IntenseDebate - TheNamesIsJames

13 years ago @ National Motorists Ass... - The Clover Test: What ... · 2 replies · +3 points

I think your bike one is kind of unfair. I either slow way down OR get way over. No need to blow the doors off a bike.

But the rest of them, especially the "random brake light" one? Amen brother, amen. There are a few around here that will brake for every corner, even if they are well under the recommended corner speed, even if they already braked for the last corner and never sped up, it's an automatic "wheel turns, foot brakes" reflex, and it makes me wonder how many gallons our nation could save if we reeducated them.

P.S. What do you have against clovers? I say we call them cartards.

14 years ago @ National Motorists Ass... - Driving Etiquette: Avo... · 0 replies · 0 points

Sorry, i meant to reply to george's post above yours. 1hp worth of chemical energy in gasoline is worth 1/3hp of kinetic energy after it gets through the engine, i meant to say. George was trying to conflate chemical potential energy with real-world potential.

Your source (great find) says that adding foglights does decrease the max range for target identification as compared to only low-beams, but that a brighter lit periphery allows for more focus on the road down the way. I'm seeing nothing about this "glare" problem, which tallies with my real-world experience. It concludes that they come out slightly ahead in overall safety, although it's a wash for safety in the fog.

I'm still going to run them whenever i feel like it (which tends to be in the woods at night), but it's good to know there's some science there too.

14 years ago @ National Motorists Ass... - Driving Etiquette: Avo... · 2 replies · +2 points

It is not "1 hp of fuel consumption" - it is the consumption of fuel with an energy content equal to 1 hp. That fuel was only ever going to give 1/3rd a horsepower no matter where it was directed, so referring to the fuel content is a red herring.

It'd be like saying that a 100hp car is really a 300hp car, because that the energy value of the fuel it consumes. So therefor it should be faster than this other car that only has 250 hp. You're trying to have it both ways.

How fast are you driving - or how slow are your reactions - that you need to see the very limit of what your headlights light up? Shouldn't you have high-beams to help with that? And if there are oncoming cars and you can't use your high-beams, well, the refracted light from your fogs isn't going to make a lick of difference compared to the direct beams from the oncoming traffic.

14 years ago @ National Motorists Ass... - Life in the Far Left Lane · 0 replies · +1 points

I resent you accusing us under-30's as the oblivious ones... I'd say that 80% of the time I finally pass a rolling roadblock it's a 40-50 year old... often on the phone. The current generation of 20-30y/o's is a generation of internet pirates - we grew up ignoring stupid laws too.

I think it's a combination of people thinking "I'm entitled to hold up others, so it doesn't matter" and sheer inattentiveness - which is even more scary. Those are the people that will brake for every corner, because that's what you do, brake for corners. - even when they are doing below the speed limit, and the corner is only a slight bend.

14 years ago @ National Motorists Ass... - What Is Best For Winte... · 0 replies · +4 points

Great article! I'd add that all season tires are simply tires that aren't too bad in snow, where as winter and snow tires step the performance up to all new levels.

14 years ago @ National Motorists Ass... - Signs That Car You're ... · 0 replies · +1 points

When you pop the hood, take a minute to check the front frame rail for accident damage.

When you test drive, make sure to let it idle to see what it does. I almost bought a car until I let it idle and the revs floated all over the place.

And check the AC, If you buy a car in the winter, put the heat on for a bit, then put it on AC + recirculate.

14 years ago @ National Motorists Ass... - Why Mandatory Car Insu... · 0 replies · +1 points

Good to know, thanks!

14 years ago @ National Motorists Ass... - Why Mandatory Car Insu... · 2 replies · +1 points

I also feel that you should have the option to have your "insurance" be a bank account. So you agree to keep more than $200,000 in a certain account, and that serves as your insurance policy. This could probably be scaled too, so $300,000 for two people and $350,000 for three, or something like that. This would for insurance companies to lower their rates and improve their service drastically as the rich people - the ones who would likely buy the cushiest policies, would now have the chance to make money with their insurance (interest) rather than spend it.

14 years ago @ National Motorists Ass... - Denying Reality: When ... · 2 replies · +2 points

But then no (or -2) cars for the next 53 minutes. If the theoretical possibility of having a 7 minute delay in your commute to work bothers you that much there's not much to do except sleep under your desk at work.

Also, how come we can't say that 40cars/minute would be huge without seeing your neighborhood, but you can say 40cars/minute would be huge without ever experiencing it?

14 years ago @ National Motorists Ass... - Denying Reality: When ... · 0 replies · 0 points

Another example is speed bumps. Due to the delays in ambulance response, speed bumps are responsible for 60-80 deaths for every life they save. But since they "appear" safer, they are installed.

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