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?

For the avoidance of All Doubt

This week, a driver reported that law enforcement officers pulled him over while driving and charged him with using his mobile phone while moving.He protested his innocence that he had neither made or received a call, and that the phone's log could prove it. The officers were adamant and he suffered a fine of 100 euros with the loss of three points from his license.

Police officers are only human, and as such they might indeed think they saw something such as illegal use of a mobile. What can we do as drivers to counter this possibility?

My suggestion is that we place our mobile phones in the luggage compartment of the car. If you are a woman, or a man with a man bag, and if you place the bag in the luggage compartment there can be no doubt that you could have used the mobile phone while driving. There would also be the added security that no thief could reach into the car to snatch the bag.

However, when placing the bag into the boot take careful note if there are people close to the car, because you will close the boot and walk forward leaving the contents vulnerable. If it is momentarily safe, then once in the car, lock all the doors.

The same advice is offered regarding alcohol that has been opened. It should be carried in the boot so that there can be no doubt that anybody in the car had been drinking while the car was in motion.

I agree that this is an extreme measure and a nuisance, but if it saves you a fine and the loss of points from your license I think you might agree that it will be worth the effort.

Copyright (c) 2014   Eugene Carmichael

The New traffic Laws are now effective! Beware!

The Comandments of the Road Code

I have saved this change in the law till last because I think it is the most contentious. It is the law that states that in a collision between a motorist and a wild animal, unless there has been authorised activity to corral or hunt animals in a specific area in the very recent past, the fault shall be deemed that of the motorist.

I have always believed that a collision with a wild animal is the only real accident that occurs. If the animal is the responsibility of some person, a collision means that the animal has escaped the control of its master. A wild animal has no controller, and has even escaped the animal control fence that runs along the side of most highways.

The State can place warning signs in areas where animal activity has ben noted so that motorists can be aware, but if it happens it will be sudden and most likely unavoidable. Personally, I have been very lucky in that all my encounters with animals have resulted in narrow avoidence. Keep in mind that conventional wisdom advises that we not swerve to avoid colliding with an animal as that places in danger those people in other cars, as well as your own passengers and yourself.

This is a law that potentially makes a culprit of a motorist when said motorist can have no real control to avoid running into an animal that takes it into its head to bolt out into the roadway. In my opinion this is completely unfair to the motorist.

There is no point in my saying that we should take care.

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

Would you have a Mercedes to drive at 35 kph Max?

This is The Bermuda Highway

When American visitors first visit the island the first thing that they notice is that Bermuda drives  on the left. The second thing they notice is that they never ever find the main highway. Nothing like what they left in the United States. Most people think their king-sized mattress is wider than Bermuda's roads. The continuous middle unbroken line is the same throughout the system. Overtaking in never legally sanctioned.

So, why on earth would you buy a top performing car such as a Mercedes or BMW? You wouldn't do so for any practical reason, because it is highly unlikely that you will ever reach fifth gear. Not only are the roads very narrow, they are also congested. The island is controlled by a law that allows only one car per household. However, when Bermuda's economy was raging people bought their own homes just so they could have their own cars. Now, Bermuda has too many homes and too many cars.

Government tried to discourage the high-end cars by applying an import tax of 110% of the landed value of these cars. Clearly you would have to have more money than you knew what to do with to buy these cars. The fact is that many people who want to show off are doing just that.

The most popular car on the island has become the American Jeep, especially the Jeep Patriot right hand drive.  I personally like this particular model and I think I would have this car if I lived there.

Add to the tiny roads and the massive traffic buildup the fact that Bermuda has a fleet of buses that are driven by the most expert drivers, as well as trucks delivering cargo containers to and from ships. The chaos is incredible and calls for totally sober drivers who are focused.

Oh! Did I mention the tourists on their mopeds who are anything but focused?

Happy motoring folks! Small wonder the maximum speed limit is 35 kph.

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

New Laws - Continued

Caution! New Laws Ahead

One of the things I observed when I first came to Spain was that many men went through every day pissed out of their minds. It started with coffee at breakfast that was embellished with brandy, and that was followed up with a litre of beer at eleven that went with a bocadillo. Then, if the guy was a construction worker he would go back up on the scaffolding and fall off, and then wonder what happened. At lunch time you could drink a full bottle of wine if you wanted, because wine cost less than coca cola. During the later afternoon a short coffee with a good shot of whisky would be just fine. Then at night there would be more alcohol, but in the meantime he drove to work and then back home, and whereever else he had to go.

It was so common I thought it would never change, but change it has, and along with the change of habits has come a huge drop in deaths on the road. Now to push a little harder the incentives to not drink and drive just increased by 100%. The punishment for drinking and then getting on your bike or in your car just went from 500 euros to 1000 euros for a first offense, if you didn't actually kill yourself. Then, if you were so silly to do it again the cost goes to 2,000 euros. Don't even think about a third offense. The same thing goes for the druggies who prefer to take their poison directly in their veins.

When I saw how people were making an effort to sober up I concluded that I would simply not touch a drop of alcohol if there is even a possibility that I may have to drive because these roads are crazy enough as it is. How do I feel about the crackdown?  Frankly, considering how much trouble a drunk driver could cause innocent people, I say if the new punishments serve to save just one family from misery, then so be it. That includes myself should I lose my mind and drink and drive.

