Re: Crossing intersections on either side of the Atlantic (Nomex zipped up all the way).

["Peter Dowker" <pdowker@mindspring.com>]

As a lurker who grew up somewhere outside the excited states, I'd have to agree.  I don't think there is any real solution to the insularity of the 'mericun mind 
set - just have to learn to tolerate it and CYA.

On Tue, 19 Jan 1999 02:29:54 -0500, ikessel@worldnet.att.net wrote:

>James wrote:
>
>>Several years ago CA passed a law that "being in the intersection when 
>>the light is red is illegal." No quarry, no slack, just illegal. Yes, 
>>that means no waiting in the intersection on a green ball to make a 
>>left turn;
>>once the oncoming traffic stops for the red, you go. Not anymore . . .
>
>Lovely. 
>Thanks for posting this, James. For years several times per year I've
>been visiting CA to run the Co booth at the National Design Engineering
>shows and the like and now I know that I've been violating their local
>traffic laws all that time.
>
>I've been and I am doing this in every state and country that I've been
>to and I do firmly believe, along with the rest of the world, that this
>is the _only_ correct and safe way to make a left (or right in the other
>~1/3 of the world) turn.
>
>What freaks me out here in general is the absence of a Federal Traffic
>Code, Euro-style.
>As well as of a comprehensive multi-page manual describing it.
>Consisting of explicit DOs and DON'Ts, Euro-style.
>
>Instead of this, here in PA they have a pathetic 5mm thin so called
>"Drivers Manual" full of useless garbage like:
>-"If you intend to drive to a party, try not to drink more than 1 drink
>per hour". I kid you not! And almost no traffic code itself.
>BTW, what the hell is "one drink" anyway? Mine, for example, is a
>4.5-shot capacity Vodka-Martini Dry, my wife's - a glass of Merlot. Am I
>violating the law? I'd love not to, just define the damn thing
>explicitly, Euro-style (in promille of pure alcohol for those who have
>never lived there).
>
>Over the years I've helped a few of my friends to exchange their
>European driver's licences for the PA ones. That's after a mandatory
>theory _AND_ driving test here -ha! Every _one_ of those guys, after
>seeing the PA Drivers Manual, burst out laughing:
>-"you guys call _THIS_ a Driver Manual???"
>
>My own story comes to mind.
>Yes, it's hard to believe, but Uncle Sam in his infinite arrogance
>presumes that a man, holding a Professional Class 2, Category A/B/C
>pan-European Driver's Licence has no clue as to how to drive a car if he
>has not yet driven in the 55mph, automatic-barge-infested USA, where the
>formal driving training is not even required!!! 
>Never mind that I've gone through the mandatory 4.5 mos of intensive
>4-eves-per-week, 4 hour long each, theory and winter driving training in
>'78, when I applied for my Euro-licence and that I spent 11 years
>driving in the part of the world where people don't even recognise
>automatics as means of transportation, let alone eating while driving
>and so forth. I was automatically assessed 3 points and assigned to a
>high risk group for 3 years when I exchanged my European Licence for the
>PA one in '89.
>
>The individual states, counties, townships and localities here have the
>"freedom" of setting their personal local traffic codes. All this
>nonsense is being aggressively advocated by the populous, which simply
>does not realise that the only "freedom" they are gaining is the freedom
>to not know when they are gonna get their a$$ grabbed by the local
>constabulary for violating some obscure local laws which they have no
>means to and shouldn't have to know.
>
>Those concerned with safety on intersections, should install the
>blinking-green-before-turning-red traffic lights which could be seen on
>near every intersection in Europe or introduce the European headlight
>code or _separate_, orange _only_ turn signals, or the mandatory driver
>training in the Federal accredited driving schools and cut down on
>fatalities _dramatically_. 
>Naah, it's all hypocrisy, it's all about His Majesty the Greenback, no
>one gives a flying crap about the lives of people.
>
>--
>Igor Kessel
>A triple-layer-Nomex tightly zipped up in anticipation of a flame
>barrage of the "freedom" lovers.


Regards,

P. Dowker