Archive for October, 2014
Road Safety: 'I forget that others don't actually want to die'
The title of this piece may at first seem a little strange; you could even say that it is such a logical statement that it really does not need to be said at all. It is this exact point that I wish to expand upon in this post. A few years ago I was out driving with a friend of mine and as we approached a roundabout they appeared to recoil slightly as if something bad was going to happen. It was as we cleared the roundabout in complete safety and control that they uttered to me the very quote that you see now heads this article.
When you first see a quote such as this sitting right there in front of you, it may at first seem hard to process. Of course others do not want to die on the road, why would anyone feel the need to say that? But on the other hand, if this was truly the case it does beg the question of why on earth are there some people that drive on the road as if they have a death wish hanging like a dark cloud above their head? When my friend first said that to me I found it rather amusing, but the more I think about it the more they may actually have a point. It is the view of this author that as the years go rushing by, the effects of Newton’s Third Law are becoming visible than ever before. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. For it would seem that with the increase of technology that makes both cars and the roads safer places to be on, actual driving standards are decreasing.
Road safety is taken very seriously, but does everyone heed the message?
Over the last few months I have felt increasingly unsafe on the roads, down in the most part to the other drivers on the road. For all I know it is localised to my little slice of earth in which I inhabit. However, I then come to realise that every time I open the newspaper or turn on the news I see yet another fatality as a result of dangerous or driving. People say you should not always believe what you read in the media, so it is lucky that I have also had first hand experience of sharing the same slab of tarmac as some downright lunatics. There are not enough accessible appendages upon my body to count the number of times I have had a car pull out in front of me with barely enough time for me to hit the brakes to prevent an accident. I am fully aware your jumped up Vauxhall Corsa may have a decent enough acceleration and you wish to show this off to all the girls around you while you blast out the latest RnB offerings; the crux of the situation however is not the performance of your car but the quality of my reactions to enact what is essentially an emergency stop to prevent a dangerous accident.
Yet another example I can draw from the dark chasm of idiocy is the pure insistence of many impatient doughnuts who believe that bullying their way down the road is the best tactic to get home. If I happen be pootering along down the motorway at 70mph (because I would never dare go over the speed the limit…I promise…) I really do not want to have some little bottomfluff driving less than 5 meters behind me. His logic is simple; by intimidating me with his dangerous driving I will move out of his way. There is but one flaw in this plan; what if I have to apply the brakes suddenly? The result of that can only be a trip to hospital and many phone calls to insurance companies.
And finally we come to those people who are comparable only to a spinning hamster wheel but no hamster on the inside. I am fully accepting that there are many people who waltz around with their head in the clouds, but this should not be while they are driving. When you are behind the wheel, it is only just that driving is your top priority. Chatting to your friends, doing your hair or dreaming of far off plans are not acceptable excuses for driving like a complete and utter spanner. It may well be a very important phone call in your fancy BMW but that does not excuse you driving straight over a junction and nearly T-boning me right in the drivers door. Last time I checked my life was slightly more important than your business deal. I would hope anyway.
As I touched on at the start of this post, it would seem as safety based technology increases, driving standards begin to decrease. I do have a theory that there are some that believe because road safety is improving, in-car safety devices are getting ever more developed and of course medical care is forever more advanced, it means that they feel more comfortable driving at a lower standard; they feel they are better protected and will be better looked after. On a similar tilt to that of progressive safety measures, we are living in a world of increasingly intense devotion to insurance, claims and of course suing. There are some characters I have had the mispleasure of meeting who have given me ‘top advice’ in the world of road safety and insurance claims. They genuinely told me that if it looks like I will be involved in a crash that I should not try and stop it and let it happen, as long as I make sure it is the other persons fault. Apparently I then get ‘free money’ as a result. They claim in good confidence (..so I am told) that because of all the increased safety devices on the road, that the rewards are greater when things do go wrong.
…there really are just no words. It says so much about the modern world that some people are actively encouraging accidents as just another excuse to make some money.
Interesting insurance claim that would have been…
Maybe all that time ago my friend was actually on to something when they said what they did. There are those that drive with the appearance of one who may be open to serious injury or death. Why else would they act like they do I wonder? And of course more worryingly there are those who seem to be open to possible injury for nothing more than a small financial gain. Maybe it is the ever advancing technology surrounding safety that is to blame. It is almost poetically ironic that the devotion to safety is the one thing that may be making our roads less safe. The one fatal flaw as it always has been appears to be the human element. If this proves but one thing, perhaps self driving cars are the best option for all of us. Maybe they are the answer to the question no one realised really needed to be answered.
Whatever I may have said, do not forget to keep driving people!
Follow me on Twitter @lewisglynn69
Peace and Love!