A funny side to the new regs is that pedal cyclists are no longer subject to keeping their speed up to a minimum of 50% of the maximum. Many roads that cyclists use carry a maximum limit of 80, so can you just see a poor cyclist struggling on an uphill stretch to keep it up to 40 kilometroes. It's enough to give you a heart attack.

Finally, the parliament is seriously considering increasing the limit along some stretces from 120 to 130 klms, but that really means that people  who regularly drive at 130 can now drive at 150. I see this as a sort of reward for being disciplined and obeying the regs, to let off a little steam. If it doesn't lead to an increase in the death rate on the road, then all will be well.

Unfortunately, we'll just have to wait and see.


Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

How do you make a Boeing 777-200ER Disappear?

By paying attention to the smallest detail.

When I first heard that MH370 had gone off course and its identifying systems had been shut down I muttered to myself, "Oh Shit!" Al Qaeda up to its nefarious tricks again. However, I have held this theory to myself as I have watched developments spellbound for almost one full month. The more I see the more I am convinced that we are watching the execution of a well crafted and supported plan that has been a long time in the making and preparation.

If we accept that all we think we know of the plane's movements were caused by deliberate human action with a purpose, then we can expect that the plane has not crashed into the Indian Ocean, except through an accident, but is rather safely parked somewhere in North Western Australia under a false mountain, and the passengers and crew are the guests of their abductors awaiting the other shoe to fall.

This may sound far- fetched, but if Disney can make whole sets of buildings and mountains of fake material, so can Al Qaeda. There is the Great Sandy Desert in the North West of Australia, and Australia is bigger than all of Europe with a whole lot of unoccupied space, so its just a matter of having got the plane down without it being noticed.

Al Qaeda promised that something was going to happen, and they would have the ego to outdo their 9/11 "masterpiece."  The modus operandi is the same. With 9/11 they first flew one plane into tower one, and when they had the world's attention they flew the second plane into the other tower.

MH370 has completely dropped off the face of the earth for almost one full month and the greatest mystery of all time has consumed the world. It is topic A  around the world which mimmicks the crash into the first tower. Now, while everybody is paying attention we can expect something new to happen, perhaps on April 8th, being the one month anniversary of the disappearance.

So far an intensive sea search has been taking place involving a massive assortment of men and equipment at a staggering cost, but it all reminds me of the great magicians who make gigantic objects appear and disappear before our eyes through the use of misdirection. While the search has been taking place at sea they could have had time to cover their tracks on land.

Some people have suggested that the terrorists may have stolen the plane for a future attack. Why not steal a cargo plane? Because if people are stolen as well that involves a great many families and we can all empathise with them. That's the human factor.

What would be the point of this if a terrorist action? Other than theatre there doesn't have to be a real point. The attacks on 9/11 demanded no money or release of prisoners. It was simply Show Business, that demonstrated what Al Qaeda was capable of.

So, stand by and keep vigilant on April 8th, two days from today for Breaking News!

Copyright (c) 2014   Eugene Carmichael 

The Wonderful World of YouTube

A Great place to go To!

YouTube is either a really wonderful world into which we can retreat and spend a great adventure, or it might be this huge maze into which we go to totally lose ourselves for hours on end. A friend sent me a Chris Harris video review about the new Jaguar F-Type Coupe R, 550 hp sports car. The video runs for fifteen minutes and is a delight to watch because the car is wonderful. However, the fifteen minutes I took to watch the video was only the beginning of a full afternoon of going from one video to another. It's an addicition once you get started, as I'm sure is not news to anyone.

A full choice of topics was displayed that got my attention, and held it for hours. So, of course I am going to list some of the videos so you too can get hooked. At least you have my warning that you will absolutely enjoy these videos, including some that will make you laugh uncontrollably. But hey, go for it!

-Best of Car Fail Compilations
-Top Funny Fails
-The luckiest people Compilations
-Women Drivers-How to destroy a car in seconds
-Insane woman driver-Police pursuit in the United States
-Police pursuit of stolen Tank in San Diego

If you go for these six videos you should allow an entire afternoon because you will be still watching, and possibly laughing or holding your breath well into the night.

Enjoy!

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael  

Drivers beware! Here comes another Ten Commandments.

Moses with the famous Ten Commendments

The Spanish Parliament has given a first reading to a raft of new laws of the road, and I hear you say, "Groan..Oh No!" That is because we motorists instinctively know that we're not going to like the new rules. We know this is just another way of reaching into our pockets while perhaps including some common sense measures to keep us out of the hospital.

I will not try and treat all of the new measures in one sitting as it will help us to understand each law if we try and go behind what is written to gain a better understanding. So, over the coming weeks we will select a few and place them in focus.

