands of humans. In other words, humans were the principal problem, or so I thought.

Google has taken up that challenge and have advanced the science to such a degree that laws are being passed in anticipation of the day when it will all be so common place not to do the driving ourselves. However, at the time I made the prediction it did cross my mind to wonder just how could that possibly work in reality. I can imagine programming one's car to drive us between our homes and our place of work, or to other principal destinations. In real life that's not how we live. Now, I get in my car, and sometimes even I have no real idea of where I will go. Now I have the flexibility of changing my mind on a moment's notice, and driving to the exact location.

I think that perhaps the easy part of engineering a self drive car, especially one without steering wheel, may already have been done. Now how do we continue to move about with the degree of freedom we have become accostumed to?

Congratulations to Google, of all people for their advance in this field. I do wonder why it is Google rather than an auto manufacturer that is leading the way. Could it be that auto manufacturers know all too well about recalls for faults that in some cases have led to deaths, even though the vehicle was under the control of a human. I can see an experience that will go well, just so long as nothing will fail in the operating system. Assuming they got it right to begin with, we all know that as machines age they being to crash, just like my computer does when it has a mind to. But to have my machine crash while it's on my table is one thing.

We are taking another quantum step into a very brave new world. Who knows what awaits us?


Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael  

Trains and buses and seatbelts

I do love trains

A reader of The Costa Blanca News wrote a letter to the editor which resonated with me. He complains that at great expense trains and tracks are equipped to allow for travel at speeds up to 300 kph, but in all that preparation an obvious part of the safety precautions for the passenger has been overlooked. That being seatbelts.

In April and May I rode the AVE from Valencia to Madrid roundtrip. I thoroughly enjoyed riding the train and marvelled at how the trip has been reduced from more than three hours to just one hour and a half. Older Spanish residents can tell you they remember the time when getting between Valencia and Madrid was as much of an effort as getting to a country across the Atlantic is today.

When so much is made of the importance of safety belts in airplanes and cars we have to wonder why trains, especially the fast trains are not fitted with them. Older buses don't have them and the Metro is not fitted with them, so from the passenger's perspective it is very much a case of mixed messages.

Do seat belts save lives? Absolutely they do. We are all learning to stay buckled up while in the air. If you have ever experienced a sudden drop while flying, anyone who is not securely buckled in gets slammed against the ceiling, only to get slammed to the floor when the plane stablises. When on a bus that crashes into something, all the people keep going. That does not end well at all. In cars we step in and automatically buckle up. Anyone without his done up and the driver gets fined. I have delayed moving forward until my reluctant passenger has buckled up.

Lady Diana gave her life in proving the point that seat belts are important and that they must be used. We have certainly had as many examples as we need of what happens when there are no restraints, the most recent being the high speed train crash in Santiago de Compestela.

The question that troubles me concerning why there are no seatbelts on the AVE trains is: when travelling at 300 kph is surviability even possible, with or without seatbelts?

Maybe the answer is no, which is why they simply haven't bothered.

Life is all about risks!


Copyright (c)  2014   Eugene Carmichael

Summertime driving.

What is it about this type of driving that is so compelling?



Summertime and driving go hand in hand to the extent that those people who don't own a car feel the urge. To pack the car with, of all things, children and tons of stuff and head out for a road trip is an annual ritual that is sacred. Here in Spain there are times when authorities specially prepare for what constitutes the great escape from the cities, followed by the great return.

What bothers me is that during these times the death rate on the roads spikes upwards, but it need not be so. It's true that a great many more vehicles are concentrated on the roads within a short span of time, however, if drivers were to increase their own vigilance and use common sense crashes would simply not occur.

For instance, when taking road trips in the past there have been stretches of road when I was driving that offered spectaculr scenery. I am yet to see it because as the driver I had to keep my eyes on the road and to drive very carefully. I could not allow myself to be distracted by anything. The consequence of that is that we are home safely, as are all the other people whom we passed going in the opposite direction. Each of we drivers upheld our individual responsibilities, but the net result is that all of our passengers enjoyed the drive and the scenery. We drivers will have to go back as passengers to see what all the raving was about.

The other thing about summer driving is to put the top down if we have a convertible. This is a strange concept, one that looks great, but if you drive a convertible you will know that it is a hot, and sometimes uncomfortable experiance. The windscreen keeps the wind  from directly cooling you down while the lack of a top has the full power of the sun raising your temperature. And then, there is the rain. The surest way to bring the rain is by lowering the top of the car.

But still, after all's said and done, Summertime is best and it raises our spirits like nothing else. So, here's wishing everyone safe driving and a most enjoyable time in the great outdoors. Just leave alcohol alone if you have to drive.

Copyright (c) 2014   Eugene Carmichael

A Big Bubble Building!

Brand new cars awaiting buyers

When car manufacturers roll new cars off the assembly line the cars are placed in large lots awaiting orders and shipment to dealers. That is perfectly normal. However, it is  May, 2014, and more and more parking lots like the one above are appearing in far too many places, full of unsold stock. This is not are pretty sight and it feels uncomfortably like another bubble that is building towards bursting.

At what point do manufacturers say, enough already!

Without quoting the statistics, it's very easy to see that manufacturing of cars and trucks and busses is very big business. In the United States the combined group of employees who provide seperate parts and who turn out the final product is so huge, that whenever the order goes out to shut down the assembly line the impact is negatively felt throughout every corner of the American economy. This is an industry that is too huge and too important to fail.

However, it is indeed failing. The economic crash of 2008  that reverberated around the world is still with us. The United States, through the help of the Federal Reserve has made a strong comeback. Or, has it? Housing starts are indeed up, and the great middle class are back to spending the country back to good health. But, there are all these unsold cars, and the inventory keeps expanding everyday.

I can see this with my own eyes,  right here in Valencia, Spain. I would like to think that there is a large turnover  in the parking zones for new vehicles, rather than the very same ones. The numbers seem to be getting larger, not that I am actually counting them over at the Cheste grounds, but I don't have a good feeling about this.

The problem is that people like myself, retired and afraid for my pension cannot just go out and buy a new car every year, or for that matter, at all. I am being served by my  faithful 1995 Volvo. I frankly love this car, but a brand new Volvo would be nice too. Perhaps I could donate my old faithful to a new immigrant who is trying to get a step up. There are also several other model cars that I fancy. It would be nice to have a Jeep Patriot,  the new Jaguar to stand side by side with my classic Sovereign; and of course, a Mercedes S Class.

I would love to make that my contribution to the motor industry, but were I to have so many cars we would need a big new house to stable them. (We haven't gone through my wife's dream list as yet, or my son's.) I'm sure this kind of contribution to the building industry would be appreciated, but the trouble is that we have built so many houses, I fear we don't need to build another for the next 20 years.

As we say here in Spain, falta dinero! I know what I could do with the money, now all I need is the money. I am patiently waiting for my Big win to happen on the lottery. When that happens there are a lot of people who should be sitting down.

Copyright (c) 2014   Eugene Carmichael

P.S. Today is Day 79 and flight MH370 is still missing. Is anyone looking for it in NorthWestern Australia?