Are cars IQ black holes?

[mlrpa]

Greetings all!

Recently I got a promotion at work that makes me drive more. A LOT more. (From 30 miles a week, to sometimes 150 a day.) And I've noticed something. Why do people get stupid once they get behind the wheel?

Ok, I live in the land of Boeing. You know, the guys who can measure the amount of fuel loss brought on by the wind resistance by a 1 mm rivit on a wing, and do this in their head. These are the same people who try to go 600 feet in a lane that says it ends in 500 feet. Or believe that the turn signal somehow voids the warrenty of their car, so they don't use it. Especially at 80mph on a highway, while crossing 4 lanes of traffic at rush hour, with a cell phone to their ear, and a ham sandwich in the other hand.

Does this happen in your part of the country? On the east coast, near ther Philly area, you'd get shot at if you did this. The cop would listen to your statement, then say you deserved it, and shoot at your car. (Knowing Philly cops, maybe 15 - 20 shots before they would actually hit it.)

Help me, am I being too critical of other drivers expecting them to have some kind of IQ bigger than their shoe size? Or should I just deal with it, and buy a tank?

[newey]

I don't think it's limited to the Northwest. There's plenty of the same folks out East, too.

The basic problem (IMHO) is that driving an automobile well is a skill that must be learned- and we don't teach people to do it. The standard "Driver's Ed" in most states teaches people obedience to traffic laws, not how to drive a car.

Your example of someone trying to go 600 feet in a 500 foot lane is a perfect illustration. This is a person who is focused only on the taillights of the car in front of him/her, and isn't looking down the road- not realizing that, at 70 mph, the car is covering over 100 feet per second.

If you want to be truly amazed at the state of driving in the USA, buy a motorcycle. Then, the idiots are not only an annoyance but a potential lethality.

[cynical1]

You have to take into consideration a simple fact.

"The intelligence of the mob is inversely proportional to the size of the mob"

Keeping this in mind, taking to the road during rush hour puts you in a collective with the intelligence of a house brick.

[ChrisK]

In Texas it's called the "judge, he done deserved killin'" law.


Did you ever notice that someone going 10 mph faster than you is an idiot, but someone going 10 mph slower than you is a moron?


Don't talk (and NEVER text) on cell phones while you drive. Before we could do so, we never needed to.....

It's just plain criminal negligence (and natural selection in operation).


Don't eat and drive. There's plenty of time stopped at the stop lights to reload yer jaws.


F = MA, which is why I won't ride a motorcycle (bigger mass always wins.....). If the kinetic energy doesn't get you, the momentum will......

[newey]

F = MA,

Yeah, but small Mbutt X big Acceleration= Fun!

Just don't hit nuttin'!

Seriously, one becomes much more aware of one's surroundings on the road on a motorcycle, both because of the laws of good ol' Sir Isaac, as well as due to the vehicle dynamics of two-wheeled travel.

And you won't see us bikers eating or texting as we ride . . .

[andy]

And you won't see us bikers eating as we ride . . .

Apart from the occasional insect...

I've just started riding a bicycle! Yes, in the winter, in London, I know! I was surprised at how much less dangerous riding a bike seems on the bike rather than watching from a car, though.

[ChrisK]

I've just started riding a bicycle! Yes, in the winter, in London

Wow, it was all that I could do to walk on the cobblestones in London in the summer.

The entire road is a speed bump.

[ChrisK]

expecting them to have some kind of IQ bigger than their shoe size?

Ummm, no. It's not an issue of IQ.

It's an issue of consideration for others. After all, they're the center of the universe.

[pollyshero]

Not limited to your area - Idiots are EVERYWHERE. I live 20 minutes from work. It takes me 40 minutes to get there, all the while sweating & cursing & watching out for those who aren't watching out for me (or themselves for that matter).

Did I miss a meeting? Did we delete the words "Stop", "Yield", "Merge", and "Right of way" along with their meanings from the language?

[pete12345]

Nov 26, 2008 18:32:19 GMT -5 ChrisK said:

Don't talk (and NEVER text) on cell phones while you drive. Before we could do so, we never needed to.....

It's just plain criminal negligence (and natural selection in operation).