Perhaps my favourite new measure (not) is that the police will be able to fine a vehicle without having to bother to stop it and give the driver a ticket. I can see situations in which this may be desirable, such as a passing motorist on the mobile phone, or even speeding if taking chase will place others in danger There are also a large number of numbskull drivers who deliberately run red lights, some from a stopped position. However, what concerns me is that there is so much inefficiency within the bureaucracy that even if you take the time to go to Trafico and report your change of address they might still go on sending trafic tickets to your old address for years. That way, a ticket that goes unpaid turns into a kind of bond which attracts interest in the government's favour. When it finally comes to your attention you find that the tickets is worth more than your house. That could never be anybody's else's fault other than the owner of the car. Could it?

There will be a change that will affect pedal cyclists that will require only riders up to the age of sixteen to wear helmets. Originally the thinking was that all cyclists be required to wear them, however, adults, who should have more intelligence, objected that to have to wear a helmet would disturb their hairstyle, and that it just isn't necessary because they are never travelling that fast. This was a very vocal group that made more noise about it than was appropriate, so I suppose authorities threw their hands in the air and concluded that if the restriction is only applied to children who are not legally able to make the decision for themselves, than the adults will just have to learn for themselves that when you come off a pedal cycle and land on your head and go to hospital, the first thing they do there is cut your hair off to try and treat your injury.

The hope is that the rider's head will be hard enough to substitute for a helmet. Should children be found riding without a helmet, even those children who left home wearing one at their parent's insistence, their parents will be fined 200 euros. Bet that will be taken out of the inheritance.

Speaking of children, none will be allowed to ride in the front passenger seat if their height doesn't measure at least 1.35 metres, unless the back seat if full of children, or if the car doesn't have a back seat.

This seems to be a safety regulation to keep children from possibly losing their lives. It has never been a good idea to place young children or babies in the front passenger seat as in the case of a frontal collision it is doubtful whether a child could survive. So, why the exclusions? Well, the exclusions will save the driver from receiving a ticket and fine, but then he can proceed and go straight to the crash site. What is needed here is better planning. Generally  parents can avoid putting children at this level of risk through cooperation of car sharing. If you have a Porsche two seater you normally won't have kids, or you will use the Volvo, so forget the exclusions. Let's not take the chance with our children's lives and limbs. All we need to avoid doing that is common sense.

More of the New Commandments at a later date.

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael  

You don't want your make and model car on this list!

Honda Accord 1994-One of Honda's most popular models is twenty years old.

This car was one of Honda's most popular which retains its ownership satisfaction even after twenty years. People just don't want to give them up, and it continues to be a smart design. If it were a song it would be a Gold album, but all of those things are also its problems.

Insurance companies keep all sorts of statistics, and unfortunately the 1994 Honda Accord was the car most stolen during 2010 in The United States, and probably elsewhere as well.. Why? Because getting replacement parts from dealers is becoming difficult as this car has now outlived its projected lifespan. But, try telling that to proud and happy owners who want to keep it running, especially as the world economy is still in crisis. To make matters worse, this was a car that was manufactured before vehicle security became sophisticated, so it is easy to get into without damaging the car itself.

So, the black market responds by stealing this model in droves, stripping them down to the bone and the parts end up with legitimate secondhand parts dealers.

An internet article says that an A/C compressor sells for about $350 with no guarantee how long it might work. A part for the ABS braking system could set you back about $450, all to keep your car running until it too is stolen. However, the same article suggests that by simply locking the steering wheel with a club may encourage the thief to look for another car without the secondary lock.

The rest of the list of Most Stolen was as follows:
No. 2 The 1995 Honda Civic. (Again, Honda at the top for the wrong reasons.)
No. 3 The 1991 Toyota Camry
No. 4 The 1999 Chevy Full Size Pickup
No. 5 The 1997 Ford F-150 Series Pickup
No. 6 Dodge Ram 2000
No. 7 Dodge (again) 2000 Caravan
No. 8 Acura 1994 Integra
No. 9 The Big 2000 Ford Explorer
No. 10 The 1999 Ford Tauras

I had a Chrysler Voyager seven-seater that was stolen, and it broke my heart because I loved that car. I was telling a Spanish friend that I had my car stolen, and he replied, Why? Why what? Why did you have your car stolen? Were you trying to get the insurance money? You could go to jail for that!

Some things just don't translate well at all, do they?

Copyright (c) 2014   Eugene Carmichael  

Why don't we slow down?

Multi-vehicle pile ups. We should avoid this happening.

Every winter brings several reports of massive pile ups, sometimes of more than one hundred vehicles. I live in a warm-ish part of the country so the only weather inspired conditions that might lead to massive pile ups is torrential rain. However, I always have to wonder whether extreme weather conditons makes drivers lose our minds.

I have driven in some conditions that scared me to death, but I always slow down, but that in itself can be a cause of  perhaps the first crash in a series. My first exposure was in Toronto during a blizzard. I was so unnerved I pulled off the road at the first motel I came to and fortunately they had a room available where I stayed until the weather cleared.

The problem was that other drivers carried on as though it were a bright and clear day. That fact was that you really couldn't see where you were going, they were just hoping all would be well. I guess their thinking was that they had a long way to go to get to their destination, so they had to keep up their speed. Then, of course, inevitably, they crash into the pileup and fail to get to their destination for days, if at all.

