Because it feels Right!

I have been a critic of the people who are in charge of placing speed limit signs throughout the country because they often do silly things.  Keep in mind that we must be travelling at no more than the posted limit when we pass the sign, all too often no real thought has been put into whether the driver can actually comply without standing on the brake.

We are constantly confronted by speed reduction signs that take us down from 120 to 90 to 70 to 40 over a breathtakingly short strip. Then there are those strips of road that allow us to go from 50 upon exiting the town to 70, and then, just when you don't expect, back to 50 again. We should have simply held it at 50 in the first place.

There are some very long strips of road where no one can be sure of what the limit is because there are no postings. I have seen the police take full advantage of the confusion by regularly conducting radar checks in that area. Needless to say many poor sods are pulled over and relieved of money that was intended for the mortgage.

There is one area in which the authorities do get it right, and so I must be a supporter. It occcurred to me that for some considerable time I have driven at what feels like a comfortable and safe speed, in ideal conditions. Then I see the posted speed limit and a glance at my speedometer reveals I am cruising at exactly that speed. This has happened so many times that I have come to feel that in this instance they have got it right. Naturally, when conditions change so should we adjust our speed.

The condition of our tyres are crucial, and the state of the road surface does matter. In a recent television documentary that looked at stopping distances, it is amazing how we can go from stopping efficiently within a short predictable distance, to sliding right out of the frame and presumably into the vehicle ahead of us. The fault for that will absolutely be the driver coming from behind.

The point of this is to highlight the fact that too much speed is normally present in every crash.. Even speed that is not outrageously fast can still be too fast for the siuation. For instance, when driving among a lot of people who are walking 20kph would be way too fast. I suggest  we take our lead from the speed limit signs under ideal conditions. In this they seem to have got it right.

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael

REST FREQUENTLY WHEN DRIVING LONG DISTANCES. TIREDNESS IS A KILLER.

S-T-O-P

Four little letters that, when put together are the cause of so much confusion and trouble. Here in Spain many of the elderly drivers were granted their permits before it became necessary to sit the complicated present day exams, and before the introduction of the international road signage.

The Spanish word commanding a driver to stop is Alto! Suddenly in place of Alto signs, Stop signs appeared. You wouldn't have to be a rocket scientist to work out what it meant, but if they ignored an Alto sign they certainly would ignore a Stop  sign.

The maximum speed limit in my country (Bermuda) is 35 kph. People slide past Stop signs here cruising at 35 k and consider that they have effectively stopped. It's as though when they see a stop sign they respond by saying, "Who? Me?"

Often, while driving along secondary roads, an estate road will connect, but at an angle, so that the driver on the main road can actually see the stop sign. Fortunately I was driving in the opposite direction, but I saw a person who was on that side of the road actually stop for the sign, with a bewildered look on their face. That look would have been worse had there been traffic behind him.

I was at a red light when traffic coming from the opposite direction started to move. There was the light signals, and also a stop sign. The first car started to move, then it stopped at the junction where the stop sign was, and once feeling secure that no other traffic was crossing with him,  he moved off. The following three cars all did the same thing, not realising that the stop sign is only there in case the lights are not working. The hierachy of authority in road signs are; policeman, traffic lights, standing road sign, painted sign on asphalt.

The most contentious issue with stop signs here is, how much stop is necessary? I know that sounds peculiar, but I will give an example. I was waiting for someone just off a junction that had six entrances, and consequently six stop signs. As I had nothing else to do I idly noticed that during the twenty minutes I was there not one vehicle came to a dead stop. It was constantly busy but not once did a vehicle stand absolutely still for even a fraction of a minute, unless I missed it. I think even Hollywood might have trouble choreographing that. Each of those drivers evidently felt that no actual standstill was necessary. 

i don't know why we have such trouble in obeying such a simple directive, but we do. The other side of that is if a policeman is standing and watching he will likely not be satisfied with the length of time a driver considers that he has stopped moving. I heard about an argument between an Indian national and a policeman, whereby the Indian gentleman was heard to say: " The sign says Stop, it doesn't say Stay!"

Enough said!

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael

Spoilt for Choice

There was a time when a car was a relatively simple mechanism that gave basic information, and got it's driver and passengers from A to Z. Now, they are over-engineered computers, some of which drive themselves more efficiently than we humans. If you think like me and are impressed by gadgets and gizmos, your work is cut out for you when trying to choose the next car to buy.

There is a lot of one's personality present in the model and make of car that we spend our time in getting around in with pride. It's a shame that budget has to come into it. Otherwise, it would be a case of show me the car you drive and I will tell you who you are.