Don't eat and drive. There's plenty of time stopped at the stop lights to reload yer jaws.

You don't tend to see a lot of eating and driving in my part of the world (apart from maybe the odd swig from a mcdonalds coke, but that's drinking and driving ) probably due to the prevalence of manual transmissions, meaning you don't have a free hand to hold a sandwich, unless you don't mind getting ham all over the gear lever.

Using a phone while driving is technically illegal over here, but that isn't enforced at all. Usually its those who are the worst drivers anyway (white van men and company BMW drivers mainly) who drive with a phone glued to their ear and ignore other road users

[dunkelfalke]

Nov 25, 2008 20:29:02 GMT -5 newey said:

The basic problem (IMHO) is that driving an automobile well is a skill that must be learned- and we don't teach people to do it. The standard "Driver's Ed" in most states teaches people obedience to traffic laws, not how to drive a car.

ah, i see the problem. in most (if not all) european countries a driving school where they teach both traffic laws and driving practice is mandatory and there (at least in germany) even some special courses are mandatory (like driving at night, driving on the motorway).

i also think that part of the problem is that most american cars are far too big for their own good. people driving small cars might be more careful.

[crazymanandy]

That's true. You haven't actually felt 80mph until you've gone that fast in a Geo Metro. Feels like the wind is gonna pick you up and take you flyin'. ;D

CMA

[andy]

Dec 1, 2008 7:13:52 GMT -5 dunkelfalke said:

Nov 25, 2008 20:29:02 GMT -5 newey said:

The basic problem (IMHO) is that driving an automobile well is a skill that must be learned- and we don't teach people to do it. The standard "Driver's Ed" in most states teaches people obedience to traffic laws, not how to drive a car.

ah, i see the problem. in most (if not all) european countries a driving school where they teach both traffic laws and driving practice is mandatory and there (at least in germany) even some special courses are mandatory (like driving at night, driving on the motorway).

i also think that part of the problem is that most american cars are far too big for their own good. people driving small cars might be more careful.

My wife had a driving licence in the US and now also has one over here in the UK- she always laughs that her test in Colorado consited of starting the car, driving round the block, and pulling up in the same spot she left 2 mins previously! We are a little more stringent over here, and night can fall pretty early round these parts, so that one is covered, but motorway driving would be a big plus in the basic test.

The biggest thing people need to be taught is that fighting for time and road space actually makes things slower and more congested, and that letting one car go before you in a queue or at a junction might actaully make your journey quicker than blocking up access for the sake of being a few feet closer to your destination. It may just be a small thing, but if everyone did it those jams at junctions which tail back to the one before, which tail back to the one before (and so on) might be a bit less frequent.

[dunkelfalke]

Dec 1, 2008 7:48:10 GMT -5 crazymanandy said:

That's true. You haven't actually felt 80mph until you've gone that fast in a Geo Metro. Feels like the wind is gonna pick you up and take you flyin'. ;D

i once did 170 kph (105 mph) in an old opel astra (comparable size and weight to the geo metro). that was really scary. my hands cramped on the steering wheel because even the lightest move could change the lane or bring me offroad. after that i swore that i never ever will drive over 150 kph (93 mph) again. my colleagues prefer 220 kph (136 mph) if possible, though.

[dunkelfalke]

Dec 1, 2008 8:22:44 GMT -5 andy said:

The biggest thing people need to be taught is that fighting for time and road space actually makes things slower and more congested, and that letting one car go before you in a queue or at a junction might actaully make your journey quicker than blocking up access for the sake of being a few feet closer to your destination.

they do teach that in germany (it is called vorausschauende Fahrweise - anticipatory driving) and is even a part of the driving test, but after the test noone cares anymore, unfortunatelly.

the german test (there are two, one theoretical and one practical) is quite complicated and at least 45 minutes long:
first checking of the car, then some parking, then driving in the city, then driving on a motorway. there are two guys sitting in the car: your instructor on the front passenger seat and the examiner in the back seat.
the examiner basically tells where to go and watches carefully and writes down every mistake you make, like looking into rear view mirrors in a wrong order, driving too fast or too slow, an unsure choosing of driving lanes, too short distance, correct passing on the motorway and so on. if you make too many mistakes, you won't get the license. if your instructor has to intervene just a single time (for example if you don't break fast enough) then you also have lost.

considering that a driving license is quite expensive (20 hours of mandatory theory lessons, 11 hours of mandatory driving lessons, and the two tests cost about 2000 euros alltogether) the people really try not to fail.