People who live in areas where ice and snow and flooding are normal hazards should also know when to venture out onto the roads, and when not to, and if they have to do so, they will know that if the roads are icy you will slip and slide. It simply doesn't make sense to put your car and other people at risk. YouTube has several videos of cars that slip down some really steep hills. What were the drivers doing there in the first place?

I'm not going to spend too much time dwelling on this topic because the solution to avoiding being part of massive car pile ups is obvious. Time to use common sense and stay out of trouble.

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

A Bright and Sun Shiny Day!

Time to take to the Road!

If it's a Sunday, and sunny and dry and warm, it's like a shot of adrenaline to all we petrol heads. It's time to bring our classic and much beloved cars and motorcycles out from beyond their covers, and to rouse them from their long winter's sleep and hit the road.

A day of really good weather is a call from the heart to get up, and to get out and play. Our spirits are sent soaring, if we have a convertible we put the top down, and for this day we are going to live it to the full. Suddenly, country restaurants that have had very quiet Sunday lunches over the winter are overcome with trade. Life has begun anew as we bask in the glorious rays of the sun, our best friend.

It'sgreat to shake off our blue funk and to smile towards one another. The first signs that Spring may be just around the corner are so hopeful. Even when winter truly sets in we know that with a little patience it will soon be Spring. However, I do admit that for me that may be easy to say, because I have not experienced what so many people have had to deal with concerning the conveyor belt of storms and flooding and such disasters. This time it was your turn, but I know that it will be my turn in the not too distant future. All I have to do is wait for it.

If you could have enjoyed this wonderful day, Sunday, February 23rd, 2014, then I certainly hope you did. It was one for the history books.

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael 

The loss of a beloved car is a death in the Family

A really sad sight.

On my other blog, "Formenseyesonly," I addressed extreme weather as the new normal. Of course people have to worry about the loss of the home, injuries to the person, possible sickness that might follow a severe storm, and even loss of life arising as a result of the trauma. When viewing scenes of mass destruction there will always be destroyed cars in the mix, however for most the loss of a car hardly even registers. Unless you are a petrol head who has a passion for a finely made vehicle.

When times are normal and we have the time to develop interests, many people choose to invest their focus in their cars or motorcycles. I belong to the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club, a group of owners who should treat their wives or husbands as well as they do their cars. Sometimes I think we go way overboard in our passion. I own a Jag Sovereign that was manufactured in 1995, but looks and runs as though it just came out of the showroom. How can this be? For one thing, I drive it very rarely, only on sunny days, and I clean it before returning it to the garage, where I then cover it, including padding where it might be touched or something rested upon it. See what I mean about over the top?

However, even I think that some of my fellow members are really over the top with the type of care and loving attention they vest in their machines.

Now comes the conveyor-belt storms of recent times and rising floods. Do you stay to try and protect your house, or do you take your precious car and flee the area? Perhaps you do the latter, and like so many people the water on the roads overwhelms the car which becomes totally immersed, and it drowns, as though it were a living relative. How do you deal with that?

It's bad enough to have to cope with the loss of the family car and the lack of transport that follows, but something that has had your total focus is enough to drive a person to drink.

I have often wondered what happens to all those cars after the storm. It is no coincidence that the For Sale listing increases, and of course, many cars that have been salvaged from the water will be available for sale. Where only fresh water saturated the car it may be possible to return the car to use, but if salt water submerged the car I would not be interested. Salt is a major killer of cars. On my island, just normal usage where salt spray gets just about everywhere, I have had cars that rusted away from the engine.

So, let us spare a thought for those who loved their cars and motorcycles and lost them to the storms. For such people that must be like adding salt to a gaping wound.

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael 

Imagine my Surprise!

Every day there is a race taking place somewhere on the planet.

I live in a very sleepy town called Pedralba. There are about 800 people in the town itself, and nothing ever happens here of any great interest, or so I thought. In fact, at least once a year a 10K race, called the Carrera Popular Parque Natural is launched from the main street of Calle Colon in Pedralba. What I didn't realise was that this race draws people from all over the Valencian community. I was not aware because I live outside the town limits in the hills, the suburbs, if you will, and I have never bothered to come into town on this day.

This year I decided to see what happens on race day. Firstly, If you live within the town limits, between certain hours you are not allowed to use your vehicle. If you need to go somewhere you will have to move early. Everyone else can only park our cars and bikes on the outskirts. I parked in a farmer's field that had been flattened, but the dirt was very red. Thankfully, it didn't rain, but when the event was done I had to take my car directly to the carwash.

As I walked down into the town, runners who had arrived by car were running downhill, but others were running up hill. As I entered the town proper there were people running one way across town, while others were running in the opposite direction. In fact, choose any street and people were running one way or the other. To confuse things further, a police car, complete with screaming siren, that became even more agitated on corners seemed to be heading some runners, while others completely ignored  it.

As I got to the main road through the town I had to pinch myself because I had never seen so many people in Pedrabla. My estimate, including the townsfolk, is there were between three and four thousand people taking up every available bit of space. I try and imagine the reaction of the farmers, except I suspect they were all out in their fields.

There were runners from places far away, including Chinese, Brazilian, and Eastern Europe, etc, including one black guy and one black woman.

