Re: Drunk Driving

[Brett Dikeman <brett@pdikeman.ne.mediaone.net>]

>Addressed to: Paul Wilson <pwilson@pop.ma.ultranet.com>
>              quattro@coimbra.ans.net
>
>** Reply to note from Paul Wilson <pwilson@pop.ma.ultranet.com> Wed, 08
>Jul 1998 22:59:52 -0400
>>
>> Of course, I think that people who rack up a lot of speeding tickets but no
>> accidents should get insurance discounts.  Obviously these people are good
>> drivers.
>
>IOW, any fool can drive both slowly and safely? :)

Until they:
-pass on the right(illegal in MA)(not on highway, on single-lane road, ie,
someone's trying to turn across traffic, you pass them on the right.)
-don't know the right-of-way in an intersection with no light
-don't know the speed limit when not posted on a road
-don't know who has the right-of-way at a rotary(another wonderful MA
invention)

Low speed has NOTHING to do with higher safety or a better driver.  I know
that in NH, technically you can be ticketed for doing under 45 on highways;
they post a max and min speed.

As to drivers tests, most in MA probably would pass.  Why?

I distinctly remember my driver's test, administered by a computer:
"Seatbelts are for the following purpose:
A)Holding groceries
B)looks
C)Restraining a passenger in the event of a front or side collision to
prevent them from hitting the windshiled blah blah blah blah blah blah
D)they have no purpose"

Funny, but someone with no knowledge of the english language could pass the
MA test simply by always picking the longest answer.

What we need is a serious overhaul of the state driver's tests, conforming
to minimums set by the DOT, and periodic refresher tests(every 5 years, I
would guess.)

It's odd; teenagers when not "goofing off" are "better"(ie, more "legal")
drivers than almost everyone else because they just had to take a learner's
permit exam, usually driver's ed(which is pathetic) and then the license
exam.

I remember when I first started driving thinking about how bad all the
other drivers were.

Brett

------
Brett Dikeman
brett@pdikeman.ne.mediaone.net
~)-|
Hostes alienigeni me abduxerunt.  Qui annus est?
Te audire non possum.  Musa sapientum fixa est in aure.
Ita, scio hunc 'sig file' veterem fieri.
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