Satan was right behind me this morning >>...

by WingCommander 12 Replies latest jw friends

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  WingCommander

  yep.................I was driving on the interstate from my residence to the hanger to make my flights over the east coast this morning, when I saw him. Him, and his little helpers. A whole DAMNED car load FULL of Them. He was driving, and while he looked rather dressed up, I knew he was in sheeps (errr, goats) clothing. Baaaah!!

  Even though I was going about 75 mph, I was not fast enough. I looked up into the rear view mirror just in time to see him snarling down on me. I was stunned for a moment, and wished I was in my FA/18 Hornet so I could break the sound barrier and possibly escape, but no use. Bam!........there he was with his doom-wishers stuffed into a shiny, black, new Lincoln Navigator truck/suv. It was creepy, as here on the east coast of USA it had just snowed, and no one else's cars were clean, but rather all grey and white from dirt and salt. But not this SUV, it was as black as night, and probably pushing 90 when it came upon me. Like a bat out of Hell, I tell you!!!!! Speeding up was not the answer, I had to get into the right lane and let them pass. How do you outrun the devil?? I don't know......wish I knew. When He passed, his well-wishers looked over and smiled at me........a "fallen one" whom will die when Judgement Day comes, just because I work all day instead of being out Pioneering in order to get some brownie points. Of course, I am not rude, so I made the devil sign with my fingers, much as AC/DC fans do at a concert. They passed, and with it, my fright at being run down by the Devil.

  So sorry I was in your way getting to Field Service Mr. Elder!!!

  Wing Commander
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  JH

  So they don't respect speed limits anymore...

  probably pushing 90

  I already saw an elder pass me on a double line going way past the speed limit. What they say and what they do are 2 different things.

  So sorry I was in your way getting to Field Service

  I guess he will be going to his funeral service instead, at that speed.

  Edited by - JH on 17 December 2002 15:34:19
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  NameWithheld

  O goody, we can start a speed kills flame war!

  Personally, I can and do drive 90+ on the interstate, and be perfectly safe. Now of course, the vast majority of US drivers have no business driving a bumper car, much less navigating their 4000lb status-mobile SUV - these are the ones you find crusing along at 67MPH in the passing lane (notice I did NOT say 'fast' lane - it's a PASSING lane, not a FAST lane) talking on their cell phones, diddling the radio dial, looking at the screaming brats in the back seat. Oh yes, they belong behind the wheel of a car! The driver education - actually complete lack of - in the US sucks!

  The Germans are a great example of how a well designed road system combined with an educated driving population can work. Although lately they are 'americanizing' for the worse.
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  outoftheorg

  Hello Namewithheld.

  Just gotta reply to your post. When I worked in the cop shop, I saw more crashes, injured men women and children than I thought I would. I saw children torn apart. People looking in my eyes as they died. The expression in the eyes of someone who knows he is about to die never leaves ones mind. It is usually silent, no words spoken, and the saddest eyes ever.

  You mention driving 90 mph and doing so safely. The odds are that a driver will be in a crash at some time in their life, no matter how they drive, or how fast they drive.

  The odds increase the faster we drive, no matter what the conditions are, higher speeds increase the the odds.

  The faster we or the other car that hits us is going, the greater the impact and so the greater the injuries and deaths. Not only in your car but the others involved as well.

  In every crash, there are 4 impacts. For example, the car hits a tree #1 the body or head hits the steering wheel or window #2 then the organs or brain hit the rib cage or the skull #3 then but not always there is the rebound as the head especially, flies back and hits something #4.

  A 30 lb baby moves forward at the crash with the weight of a 300.lb person at a 30 mph crash with a dead stop. "aprox. not exact statement"

  Speed limits are decided on, using the hiway condition "width,curves, exits, number of cars, in a given time, etc.

  Seat belts and front and side crash bags help with the initial impact, but they deflate quickly.Then in an auto that is rolling over and over their protection is lost, except for the belt. At that point about all the belt does is keep you in the auto as you are thrown against the inside obstructions.

  In my opinion, anyone who flagrantly exceeds the posted speed limits and causes or is responsible in some way, in the death of others, ought to be charged with negligent homicide, a felony.

  If no deaths occured then the charge should be of blatant negligence.

  Almost all of the bad crashes I witnessed caused death or injury to persons in no way responsible for the crash as well as to those responsible.

  Outoftheorg
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  NameWithheld

  Speed limits are decided on, using the hiway condition "width,curves, exits, number of cars, in a given time, etc.