I discovered that there was a principal race that began at 11am. this was the 10K. There were about 1500 people for this event. It was interesting to note that the first runner passed under the starting arch promptly at 11am, and the last one crossed at 11:09.58. Almost 10 minutes to fully start the race.

The day was wonderful, being sunny with a light crisp wind. Not too bad to stand and wait for the runners to return to the end, but absolutely perfect to run in. The first person to cross the finish line did so at 11:34:33, and the last person finished at 13:15:34. She received a really terrific round of applause because she was a really largely built person, so it must have taken tremendous determination to complete the loop.

It was so exciting for me to see my town come so alive, and a whole lot more exciting to have been there than to simply read my account. However, my pride in my little town of Pedralba has grown tremendously. Normally most people don't have a clue where it is located. I always say that it is so remote that it doesn't even have a Chinese 5 and 10 shop. However, I suspect that the Chinese runners would have noticed that. I think we can expect a Chinese Bazar any day now.

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

The Character of the road you drive on.

What lies ahead?

We generally think of a roadway as being something inanimate, without a soul or heart or character. However, that could hardly be farther from the truth. If we fail to recognize what the road has waiting for us up ahead, we could easily come unstuck.

It stands to reason that roadways are built to fit into the land that is available to the roads management group, which may mean that the road contains dangerous twists and turns that ideally should have not been in-built, but could not be avoided. As the driver we have to be on our guard at all times to adjust our speed and to heighten our caution.

A common mistake we make is that we assume that roads management always know what they are doing. Wrong! One classic clue is given when we are leaving a towm and the speed limit goes from 50 to 70, but then, a mere ten metres farther it is reduced back to 50. Why bother with the 70 sign? Is that really intelligent? Many a driver has said, "what the fuck!"

Roads management have done certain things in their design, presumably inadvertant, that give bad mis-direction, such as painting the road to encourage the driver to turn his car to the left at a stop sign, thereby cutting off his line of sight to be able to see oncoming traffic. You will most likely follow this signage at least once, but once could be all that it takes.

Then there is the matter of roundabouts. Here in Spain they have only recently found wide acceptance, but most drivers really are not comfortable using them. For entertainment purposes, find a bar with a terrace that overlooks a roundabout, especially one with several lanes. Good fun, that!

I could go on and on about the fact that roads are living things, but as drivers we only need to be aware that roads can be deadly or kind, to remember to pay strict attention at all times.

Wait until you are back at home to relax with a single malt whisky or a fine brandy. One more day as a survivor of the roads is worth celebrating.

Copyright (c) 2014   Eugene Carmichael

Amazing! The things people say and do from a moving vehicle.

Everybody will chase you if you say the wrong thing.

All drivers suffer from the same illness. When we are behind the wheel we suffer from a lack of patience, and we seem to think that we have the right to say whatever comes to mind, including the making of the most rude gestures. I have had to deliberately think about my own behaviour and tone things down. I have been too ready to slag off others for the slightest offence, as seen from my eyes. Apparently, I have been the very model of all that is right and just. (Yeah, Right!)

Firstly, there's the loss of patience. I am tackling that by taking a deep breath before I turn the key. In that breath is my caution to myself to take things easy. I actually find that it does work, to the extent that I hardly notice the faults of others. I am ready for them by expecting the unexpected, such as the person who is on the exit lane, then changes their mind and suddenly comes back on to the highway. No pasa nada! I try not to immediately go into meltdown by screaming "shit for brains."

People give the bad finger salute to one another, or they taunt the other person even if both cars are going in the same direction. I once came up upon a car that was traveling very slowly, so I made as to overtake him. He picked up speed, so I fell back behind him. Then he slowed right down to a crawl pace. O.K. War was declared! My head exploded, but I took that deep breath and thought through to how that was likely to end. So, at the very next turnoff, I took a left onto the side road and stopped off the road, and calmed myself down. Within seconds I could hear from up the road the sounds of several cars blowing their horns, then calm again, so presumably he picked up speed to everyone's satisfaction. I did not kill a man that day.

A really offensive thing is the driver who roars up behind you, honking his horn for you to get out of his way. I really do believe that in most cases this is simply not necessary, but there might be the one case of genuine emergency, so best to let the person get past you without taking offence.

Road rage can produce some alarming behaviour, and sometimes the offended driver might take chase. How is that likely to end? The nicest thing to have happened to me on a lonely road, was to meet a car coming towards me. We both had to slow right down to make the pass. Just as we were driver to driver, the woman behind the wheel raised her shirt revealing two very lovely breasts. Then, in an instant she was gone.

That happened about thirty years ago. It is as fresh in my mind today as when it happened. That was just lovely!

Copyright (c) 2014   Eugene Carmichael

The Greatest danger to you and me: Texting while driving!

Why do we even think this is a reasonable thing to do?

Firstly, there is the distinction between our living rooms and our cars: In our living rooms we are free to do as we please as usually we are able to concentrate on whatever we wish. In our cars we are obliged to concentrate on one thing only while in motion, and that is the road ahead.

With that in mind, first came mobile phones that were used solely for the sending and receiving of oral messages. We thought that was just so cool to be in contact while on the move. However, from the start the phone was a dangerous distraction. That led to the development of the handsfree unit that allowed the driver to talk and still keep his eyes on the road. However, focus is still drawn away from the thousand things that must be avoided ahead, and so the crashes continued.

