Driving automobiles

Well a while back I got a ticket for a headlight being out. I knew the
headlight was out, in fact I intentionally unplugged that headlight. The
problem I had was that my headlight switch decided to take a crap on me. In
a Ford all the power to the headlights runs straight through the headlights
switch which also functions as a breaker switch. So when the headlight
switch fails typically it will not support as much current and will
overheat, tripping the breaker and killing all your lights, front and back.
When a Ford headlight switch fails like this your lights will cycle on and
off every couple minutes as the switch heats and cools.

Knowing that, and not being able to get a replacement switch that night I
did the thing that seemed the most logical and safe so I could get home. I
unplugged one of the headlights so as to not put as much of a load on the
headlight switch. It worked and my lights stayed on. I had one functional
headlight and two functional tail/brake/turn signals. Much better than my
alternatives which I considered to be: 1. Making the hours drive home in 1-2
minute spurts, waiting for several minutes between spurts with my lights out
for the headlight switch to cool. OR 2. Sleep in the truck.

Now I don’t really mind sleeping in the truck, but I would rather be home.
If I can get home safely then I may as well. I unplugged one of the
headlights and the single halogen sealed beam on this modern pickup put out
more light than the two factory lights on any of my three ’60s Ford cars. I
considered it to be safe as I could see very well and all my
marker/tail/brake lamps were functional so other drivers should have no
trouble seeing me and understanding my intentions.

Anyhow, I got stopped by a cop and written up a ticket for failure to
maintain lamps. Well I think I did quite a prudent job of maintaining my
lamps that night, much better than your typical motorist would do. I tried
telling him what happened and told him if he wanted I could fix the other
headlight right away, it would only take a second. He told me he didn’t care
and left. Alrighty then. It just goes to show that cops truly don’t care
about safety. It’s all about revenue. And sheesh, would it have killed him
to be polite and not blow me off like that? Oh well, cops will be cops I
suppose.

    Cory

Links

• Institute Spine
• Pinched Nerve Back

Hi,

We plan to drive south from Canada to Florida via route 81 south around
middle of December, as airlines won’t accept pets when it is cold. My
concern is the weather conditions in the  mountains in Pennsylvania and
Virginia.

I won’t have snowtires as they can melt in warm weather.

Where can I find driving conditions for the these mountains without d\l
some web site which will give you a tool bar?

Before I leave, I would like to know the chance of snow or freezing
rain in those  mountains along the way.

Kindly reply by posting only.

Roger

Fatalities Rise in Speed Camera Hotspots:
http://www.theregister.com/2005/07/19/gatso_deaths_link/

Colorado red-light cameras increase crashes, but lengthened yellow lights
reduce them:
http://www.clickpress.com/releases/Detailed/5762005cp.shtml

UK says "Hold on a sec…Before we install more, do these things actually
work?"
http://www.theregister.com/2005/07/15/uspeed_cameras_suspended/

UK to monitor who, where, when on all roads:
http://www.theregister.com/2005/11/15/vehicle_movement_database/

This is a few years old, and only played in Europe.  Amazing.  I read
an article about this and they talked about how long it took.  This is
all in 1 continuous take, no trick photography or cuts

http://www.ebaumsworld.com/flash/honda-ad.html

On Thu, 17 Nov 2005, Spam Hater wrote:
> If the exhaust pollution were measured that 1940 Chrysler would put out
> as much pollution as several hundred recent cars in total. If you only
> use it to the occasional show OK, for regular use you have no
> consideration for the air we all breathe.

While it’s easy and convenient for you to point the finger at cars older
than whatever year or lacking whatever technology you arbitrarily pick,
facts do not back up your assertion. The US EPA (and many state EPAs) were
once very keen on what they called "accelerated retirement" of older
vehicles. No longer. Why? Because they’ve repeatedly and robustly found
that the bulk of vehicle-sourced air pollution comes from cars between 4
and 14 years old. This age group comprises the largest percentage of the
on-road fleet. High-polluting vehicles closer to the 4-year-old end of the
scale are beginning to experience emissions-related failures and
deterioration but are still, while high-polluting vehicles closer to the
14-year-old end of the scale are being driven by those who cannot or will
not pay to keep them in proper repair.

The percentage of the on-road fleet represented by vehicles older than 20
years is so trivial that if ALL of them were immediately removed from
service, there would be no measurable improvement in air quality.

So, in a sense, the many newer cars on the road "subsidize" the higher
emissions of the few older cars on the road. That may chap your personal
sense of fairness, but the refusal of even the strictest vehicle-in-use
emissions regulations to prohibit old cars in proper repair means your
view has been thoroughly rejected.

This isn’t from me, it’s from the findings of the Federal EPA. Synopses
are easily findable on the web, while whole reports can be purchased from
EPA directly if you’re inclined to educate yourself.

But, I’m guessing you’re not. You’d rather bitch and moan ignorantly and
melodramatically about *one* 1940 Chrysler or *one* 1968 Dodge or *one*
1977 Chevrolet.

DS

It must be true that strange things happen when there’s a full moon.
Yesterday at grocery parking two DAB’s backing out of spaces collided.
Friend and I witnessed it and were laughing when DAB’s turned on us.
Hilarious! News: DAB dropped cell phone and bent to retrieve. Crashed into
hardware store. Local bank, DAB backed out of parking space into side of
entering vehicle. Brawl between DAB’s, cops called (per friend at bank). All
happened yesterday.

http://www.digitalfog.com/gallery/granny.html

So, I was at Vons today and was hit by a shopping cart.  No joke.  I
was reaching for some cola on the bottom shelf and a middle aged Asian
woman on a cell phone pushed her cart right into me.  As soon as I
realized this I started laughing.

In full disclosure, I live in a very Asian neighborhood, so the
likelyhood is going to be if someone hits me with a shopping cart at
Vons they’ll probably be Asian, but I still was amused by so many
stereotypes coming together.

It also reenforces my belief that most people drive like they’re
pushing a shopping cart.

Dave

What is happening in France has been brewing in Old Europe for years. The BBC speaks of “youths” venting their “anger.”
The BBC is wrong. It is not anger that is driving the insurgents to take it out on the secularised welfare states of Old
Europe. It is hatred. Hatred caused not by injustice suffered, but stemming from a sense of superiority. The “youths” do
not blame the French, they despise them.

http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/444

I’m sure you’ve all seen the news reports by now. From this point
forward, I’ll be looking for a silver Bentley with front-end damage to
drive behind on the freeway, knowing that the driver will simply plow
a path through all the LLBs for me.