The Latest Crop Of Record Breakers
I came across a copy of the 2015 Guinness Book of Records in the library the other day. 2015. Either Guinness Publishing uses a peculiar sort of calendar or my local library has a time machine sitting out the back somewhere. Alternatively, the concept of L-space that interconnects all libraries and bookshops throughout time and space from Terry Pratchett’s Discworld is true. But anyway, these official record books often have some fun automotive, transport and car-related records, so without any further speculations, let’s have a look at some of the latest beauties showcased. Might win you a bet or two at the pub.
Country producing the largest number of cars in one year: China. No surprises here, really. The majority of cars are made in this country now, even marques you usually think of as being European. However, the European car manufacturing industry is far from dead: Germany holds the Number 3 spot behind Japan.
Red Cherys ripe for the picking, fresh off the factory floor.
Largest producer of vehicles: Toyota managed to break General Motors’ 77-year run back in 2008 and the two companies have been fighting it out for top spot ever since. Toyota is the current record holder… at least according to the official book.
Tightest parallel parking of two cars: Two Chinese drivers parked their cars in a space that was just 42 cm longer than the combined length of their cars. The make and model of the cars is unknown, but I’m guessing they were little hatchbacks.
Biggest engine in a current production car: Chrysler’s SRT Viper has a whopping 8.39-litre V10 powerplant. This adds up to 640 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque. This vehicle can do the 0–60 mph sprint in less than 3.5 seconds (the official Chrysler website claims “low threes”). It does the reverse (60–0 mph) in 106 feet. Top speed is 206 mph. Translating this into SI units, we get 470.72 kW for the power, 813 Nm for the torque and 331.52 km/h for the top speed. I don’t want to even think about its fuel economy. Let’s just say that it’s not for the frugal driver.
First folding car: The Hiriko Fold, which is a two-seater that folds its chassis so three of them can park in the space needed for a normal four-door saloon. Not in general production yet.
The Honda FCX Clarity – a hydrogen-powered beauty.
First hydrogen powered car: The Honda FCX has the honour of being the first vehicle powered by hydrogen technology, as it came out in 2002. Because of the super-low emissions, hydrogen fuel technology is the newest and sexiest kid on the sustainable motoring block. This Honda is in production somewhere in the world, but both Honda and Toyota are thinking about pumping out a few more.
Average amount of time the typical commuter spends stuck in traffic in a year: 38 hours.
Kilometres put on the clock by all driverless cars combined: 300,000 km. All these have been part of the testing process of the driverless cars being worked on by Google. They haven’t been in any major incidents so far during all this trial period. I still don’t like them. If I’m going to just sit there and do nothing during a commute, I’ll take a bus instead.
Smallest roadworthy car: a homemade job measuring 63.5 cm high, 65.4 cm wide and 1.26 m long. It might be road legal (in the USA, at least) but can barely fit a passenger and is rather short on safety features.
Longest motor racing circuit: The (in)famous Nürburgring.
Fastest drift: A Polish driver in a Toyota GTR 86 managed to drift safely at 217.97 km/h. The car in question had been modified to the eyeballs, so don’t try this at home if you have a Toyota 86.
Happy driving,
Megan
5 Simple Ways Buying a New Car is One of the Best Feelings in the World
The ‘new car’ smell
There’s no getting away from it – that ‘new car’ smell is something you just can’t replicate when you’ve had a car for a while or you buy used. The smell is there to remind you of the joy of sitting in your new car – it’s something to reward you for the money you’ve just paid and the effort you’ve put it saving up for it.
The sense that you’d like to go out and drive just because you can
The open road, the freedom to go where you want, and the ‘any excuse to get in the car again’ lasts a good few weeks when you have a new car. It’s something that any petrolhead can associate with – it doesn’t really matter that you don’t need to go anywhere, driving is just all you want to be doing.
The temptation to push the car and see what it can do
It’s likely that if you are upgrading your car, you’ll want to move towards something a bit more powerful and luxurious. Improved handling is also a big plus when it comes to stretching your new car’s legs on the road – and most modern cars allow you to push the limits a bit further and having a new car, it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll want to.
The sense that everything is alright with the world.
There’s a reassuring feeling when you’re sat in the cabin of your new car. You’ve worked hard for your money, and being able to spend it on something you enjoy and care so much for gives you a little feeling of enjoyment and success.
Cruising slowly with the windows down just because you like to sit there
The comfort of modern car’s cabins is unsurpassed. It’s a comfortable, enjoyable place to be, and one of the best things about buying a new car is that when the experience is fresh, you’re perfectly happy just sitting there, cruising slowly and admiring the gauges, dials and switches around you. Of course, this feeling soon wears off, so make the most of it while you can!
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