I have a wish list that will come into play the day I win the Euro Millions jackpot. At the very top of my list is the Maserati. I will order two, one in black and the other in British Racing Green. If I am asked for an explanation as to why, I shall reply, it's a Maserati, no explanation neccessary.

Second on my list is my beloved Jaguar. When I lived in England, many moons ago, I owned an XK 120, British Racing Green and convertible. It was while driving that car to the Queen Elizabeth Hall, dressed in my tux to attend a concert conducted by Colin Davis, under the patronage of the Queen Mother, that I stopped at a red light and was immediately mistaken for Lenny Henry by three young girls. (I signed your autographs for you, and I gracefully accepted their kisses for you as well. Hope that's O.K. with you, Len.) 

That was the beginning of a very long love affair between me and Jaguar. I now drive an XJ6 Sovereign, which for me is the classic design for Jaguars. The newest XF model is taking some time to grow on me. I know that the engineering is there, but I'm still only lukewarm to the design.

I know that the Mercedes S-type model has always led the way in new innovations, and it truly is a wonder in new everything. The S-type gets all the new advances first, so really, if I do win some big money I should really get myself around to Mercedes right away, but I am not really the Mercedes type. That can also be said about me and various other quality cars, such as a Rolls, and the Land Rover. I always think of the people who own them as tweedy types with patches on the elbows of their jackets. I must admit I do stop and look as a Range Rover goes by. There is sex appeal in that car.

Everybody's friend, Jay Leno, who must be a Libra, gave up trying to make a choice of which car to have and simply has one of everything. What a lucky man.

The buying public is faced with a bewildering range of  brands and makes and models. Perhaps it is price that needs to narrow the range, but one thing we notice is that the same chassis can be found across a number of brands. My present everyday car is a Volvo 850, a very old car, admittedly, but a fine piece of machinery that is so reliable it is hard to find a reason to part company with it. You know what it is like to have an old pair of very comfortable slippers. That's the feeling I have for my Volvo. However, the day is coming when I will move on, and for all my talk about Maserati and Mercedes I will most probably choose a Volvo XC60. For my 30,000 euros I will get safety, comfort, styling, and gizmos as usual, and life will continue to be good.

Volvo, brought to us by the Swedish folks who will host the next EuroVision song contest.  We can be sure it will be a stylish and safe show.

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael  

A Most Curious Trend

In my day, I would often be seen to just sit in my car at the end of my journey without moving. It may have seemed strage to observers,  but what I was doing was simply listening to something on my eight track, or cassetteplayer, or later my CD player, finish the track that was giving me such pleasure.

Now, people sit there in their cars and respond to their wassup messages for ages although they are home.

Wives have complained of husbands who never listen to what they say. The frustration that that causes have led many couples to the divorce court. Now, neither husband or wife pays the slightest attention to one another. You see it when a party of people enter a restaurant and sit down. Out come the smartphones and all goes quiet. Nobody says a word to each other at the table. They all speak to people who aren't there.

A young woman has been killed because she was looking at her smartphone instead of where she was going. She walked in front of a tram and was run over. That is so sad, and a prime example of how serious this trend can be.

I noticed a car come to stop at a red light, and a second car drew up behind. Both drivers had their head buried in their phones, so they didn't notice that the light had changed to green. It changed back to red and they were still immersed. Finally, they realised they should be checking for green. There was a time when the second car would have honked if the lead car did not move instantly they got the green. .

I no longer go to see movies in the cinema because if the person next to me loses interest in the movie, out comes the phone and I have to put up with this bright light that distracts me. Whatever happened to the usual pest who simply talked all the way through because he had seen the movie before?

I am a person who, from time to time has done public speaking. If someone in the audience didn't like the speaker, traditionally you could expect heckling. These days they simply record your speech and send it worldwide with the question: Do you think this is the most boring person on earth, or what?

The alcholic who sits in the street talking to himself has always been a feature of society. A comic said that perhaps we should not make fun of such people because as far as we knew, he might have been having a conversation with a friend across town. The alcholic is still there doing his thing, but now he is joined by all of us drivers with bluetooth who drive along talking up a storm to nobody we can see. But, they do hear voices in their heads as they use their handsfree devices, and those disembodied voices are coming from across town, or the country, and even some are from other countries.

I truly do want to live to celebrate at least my 100th birthday, just so that I can see where this world will be at that point. By then our cars will be driving themselves which will leave us free to think of other things to do enroute.

Any thoughts?

Copyright (c) 2015  Eugene Carmichael