The weakest part of a Car- revisited

The weakest part of a Car / revisited

I’m on the Road Again and I am gone, gone, gone as the song goes by the Group Traffic, One of the Premier Groups of the Seventies.  Eric Clapton,  Ginger Baker and Stevie Winwood made the Group a Standout. Better yet Golden Earnings said it best, no more speed, I’m almost there, Radar Love. That’s enough of the Musical Savvy. This Blog isn’t about music, even though while covering Forty-Two hundred miles in the past month I listened to a lot of it. This Blog is about the weakest part of the Car. Not the Nut that retains the Steering Wheel, but the Nut holding the Wheel that calls himself a Driver. I have always maintained that the speed limit on our Roadways should never exceed Fifty-Five.

The reason for this is that whatever is posted, it will be exceeded. Interstate Ninety Five is posted Seventy M.P.H. No One obeys it. The average speed during rush hour is Eighty-Five, no matter how inept or inexperienced or insecure. The Bold, the late and the Suicidal, blows through a cluster of Traffic at 100. When you have a smash-up at One hundred M.P.H. There are no survivors. The most Astonishing thing that ever happened to me in over Fifty years of driving,  was a Nut passing me on the Shoulders doing Ninety Five. Now, do you understand why I will never stop writing Safe Driving Blogs? When I quit giving my opinion about this screwed-up World that we are living in, I will never stop talking about Idiots behind the wheel that thinks that Driving is big fun and is nothing but a game. The Numerous Roadside Graves that I pass Daily on my commute make me the most Astute of Drivers. When I was younger, I was one of them, reckless and daring, change is good.The reason for that is that I don’t want to die in a blazing ball of Fire mangled by Glass and Steel. My Dream Death is, sitting up in bed sipping on my finest Brandy. However, I am always amazed that just about every single day I get behind the wheel someone is trying to forfeit my Dream.

They can be as Educated as they come, when they get behind the wheel the Idiot pops out, Logic is tossed asunder, rationality is discarded and common sense becomes uncommon. So many people lose their lives each year because of stupid people who are good at nothing else in life. Yet these same losers get behind the wheel of a car and thinks that they are better than Dale Earnhardt. Dale was the best, but yes shit does happen. So why do you put wood in the fire with a Full Tank of Gas? I could be cruising at Eighty-Five yet some Idiot would run up on me doing a Hundred, not knowing if I am tired from Driving four hours straight and is tired enough to drift from my lane. Where is the logic as Spock would ask? All that Schooling and all it’s good for making money, it doesn’t make you a fluent thinker, what a waste of Brainpower. Working in Construction we had a dominant concept about craftsmanship and skills. You could be doing it for Fifty years and still don’t know what you’re doing. Meaning, if you started out doing something the wrong way, fifty years later you are still doing it wrong. Case in point, since the first Two cars hit the winding dirt roads, they traveled in close formation. No one knew back then that staggering the traffic flow is the ultimate way to drive and it minimizes catastrophe.

Over a Hundred plus years later they still don’t understand the safety mechanism of staggering. Covering Forty-Two hundred miles, just about every Hundred miles, I come upon a cluster of Twenty cars all doing the same speed averaging Eighty. A combination of lightheadedness, doing things the wrong way and the “B” attitude puts someone in the left lane that doesn’t know that you don’t hang out in the left lane, even if you are doing One hundred and Twenty. There is always someone going faster. There are a lot of Bad Rides out there willing and able to exceed Two hundred and no shortage of crash Dummies. My friends knows that one of my dreams is to write a blog with one Sentence and a Book on One Page. Without further ado, I leave you with my favorite Einstein quote” A Fool is someone who does things the same way, each time looking for different results”.

A Car’s Weakest Point

A Car’s Weakest Point

The other Day I saw a Sign that read, a Car’s Weakest Part is the Nut holding the Steering wheel. At first I thought they were talking about the Nut that holds the Steering Wheel to the Shaft that’s connected to the Rack and Pinion, the integral component of the Steering Mechanism. Then I thought to myself, that isn’t the thought that’s being conferred. They are taking about, the Nut Driving the Car, holding the Steering Wheel. When I took Sensitivity Training, it specifically told you that you should not call a Crazy Person a Nut, it only Infuriates them. Also I believe that the Human Mind is so Fragile that any of us could fall Prey to Mental Illness. My Definition of a Nut is someone who Knows right from Wrong, yet they choose the latter. Someone who choose to play the Fool is a Nut.

