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 !