[D2o]

While I believe that there are some cars that are too small to be safe, I also agree that many North Americans own bigger cars than we really need.

I owned a small Nissan Sentra about ten years ago. I recall thinking that it was a small car that lacked power.

I also remember borrowing my sister's Pontiac Firefly for a week (it's the same as a Geo Metro). In that car, I white-knuckled the pencil-thin steering wheel and rejoiced every time I actually made it to a destination.

I was never so happy as to get behind the wheel of the Sentra, which suddenly seemed large, powerful, stable, safe and generally adequate.

D2o

[crazymanandy]

I grew up riding in a Ford Aerostar (large family) and my Dad usually had a long bed, four door F-150 (he was a contractor), so I'm used to large vehicles.

That said, I like smaller cars. My sister had a Honda Accord that was really nice. But I don't like cars much smaller than that, generally speaking.

If I could have one car, it'd be this'n.

CMA

[D2o]

Sweet ride!

For me, it's this.

D2o

[dunkelfalke]

Dec 1, 2008 10:31:37 GMT -5 D2o said:

While I believe that there are some cars that are too small to be safe

watch this then:



you'll be impressed. modern micro cars are very safe.

[pete12345]

Yeah, I think the 'wheel at each corner' effect you get with micro-cars helps somewhat. Though with the engine in the back of the smart, and next to nothing in front of the driver, the crumple zone becomes the driver's legs...

I'm quite happy with my Ford Fiesta I rarely carry more than one passenger and cargo at the same time, so can just fold down the back seats if needs be, and can get a surprising amount of 'stuff' in the back.

You don't need a big car to get yourself and maybe a shotgunner from A to B... 1.25l engine is more than enough to shift a small car, and is pretty economical on fuel as well- usually about 45mpg(UK, about 54 mpg US) ;D

[pete12345]

Dec 1, 2008 9:16:31 GMT -5 dunkelfalke said:

the german test (there are two, one theoretical and one practical) is quite complicated and at least 45 minutes long:
first checking of the car, then some parking, then driving in the city, then driving on a motorway. there are two guys sitting in the car: your instructor on the front passenger seat and the examiner in the back seat.
the examiner basically tells where to go and watches carefully and writes down every mistake you make, like looking into rear view mirrors in a wrong order, driving too fast or too slow, an unsure choosing of driving lanes, too short distance, correct passing on the motorway and so on. if you make too many mistakes, you won't get the license. if your instructor has to intervene just a single time (for example if you don't break fast enough) then you also have lost.

considering that a driving license is quite expensive (20 hours of mandatory theory lessons, 11 hours of mandatory driving lessons, and the two tests cost about 2000 euros alltogether) the people really try not to fail.

Our test is very similar, except there is no motorway part (you aren't allowed on the motorways without a full licence, but dual carriageways are allowed) and the instructor waits at the test center, with the examiner taking the front seat. You have to do two reversing exercises- one parking (bay or parallel) and either reverse round a corner or turn around in the road for the other.

There is an optional scheme called 'pass plus' which tackles some more advanced driving after you pass- things like motorway driving, night driving and driving in bad weather. I didn't do this, taking the cheaper option of going out driving with my dad on the motorways.

[ChrisK]

Well, my avoidance of eating or cell use while driving may be related to the prevalence of manual transmissions in my cars for many years, but even with Blue-tooth, I don't talk and drive.

My last company car (in my last company) was a Mitsubishi 3000 VR4. It had those kilometer thingies on the speedometer too.

When in Germany, I often drove the autobahn at 160 mph, but then, I wasn't using a go-kart either.

I still have my card from the Michael Schumacher driving school, although I haven't been there for over 4 years (talk about fun go-karts).


While driving tests are prety much a joke in the U.S., we insisted that both of our children practice with a learner's permit for a year until they were 17 before we let them test for their license.