Now, twitter, facebook, and a number of other social sites encourage text messages to the extent that people have become addicts to their phones. It's a strange event to occur in our lives that when a phone rings our immdeiate response is to stop what we are doing to answer, even if we are in the act of physically making love. That is simply taking matters way over the top!

In the United States of America, a report on 2009 distracted driving crashes found that 5,474 people died as a result of drivers who were distracted by others in the car; by eating, drinking, smoking, adjusting the radio, making other adjustments, reaching for an object, such as the electronic lighter and lighting cigarettes; and of course, the use of mobile phones accounting for 20% of the total.

Texting behind the wheel while in motion is on the increase, but if the simple use of even a hands-free phone to hold a conversation is dangerous, the use of a device that requires the driver to look at it while sometimes driving at speed increases the risk that other people will be killed by the potenially lethal machine under the driver's control; but so is that likely for the driver and the passengers in the car.

What this comes down to is that the driver has to enact self discipline. If we need to send a message urgently we must find a safe place to pull off the road, shut down the engine and send the message. For incoming message and calls, let it ring. No one really expects for you to be always and instantly available. If that is what they think they are simply wrong and should be made to understand that is not possible.

I know this is possible to do because I have mastered the discipline. It is not an easy thing, I admit, but at least I am content to know that whatever happens, the likelihood that I will be the one responsible for some one else's death is minimal.

While reflecting on this it would be good to remember that there are at least two major incidents where trains have crashed, resulting in many deaths and lasting injuries to hundreds and hundreds of people, all because the drivers were distracted by their mobile phones.

That is really something to take away from this presentation.

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

1,112! A perverse sort of celebration, but encouraging!

192 fewer of these is cause to celebrate!

The year, 2013 closed marking more progress on the war against death on the roads. Even since the year that the points system was introduced in Spain there has been an unrelenting downward drop in the number of people who have lost their lives in driving crashes. It is very curious that before the points system it was pointed out to drivers that if they continued to act with complete disregard to the rules of the road, they would likely lose their lives. That made no impression at all, but the moment we realised that we could lose our driving permit, the message sunk in.

The loss of life in 2012 stands at 1, 304, but for 2013 the number was 1, 112, a drop of 192. I seem to remember that the worst year on record saw 7, 877 people lose their lives, at a time when there was only a small fraction of the cars and drivers compared to today. Should we see a further drop of 12% this year, for the first time fewer than 1,000 people will lose their lives on the roads.

I sincerely hope that the DGT doesn't lose sight of that goal, and that they will centre a campaign around that objective. I promise to do my part. Will you?

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael 

Ladies and Gentlemen, Start your Engines!

Welcome 2014!

So far, we are doing well in ending the old year with fewer people dead from road clashes. It seems that either the road hooligans are growing up and learning to stop being stupid, or they died along the way. For instance, at our new year dinner at a restaurant there were two designated drivers who remained absolutely sober with the responsibility of getting everyone home safely. Deaths on Valencia's road fell by a third over last year, so the message is getting home.

We will have to wait and see what the final figures are country-wide for the year. I can only hope that they too will be down on last year. No where is it written that when you get your driving permit you have to die on the road.

During 2014 we will have to be aware that the DGT now has another weapon at it's disposal. If you are tagged speeding by radar, the following questions will be considered: How fast were you travelling over the limit? Are you driving while impaired? Is your permit in order? Is your car insured by a policy that is currently in force? And, is your car's ITV still current? Even before the officer approaches your car he will know the answer to most of those questions.

It gets worse than that. In my country people have to pass certain points every day to and from work where there are very sophisticated cameras that record your car's number and your picture and feed that information to a computer that checks all of those questions. You are then sent mandatory fines for infractions that you may be committing every day. You could find yourelf with ten days worth of fines to pay, provided that you immediately stop driving until you get the problems fixed.

That could take all of the joy out of being alive!

Stay safe and free of driving fines!

Happy New Year!

Copyright (c) 2014  Eugene Carmichael

Caution! New Year Ahead!

Clear road ahead on the CV-2014

If on January First, 2014 we have survived the roads of Valencia for another full year, we should congratulate ourselves and take a moment to smell the rose of survival. Far too many people needlessly died this past year while simply trying to go from a to z. It didn't have to happen that way. If we survived, our luck held for us and we did nothing to tempt fate.

The good news is that the annual death toll on the roads continues to fall, and hopefully the final figures for 2013 will show an even bigger drop. Of course we will all reach the end of our lives one of these days. That's natural, however, it does not have to be in a car crash, especially one where people who had nothing to do with the incident are killed as well. As long as we continue to remember that our car is not our living room, and that we don't have to answer the phone immediately when it rings we increase our chances of seeing another year off, followed by a brand new one.

The world has become a very interesting place especially because of the pace of change. It makes living to see what's coming next worthwhile. Personally I would like to live to see my 100th birthday just so I don't miss anything really important.