Nowhere else in Life that people  play the Fool more than when they get behind the Wheel. Well my Friend I have tried every method of Communication and it doesn’t work. I have always Maintained that if you speak to People Intelligently and the act the Fool, you treat them Accordingly. So there you have it I am well within my Rights calling you a Nut for all the foolish things you do when you are behind the Wheel. Yesterday Twelve Noon on what I consider to be a Rural Road, Fifteen Feet from an Intersection. Someone Driving a Brand New Camaro, waited until I was within Twenty feet of the Intersection. I was Travelling at Fifty MPH, the Nut took the turn causing a near miss.

Both Cars with a combined value of Seventy Thousand Dollars almost went to the Junk Yard. That kind of Mentality is nothing short of being a Nut. That makes him or her the weakest part of the Car. Even though Today’s Cars no matter how Expensive, with the Finest Technology incorporated, they use the most Inexpensive material that they can find to make the Body. Bumpers made of Plastic and Styrofoam, Engine and Transmission made from Aluminum and the rest of it from ridiculously cheap Steel with no Density. That makes it a Death Trap at Fifty MPH. Yet every Nut out there drives them in a mindless fashion. The other Night going Home I came upon a Strip Mall with a Life Flight Helicopter and about Fifty Emergency and Patrol Cars. When it gets like that People are Gravely injured, clinging to Life or already Dead. What gets me about situations like that is that a Thousand other Nuts drive pass a Bad accident and draws no conclusions that it’s bad Driving that causes Catastrophic Accidents.

And so they just drive by Rubbernecking with  a mindless gaze and on their way, until it’s thei’r turn to take that Helicopter ride or be carried away in a Body Bag. Another Time while Traveling the Pennsylvania Turnpike, a Road where Nuts maintain a steady Eighty and even One Hundred. It was early Afternoon, Hours before Rush Hour. I came around a Bend and the Roadway was a Parking Lot. It took Three Hours before the Traffic started inching at a Snail’s pace forward. While waiting I noticed the Helicopter hovering then landed on the Highway. When I finally made it to the Accident Scene, all those who were involved in the Two Car Devastation were already transported by the Helicopter. By the look of both Vehicles, anyone who Lived were on borrowed Time. It appears that a SUV had made an Illegal U- Turn on a Roadway where no One Obeyed the Speed limit. The Vehicle that caused the Catastrophe suffered extensive Damages to the left rear quarter panel. The rear door was battered open, on the seat was a Bloodied white Teddy Bear, it’s owner was on the Helicopter. I asked myself what kind of a Nut would use a Police speed trap to make a U Turn on a Turnpike, with his whole Family in the Car. Well there you have it in a Catastrophic Wreck, the weakest part of the Car is the Nut holding the Wheel. I will forever be quoting Einstein ” The true Definition of a Fool, is someone who do things the same way, each time looking for different results”. That makes you a Nut.

This is Rush Hour on Ulmerton Road

Night Vision

 

When Daylight Saving Time ends for 2020, that’s 2 Am for the next Day  many people will find themselves spending more time driving in the dark. Depth perception, color recognition and peripheral vision can be compromised in the dark, and the glare of headlights from an oncoming vehicle can temporarily blind a driver.

Even with high-beam headlights on, visibility is limited to about 500 feet (250 feet for normal headlights) creating less time to react to something in the road, especially when driving at higher speeds. That is as real as it gets driving on a busy Road posted 55, Twelve O’clock at Night. There are Stores, Restaurants and Bars up and down the Strip, this Road should never have been posted 55. On this fateful Night my Driving Skills were tested to the Max.

The Driver of this Maserati killed himself and his two young Sons, his Wife severely injured.

 

 

Out of nowhere a young Woman was within Twenty Five feet of my Bumper. If I wasn’t Driving with my Murphy’s Mentally (whatever that can go wrong will go wrong) she would have splattered my Windshield. When Driving at Night using my Peripheral vision my Eyes are just about crossed, sort of, in a Daze, in a way feeding what my Eyes are seeing into mind to be evaluated and calculated. This Road is Notorious for Death Crashes, Cars Motorcycle Bicycles and Pedestrians. With fifty years of not being charged with an Accident, I am still Leary of using this Road, I only use it when I have to. Night Driving is a special challenge that the average person is not aware of. So when the opportunity arises to save lives they fumble the Ball.