  I knew 'speed' would polarize people

  More often than not, in the US at least, speed limits are not set as above. They are set to allow Mr. Patrol officer to collect revenue for the (city/state/etc). Many speed limits in the US are a sham, and if they were not, why would you see Mr Patrol officer sitting right behind a 25mph sign waiting for someone who didn't slow from 55 to 25 in time? Now, I'm not knocking the cops who police the streets, they didn't set the rules, just enforce them, nor am I going to the total opposite and saying that speed limits themselves are wrong/unfair whatever. But many times, they are set way to low for the conditions.

  As for your assertation that 'speed kills' - and increasing speed increases your risk of injury / death, that is an easy argument to trot out because it has a kernal of truth to it. But 30mph can and will kill you just as fast as 90mph can. And let's face it, you can point to whatever you want, but the truth of the matter is that the VAST majority of accidents are caused by inattentive drivers. Were they going too fast? Yes, because they were not in control. But probably 10mph was too fast for them to be driving. Improve the driver education and certification in this country and accidents would decrease. Don't give every Tom Dick and Harry a license just cause "they're american damn it, and have the right to drive!" Get people off the road who have diminished capabilities. The people and vehicles that are allowed to operate in this country are rediculous. Lower speed limits and it has no impact. This was proven when they raised the 55mph limit - and deaths coutinued to drop.

  A person doing 55 when they smack a tree while dialing their phone is just as dead as the one doing 85 when they do the same. Today's interstate system was designed for high speed.
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  outoftheorg

  Namewithheld The attitude you display and the reasoning and statements are just like the ones from the mouths of drivers I watched the court convict of negligent homicide. They went to prison.

  The prosecutor would bring to the courts all the scientific tests and reasons that the excess speed was the contributing factor causing the casualties. The defendants attorneys could not knock this down. The highways are constructed to handle a certain speed with a certain amount of traffic. As the highways get more traffic and more off and on ramps and merging lanes the speed has to be lowered to keep the same level of safety.

  The federal and state sponsored tests for the design of highways and the speed limit set by the dept. of highways in each state is regulated to provide the travelers safety.

  If you continue to drive as you are describing, the odds are, that you will be the cause of a deadly crash. I hope you can live with the chaos and grief you cause. That is if you do live.

  You may not have noticed, but I never used the word "accident" this is because more and more people involved in the investigation of crashes are convinced that "accident" is not correct because so many accidents are due to negligence or disrespect for the laws or an arrogant attitude towards others on the highway. It is not up to the individual driver to determine for himself whether to obey the speed limits, and set their own limits, because they lack the expertise and the training to do so.

  I was until about 6 months ago a certified inspector for the natl. traffic safety dept. I had to take a test yearly to maintain that status. I believe I am in a better position ,due to my background, than you are to argue the merits of obeying the speed laws.

  Do yourself a favor and slow down. I would hate to hear of your death or the deaths of your family members.

  Outoftheorg
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  Bendrr

  Dubs in SUV's. Damn that scares me! But seeing as how they just love to annoy the public it comes as no suprise that you'd find them behind the wheel of the motoring public's second-favorite "whipping boy" the SUV. Just one more way to piss everyone else off.

  Now on to my rant about SUV's.

  I now get more angry at SUV's than 18-wheelers. 18-wheeler drivers at least try to be considerate of everyone else in traffic. SUV's? Oh they think they own the fu**ing road and the rest of us don't even exist! When the traffic light turns green they sit there for a minute talking on the cell phone and waiting for the light to become greener or probably to finish their sentence, but either way they don't seem to notice me laying on the damn horn behind them, then finally take off as slowly as possible. Look moron, I know what those things can do, I'm a technician, and they can get moving much faster than that! Once they finally get somewhere near the speed limit, usually either 10mph under or 5 mph over, they weave from side to side in the lane and vary their speed over a pretty broad range in order to make it more difficult for anyone to pass. I think that cell phone attached to the driver's ear is actually giving instructions to drive this way. But never more than 5 mph over the speed limit if at all as long as the weather is sunny, clear, and dry. Once precipitation and/or fog is present or they enter a school zone they accelerate rapidly, proving that the SUV can indeed perform much better than it did at that last traffic light. As soon as it starts raining, snowing, sleeting, meteorites start falling, pedestrians enter the road, a wreck happens ahead, or you enter a school zone....well then that slow and weaving SUV you passed about a mile back suddenly flies past you straight as a laser and faster than you'd think something that big could move.