I want to wish all of my fellow drivers a new year without motorig problems of any significance. Perhaps the new year will bring a new car for you, the car of your dreams that will take you to new places to do new things. You just have to stay healthy and alive to realise these possibilities, so drive carefully. Remember that the life you may save may be yours, or mine.


Happy Motoring, 2014!

Copyright (c) 2013   Eugene Carmichael

A New Day is Dawning for the World of Driving

Two Ferraris crash. What could possible have caused that?

Driver error would be my guess! That coupled with excessive speed could lead to such an event. I apologise to the drivers if I am wrong but these are really expensive cars, and they are very tempting to drive fast. The fact is that driver error is generally the root cause. I have been reading an opinion by Josh Grasmick, a contributing editor to "Technology Profits Confidential that really resonates with me because my thoughts have been growing along the very lines that if we cannot trust individuals to drive with care, then that responsibility should be taken away from us.

We are living in the age of technology where problems such as this one is within our grasp to resolve. Scientists and engineers have already developed the prototype of flying car, and the driverless car is already here even though we might have driven behind one without knowing. So, why not place more effort behind bringing the technology to the masses? Well, our governments might not want to do so because the high death rates on the road does constitute a form of culling of the species. That sound trite?

The world's population now stands at a bit over seven billion, and by 2050 it is pedicted to rise by 50%. That would be unsustainable, but in the absence of some horrific war that would wipe large chunks of people off the face of the earth, how else do we effect control? Let's face it, any attempt at deliberate birth control will not be polictically acceptable, but if people do insist in treating our cars as our living rooms we will continue to kill ourselves and others.

Once in a while we are treated to film footage from the police helicopter showing what people get up to while driving along the highway. The worst thing has evolved to be driving with a smartphone in hand. I thought a smartphone required a smart person to operate it, but there is nothing at all that is smart about even talking to someone on a hands-free system. I found that I was so distracted that I was missing just too much that was important for me to know.

For my money the sooner hands-free driving comes into being, the better. That would be just about right in terms of timing because I must admit that I no longer enjoy the actual task of driving. I'm happy to get in the car and go when I'm ready, but actual driving has become a real chore.

Can I please retire?

Copyright (c) 2013   Eugene Carmichael 

On the Lighter Side

A really cool Lay-z-Boy Reclining chair

In the eyes of the police there is no such thing as a funny drunk driving story. The police leave their sense of humour at home, so don't try and make them laugh. However, provided no-one has been hurt, you sometimes just have to laugh.

In China, the boss took his employees out to dinner. Afterwards, they all realised they were too drunk to drive and the boss didn´t want to leave his car downtown. He only lived 3 miles from the restaurant, so they asked a policeman what to do. He said that as long as the engine was not turned on the car could be pushed. That is what they did, with the boss sitting behind the wheel. No problem!

In England, a very drunk dad took his daughter's Barbie electric car down his drive and onto the street when the police happened to be passing. They booked him for drunk driving, and when asked to plead, he replied I am a total twit!

A woman who held a very responsible job found herself driving home after having consumed far too much to drink. The 9-1-1 operator received a call about a woman driving while swerving and evidently drunk. What colour of car is it? It's a maroon Chevy, came back the reply. Are you sure the person is drunk? Yes, because I am that person. Wonder whether she got fired or promoted?

Many years ago in my native Bermuda, a real character of a man who owned horses, but who was a real serious drinker lost his license because of multiple DUI convictions. When next seen he was drunk on his horse, so he was charged with operating a vehicle whiled impaired. He said, why don't you charge the horse too, he's drunk as well.
Lawyers spent hours of the court's time arguing whether a horse is a vehicle!

The Lay-Z-Boy recliner pictured above is an amazing chair. It is fillted with an on-board stero system, a cup holder, and a magazine rack. It is also fitted with wheels, a lawnmower engine, a steering column, a clutch and brakes.

It was while the owner was driving home from the bar that he slammed into a parked car that the  trouble began. Now, it has been auctioned off by the police department for $3,700, which they keep. Now they are lying in wait for the guy who bought it,  because they know he won't be able to resist taking her for a spin.

Sometimes, you just gotta laugh!

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael

It's a car! It's a bed!

Congratulations if you ever made love in one of these!

I was talking to a friend about all the cars I have owned over the years and that set me to thinking about the first car I owned, a Ford Prefect, cream colour, bought secondhand from a U.S. Navy officer. I loved that car, and everything about it. I treated it like the most valuable piece of art.

As I drove it around and about I felt that all eyes were on me, and I was King of the Road. I think that every young man wishes for his car to act as a chick magnet. It never occurs to us that the girl is in love with our car, we're just the driver. I wanted to talk a little about the most important aspect of owning a car when you are young and the uses to which we put it.

Sooner or later, (mostly sooner) a young man tries his best to be seen by the girls in the hope that one will find him, or his car attractive, and perhaps he will get to take her for a ride and spend some quality time together.

Let's face it he has sex on his mind, and so does she, or at least something like what he has in mind. But, did the designers of the car ever consider that might be a principal use?  I think frankly, they did, and still do. In fact that may have been the main consideration that led to the front wheel drive. No longer do we have that annoying middle bump that was so hard on my shins.