Six in the Morning I have seen a Motorcycle laid down and the Rider covered with a Tarp. Six A.m. Daylight saving, it is still dark, So imagine 12 Am on a Bustling Saturday Night, Drunk Drivers, Motorcyclists and Pedestrians, a Recipe for Mayhem. One Night coming home I saw a Car impelled on a Light Pole, fifteen feet from the Ground. He had to be doing 100 to become so Airborne. I have painted all the grim pictures that these Eyes have seen. Only to remind you that Driving is not about shits and giggles, it’s about saving Lives. Most importantly, One shot of Brandy diminishes your perception.

 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/EMDLt5Ly97Lk5TVq7

Speed Kills

 

 

 

The Seventh Sign of Madnes

I don’t feel like researching the other six, so I will just deal with the Seventh. It appears that Motion is part of our Metabolism. One Month old we cry and our Mother rocks us and we stop crying. Three Months old and some of us are thrashing into mobility. Six Months old and no One can keep us in park. When we take our First step we are running. From there on speed is in our Blood. We ride our Tricycles at breakneck speeds, our Bicycles to the point of breaking Bones. Speed is now deep Rooted in our Persona. No One has ever told us speeding into Disaster was nothing short of sheer Madness. So we continue this form of Madness into Adulthood.

When I was Eight years old I started figuring that there were something Deathly wrong with Speeding. My older Cousin started riding Motorcycles early in his Life. The Numerous times that I had seen him wearing Casts on his Arms, Leg and even full Body Cast, cured me of every wanting to ride a Motorcycle. Neck braces were a part of his Fashion. My Cousin grew up to be an Electrical Engineer, he could afford to buy all the Killer 🚲 Bikes his little Heart desired, and so did he. I was certain that a Crash would kill him. However it wasn’t a Motorcycle Crash that did it, but a Crash nonetheless. If speeding towards your Death or Someone else’s isn’t Madness, then I am Insane for thinking so. I live in the Greater Tampa Area of the U.S.A.

Since moving here Seven years ago the Death Toll from Motorcycle crashes steadily approach Two Hundred. Pedestrian Deaths by Vehicular Homicide surpasses Motorcycle Deaths. Automobile Deaths are in the Thousands. Ninety Percent of the Times, Speed is the only factor. I am living in an Asylum. Three Days ago another Fatality, a Motorcyclist doing wheelies at high speed. Two Days ago several Blocks from my House, a Mother crossing the Street, watched her Seven years old run over by a Speeding Ninja. He Died at the Hospital, the Hit and Run Rider later turned himself in. He lived One Block from my House. The Boys Death brought relief for me. One less Mad Man off my Street. The Street I live on bears the Name of a Boulevard.

It appears that every Idiot in my Neighborhood believes that a Thirty M.P.H. Boulevard is the place to pop your Lifters at Three A.M. there is no Doubt in my Mind that this Mad Man was one of those Idiots who woke me from a sound sleep doing Ninety in a 30 M.P.H. Zone. The Cars, they also shows no mercy. If operating your Vehicles at Break Neck speeds are the only way to get your Jollies, then you my Friend have Teetered the Axis of Sanity. The worst Trait that I find in People, is the inability of Self-Evaluation, Self-Analysis of one’s Daily Life. Doing things the same way every Time, each Time looking for different Results is the single most Important Marker of Madness. It’s a shame that Einstein’s Philosophies are Thought from Kindergarten to Postgraduates. We start out doing things wrong and we continue doing them wrong all through our Lives. Even when we hurt ourselves and others, sometimes our actions causes Fatalities, yet we saw nothing wrong in our behavior.

 

 

 

Related

Click Link for Official Story

Motorcyclist jailed for deadly Port Richey hit-and-run crash | wtsp.com

 

https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/crime/pasco-county-child-hit-and-run/67-ea6e5a9f-74c6-4d68-aa69-9081786cb903

Blogging My Life Away

 

Solitude

 

 

Blogging My Life Away

Seven years ago I made an impromptu move to Florida. One Month prior to the move I communicated with my superiors about my intentions to leave my Job. I asked them if they could arrange a transfer, It was not properly Orchestrated. My Supervisor at that time was a very Haphazard Person, I should have realized her Ineptness. Unbeknownst to her that I was talking about her, I once told her that I could spot a Slacker one Mile in the Fog. She repudiated the thought, thinking that I was just kidding. Just before I left Pennsylvania She got Promoted to Regional Manager. I said to myself, the Company made a big mistake promoting her to that Level, she is not qualified. Six months after I moved to Florida with no Job waiting for me, she was fired, for the Ineptness that no one else saw.