  I used to cuss and rant and rave about 18-wheelers. Now I love those guys because they're the only ones on the road who can stand up to the bitches soccer moms bullying other drivers with their damned oversized Suburbans and Excursions and undersized driving skills.

  Mike.

  Disclaimer: The above statements are my own personal opinion and are in no way meant to offend any of my fellow board members who happen to own and drive SUV's. Unless of course you drive as described above, in which case I hope you get what's comin' to you!
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  NameWithheld

  Outoftheorg,

  How do you explain the fact that while federal speed limits were raised, and in some few cases eliminated (out west) the nat'l death rate dropped? How do you explain the fact that Eurpeon countries w/ better driver education and licensing have areas w/ no limits and yet enjoy a MUCH better safety record then the US? No, I don't buy the FUD that the US lawmakers push at us - the 'speed kills' mantra is not true. Speed is only one of the factors in any given crash, and often not the most signifigant. It's not the speed but the appropriateness of that speed. Sadly, the fact of life in the US, is that the majority of the people on the road don't need to be driving period, much less hogging the road in their SUVs and having no clue as to what is going on in the world around them. Them hitting you at 55mph will kill you just as dead as them hitting you at 85mph. If we all lived by the 'speed kills' mantra - we'd either be in horse and buggys or 5mph model-T's. Though back in the day, a horse and buggy crash could kill you too!

  Notice I am NOT advocating no limits, nor saying it's safe to go 90 in residential areas, etc. But 25mph on a 4 lane commercial road for example, is rediculous, and nothing more than revenue generation. And 55/65 on wide open road systems designed for 80-100 is the same.

  And don't presume to tell me that I WILL kill someone - I've been driving the way I have for 14 crash free years - not even a fender bender. I have taken advanced driving courses, and spend a lot of time on the track w/ my car. Can you control a 90mph rear wheel slide? I can. And have. Do you know how fast you can stop your car, how fast you can manuvour/turn? Do you practice? Not reacting or panicing is a very commmon tread to most wrecks. If the situation demands it, I won't panic like most people who have no idea what car control is...

  Oh and to further twist the panties, I race motorcycles too. Ever had a knee touching the pavement while turning at 145mph while it was raining? I have - course again, this was NOT on public roads, but a race course.

  If the lawmakers really wanted to drop the death rate, they would educate the driving population, and enforce laws that penalized stupidity, and somehow (tough one) get rid of the drunk/impared drivers.
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  outoftheorg

  All right no name! What is all this bs about 90 mph, knee touching ground, have to do with being a safe driver.

  Hell, when I took the hi speed pursuit test for the sheriffs dept, I had to do a rear wheel slide at 65 mph sideways and park the 18 foot long car in a 20 foot space between two parked cars. Had to do this without touching the two cars or the curb. Then had to get the car out in 120 seconds without touching either car or the curb.

  Lets see ya top that!!

  Actually I am a certified natl. traffic safety agency inspector. FOR CHILD, CAR SAFETY SEATS.

  Volunteer for one of the local hospitals that have a car seat program.

  The damn manual for that certification is 2 inches thick of 7x11 pages. Had to read the whole thing.

  It is written in 8th yr college language. Had to answer 100 questions. Less than 85 correct and you are toast. Well it was fun while it lasted.

  Nice try Bndr, but I can only do one at a time.

  Outoftheorg
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  NameWithheld

  What is all this bs about 90 mph, knee touching ground, have to do with being a safe driver.

  It tells you that I have honed my riding skills to a point that I can control a vehicle (motorcycle) beyond the capabilites that most people have. Note that I made a point of telling you that the above was done on a closed road corse. It tells you that (probably) my reaction time and non-instintual reactions to fast happening situations is well trained. Note I am not trying to make out like I am god's gift to driving/riding, far from it, but I am much more well trained/experianced than 95% of the population.

  Hell, when I took the hi speed pursuit test for the sheriffs dept, I had to do a rear wheel slide at 65 mph sideways and park the 18 foot long car in a 20 foot space between two parked cars. Had to do this without touching the two cars or the curb. Then had to get the car out in 120 seconds without touching either car or the curb.

  I think that is awesome, and tells me that you are probably far and above beyond the average driver. I would not feel unsafe crusing at 90mph on the freeway with you And I can't top that - I haven't practiced that - I'd love too, but don't have the car(s) I'd wish to damage while practicing I'll have to be content with the tracks days I get to attend.

  But you don't respond to my assertation that to truely drop death rate what we really need is better education and licensing controls. Some of the people who operate motor vehicles in this country probably shouldn't even be walking in public, much less operating a 3000+lb machine.