The times we would take a girl for a drive and fully expect her to "come across" because it was the natural thing to do.  We never had a thought for how the girl felt. I guess the fact that she willingly got in the car with the driver must have meant that she was in the mood to at least fool around a little. However, things had definately gone way too far when the guy would make her get out and walk if she didn't "put out."

Some of the boys who did that went on to grow up and become politicians or bankers, so I guess I can rest my case and say no more. In my own defence I never did do that. In fact I can say, with head held high that I took disappointment fairly well, and in fact my life's mantra is that "Life will hand me disappointments from time to time, whether I am ready or not. I must simply learn to accept them with more grace."

There never has been a lot of room in the cab of the car for making serious love. Some of today's cars have folding seats that leave useful floor space, especially the seven seaters, but will a young person be seen behind the wheel of such a car.

I'm now a 74 year young guy who can still remember with some fondness those early days. The things we got up to in our youth, but amazingly I never broke any laws, although there are some fathers  I would not have liked to have come face to face with.

I have to wonder whether anybody uses their car as a bedroom these days. With motels and Inns that are not shy about making it clear that couples are more than welcome to stop in for a not so quickie, the use of a car might be real tacky.

Times change leaving us with some really pleasent memories and a scrapped car that would have a lot to talk about. It's just as well that cars can't write books.

Copyright (c)  2013   Eugene Carmichael

What on earth?

Something is seriously wrong in the Community of Valencia

It has come to light today, November 22, 2013, that the Department of Traffic has sent out more than a half million demand notes to registered owners of vehicles demanding payment for road tax, and accusing people of not having their vehicle examined by the ITV, (MoT), nor of having held insurance for some time.

Well, yeah, that would be a good exercise to place the spotlight on those who have not been properly following the law, but in one case, one of these letters was addressed to a woman who has been dead for 17 years and her car was passed through the desguace to be written off the road. Another vehicle was written off about 40 years ago, and yet another was written off 43 years ago. In that case it was the driver's first ever car and caused him to sit and look at the letter for a long time to try and remember something about the car. 

What on earth has gone wrong? Could it be that data from the desguaces has not been forwarded to the DGT, or, could it be that the problem exists somewhere within the DGT? Whatever, this is a worrying thing because when we write off our vehicles we walk away with that piece of paper in the knowledge that we have done as we are required and that is the end of it.

To have the DGT come back to us after 43 years demanding that we show cause why we haven't put our car through the ITV or held insurance for these many years, nor paid road tax has to be reason for some sleepless nights. I think someone within the DGT might have picked up on the hint that its not the fault of the car owner. Especially when you are about to send out 500,000 such letters.

Spain, you're a wonderful country and I love you, but when you make a mess its bound to be one that takes one's breath away!

Stay tuned, this can only get worse, much worse!

Copyright (c) 2013   Eugene Carmichael

Gloves!

Suddenly, I need my gloves!

We have all been commenting on how warm the weather has been, and even wondering whether we were going to have a winter this year. Personally, I kept the faith. Winter was coming, of that I was sure, but I really didn't do much about preparing for it.

I knew where I had stored my warm things from last winter, and when I needed them I would simply go and find them. Suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye things changed. The winds came down from the north west and all those people on the beach were nowhere to be seen. I was in shock! Quick, get out the electric blanket and the heaters and the socks and long sleeves, and my gloves: Where are my gloves? I have at least three pairs but they are nowhere to be found.

One of the first hints we receive that we are growing old is a failing memory. I am having trouble remembering names and what I had for lunch today, so it was no surprise that I might forget what I did with my gloves from a year ago.

I temporarily gave up looking for them, but it was while thinking about something else I did find them. Where were they? In the most unlikely place. They were in the glove compartment of my car.

What a place to put my gloves. I am simply not that organised. I am becoming scary in my old age.

Copyright (c) 2013   Eugene Carmichael

A Pardon is Overturned

Going to Jail

There is a case here in Spain that has troubled a number of people for a long time. The outline is as follows:

In 2003, a man finds himself driving the wrong way along the highway, and he does this for five kilometres. We are not given any idea as to why this happened, such as drunkeness or impairment due to drugs or tiredness. He comes to a sudden halt when he runs headfirst into a car driven by a 25 year old young man. The impact kills that young driver.

The wrong-way driver, that we call here a kamikaze, is found guilty and sentenced to a 13 year jail term, but his lawyers manage to keep him out of jail for nine years when they finally ran out of options and he began to serve his sentence.

After serving only ten months the justice department, through the minister grants him a pardon from serving any more time, and he pays a 4,000 euro fine, and he is free. The public and his family were outraged because they saw a number of factors that may have come together to provide him with such favourable treatment. They saw this as corruption and a miscarriage of justice. They appealed the pardon to the Supreme Court which agreed and over-ruled the it.

The man is still free as the government has three months to either decide to accept the ruling as it stands, in which case he goes back to prison to complete his sentence, or they can confirm the pardon under circumstances that eliminate the doubtful environment that existed at the time.

We must bear in mind that the life of a young man was snuffed out through circumstances that were avoidable. That young man is still dead.

Has Justice been served or made a fool of, that is the question?

Copyright (c) 2013  Eugene Carmichael