Being a Happening Person, I have always believed that it was better to make Fifty Cents per Hour, than Zero Cents per Hour. My reasoning for that is, while you are unemployed, you still need Cigarette and Gas Money. By bringing the same level of Energy everyday, I located one of the Company’s Subsidiarys in Tampa. They offered me a Job as a Valet. Remembering that Pride cometh before a fall, I took the Job. While parking many High End Cars, including Rools, Maseratis and top of the line Mercedes Benz. I noticed how Callous many of my Coworkers were handling quarter Million Dollars Cars. It was then that I realized that bad Drivers outnumbered good Drivers by an Astronomical disproportionate Number.

It was then that I realized that a Safe Driving Blog was calling my name. Even though I knew nothing about Blogging or operating a Website, I started Scribbling in a Notebook. I knew nothing about what constitutes a good Blog. Being an Avid Doo it yourself person who thought myself to fix just about everything by Reading. I said to myself, ” I can do this”. I said to myself, the first time I picked up a Wrench was when my Mechanic threw out a perfectly good Carburetor and replaced it with a bad one, when all that was needed was a Two Dollars Fuel Filter. So I went out and bought the Chilton Auto Repair Manual, subsequently I bought one for every Car that I ever bought.

Being determined about writing Blogs about safe Driving, led me to the Library. I borrowed Two Books on writing Blogs. The first Book that I decided to plunge into was written by a World Class Blogger who wrote many Books. She began by saying that all that Blogging was about, is expressing your Thoughts on any given Subject. She continued, only write about the things that you are familiar with. She went on by saying that the Number one Sin in Blogging was Writing about yourself. That didn’t stop me from writing about myself. As I got Deeper in the Chapters I realized why she was Successful. She Emphasizes the Importance of Writing Column Post Blogs, (Blogs that People come back to  and read). Column Posts are Support Pylons that keeps a Structure from Collapsing. Most Importantly she said that you are not a Writer until you have written a Million words.

I am not sure if I am a Writer yet, but I know that I am a Blogger. The same way I learned to fix Things I Immersed myself into Writing and the Shoe is beginning to feel Comfortable. As far as only writing about things that you are Familiar with, I have stayed the Course. Driving is one of my Passions, I am a Natural, Fifty years of Driving, One Speeding Ticket during my first year of Driving. Two wicked Accidents which were caused by the People that I write about ( Bad Drivers) and Bad Mechanics who forced me to let no One but myself fix my Brakes. While I am on the subject of Brakes I will just run with the Ball. Five Minutes after buying my first decent Car, a Dodge Challenger, a Car whose Body Weight that didn’t compliment  its big Engine. Five Minutes from Driving it off the Lot, I found myself on a busy Sidewalk trying not to kill Fifty People.

The Inept Mechanic didn’t do his Job, he allowed the Car to be placed on the Lot without Diagnosing the faulty Brakes. That’s one of the reasons why I made it my Business to learn Automotive Repairs. My second bad Experience with bad Brakes came later while Driving a Company Truck, delivering Construction Materials to thei’r jobsites. The Truck had just passed Inspiration. Descending an Eighty Degrees Hill with an overweight Truck, I found out that the Brakes weren’t working. The Truck was equipped with Air Brakes, the Compressor wasn’t filling the crossover Tank. Knowing that at the end of this wicked Hill was a busy Intersection. I had to reach deep into my Ditty Bag of Witts and Skills.

Pumping the Brakes had no effects, I Kew that I had to slow the Vehicle and somehow stop it before I got to the Intersection. I knew that if I panicked that many People would be killed. I started slowing down the Truck by taking it off the Road, banking it into huge Dirt Embankments taking out Trees. By the time I made it to the bottom of the Hill I was coasting at Two M.P.H. still enough to kill People. I saw a private Yard to my right, my Ditty Bag ( Bag of tricks) didn’t fail me, it told me that the only way to avoid Catastrophe was to flip the Truck. After flipping the Truck, falling out of my seat and Bodyslamming my Panic strickened Passenger, the Truck slid within five feet from taking out the House, then stopped.  Thirty years later, I still see the Face of the Ten years old Kid looking out the window at the approaching Death Vehicle. Does anyone still wonder why I chose to write Safe Driving Blogs. So let me leave you with these few Thoughts. When you are out there Driving like your name is Dale Earnhardt Jr. Consider this,  Brakes, Tire-rod, Calipers, Idle-Arm, Rack and pinion and Bushings all go bad over a period of Time. Have your Front-end and Suspension checked yearly.  When you need them, they better be working. If your Brakes makes noise, replace them Immediately. Most Importantly you are not a Racecar Driver, just someone who needs to get over Themselves.