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