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