HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jimf@centerline.com (Jim Frost)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: What are some common myths about driving?
Date: 21 Dec 1992 19:01:34 GMT
Organization: CenterLine Software, Inc.
NNTP-Posting-Host: 140.239.3.202

cam@castle.ed.ac.uk (Chris Malcolm) writes:
>In article <knauer.724919190@pegasus.cs.uiuc.edu> knauer@pegasus.cs.uiuc.edu (Rob Knauerhase) writes:

>>No matter how good public
>>transit gets, no matter the cries of "railroads!  See how they work in 
>>[Europe,
>>India, wherever]", you generally have to have a car to go to work, to shop for
>>groceries, etc.

>>This is a particular sticking point of mine; so many people are so willing to
>>ban cars, tax gasoline, revoke licenses for minor offenses, etc.  They do not
>>realize however that in the real world (as applies to most of America) 
>>you just have to have a car.

>This is a curious point. Do you mean that the Real World (tm) consists
>of most of America, and perhaps some parts of Europe and India? If so,
>that would explain how I, living all my life in various parts of the
>UK, have managed to raise a family and pursue a professional career
>without ever feeling the need to own a car: obviously I don't live in
>the Real World. In the strange Unreal World I inhabit a car is not
>only inconvenient and expensive, but usually a slower way of getting
>from from A to B.

In most of the US there are no public transportation systems
whatsoever.  Even in dense urban areas public transportation systems
are universally inadequate(*).

I bought a car because it was impossible to continue to justify two to
six hours a day on public transportation (depending on which day of
the week and how much stuff was broken down) to go eight miles.  Add
in the convenience and savings of being able to pick my grocery store
and being able to manage interstate travel in less time than it
usually takes to wait for the bus to show up and you begin to get the
idea.

Besides practical reasons necessitating cars in America, there are
dominant social reasons as well.  If you do not have at least a
driver's license you are heavily discriminated against by retailers
and even the government.

When you're comparing the US with your environment, remember that the
whole of the UK is a comparatively small place.

jim frost
jimf@centerline.com

(*) I say "universally" meaning "I haven't seen one yet that was worth
spit."  The closest things to decent setups I've seen are BART and the
Washington DC system, two of the newest systems in the country (and
very similar), and even those have the hub-and-spoke distribution
problem.  It's possible I've missed a really modern well-laid-out
system, but at the very least they're not the norm.
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: morton@gaul.csd.uwo.ca (Brent Morton)
Subject: Re: What are some common myths about driving?
Organization: Computer Science Dept., Univ. of Western Ontario, London, Canada
Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1992 20:53:22 GMT

In article <29774@castle.ed.ac.uk> cam@castle.ed.ac.uk (Chris Malcolm) writes:
>In article <knauer.724919190@pegasus.cs.uiuc.edu> knauer@pegasus.cs.uiuc.edu (Rob Knauerhase) writes:
>
>>No matter how good public
>>transit gets, no matter the cries of "railroads!  See how they work in 
>>[Europe,
>>India, wherever]", you generally have to have a car to go to work, to shop for
>>groceries, etc.
>
>>This is a particular sticking point of mine; so many people are so willing to
>>ban cars, tax gasoline, revoke licenses for minor offenses, etc.  They do not
>>realize however that in the real world (as applies to most of America) 
>>you just have to have a car.
>
>This is a curious point. Do you mean that the Real World (tm) consists
>of most of America, and perhaps some parts of Europe and India? If so,
>that would explain how I, living all my life in various parts of the
>UK, have managed to raise a family and pursue a professional career
>without ever feeling the need to own a car: obviously I don't live in
>the Real World. In the strange Unreal World I inhabit a car is not
>only inconvenient and expensive, but usually a slower way of getting
>from from A to B.

Not on this side of the Atlantic, it isn't. Consider Canada and the U.S.
together. Here we have an area more than 80 times the size of your country
with perhaps 4.5 times the population. Unless you spend all of your time in a
city, it isn't practical to go without a car. We don't have the transportation
infrastructure that exists in Britain, because we don't have the population
density to make it possible. Additionally, vehicle ownership costs are lower
on this continent.

-- Brent
morton@prolix.gaul.csd.uwo.ca

Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving,misc.legal
From: jfc@athena.mit.edu (John F Carr)
Subject: driving tickets in another state
Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Distribution: usa
Date: Sat, 2 Jan 1993 17:52:46 GMT


I'm curious about something.  Suppose state A issues a driver's license, and
the driver is cited in state B for some offense which would normally result
in suspension or revocation of the driver's license in state B.  Does state
B have the right to revoke the license issued by state A?  If not, what
about state A?  Does it matter if state A also considers the offense serious
enough to revoke a license?

Example: suppose I'm stopped driving in a state which does not allow a
driver to refuse a drunk driving breath test, and I refuse the test.  That
state would normally suspend my license.  Now suppose I got my license in a
state which has heard of the bill of rights and allows refusal of a breath
test.  What happens?  (Are there any states left which allow refusal of the
test?)  What if my home state doesn't allow refusal.  Can it revoke a
license for an offense in another state?

I've heard that some states share driving records, but I don't know what
that really means.

--
    John Carr (jfc@athena.mit.edu)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: gill@eagle.sangamon.edu (Warren Gill)
Subject: Re: How to answer the Officer when pulled up?
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL6]
Organization: Sangamon State University
Date: Wed, 30 Dec 1992 20:42:58 GMT

Satya Prabhakar (prabhak@giga.cs.umn.edu) wrote:
> Today I was caught doing 43 (as per the polic radar) in a
> 30 mile zone. I *sincerely* was not doing more than 38 or
> [stuff deleted] 
> My question is this: Would it have been wise on my part to
> just have said that I was traveling within the speed limit?

  Always remember to try to boost the officer's ego (yes, suck up)
and try not to admit your guilt.  Try something like "Oh, I didn't
realize I was going that fast.  I must not have been paying attention
to my speed, with the traffic and all..."
  At least this way you present your case *without* admitting your guilt.

--wg
      ______                                                               
      )     (   Warren Gill, Management Analyst Programmer II
     /       |  University of Illinois at Chicago
    (        |  Division of Specialized Care for Children
     \_  *   |  Springfield, IL
       \     |  
       /    /   217/793-2350x151  Internet: gill@eagle.sangamon.edu
        \/\/    
          Truth is the daughter of Time. {Latin}                          
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: mf@dancer.cc.bellcore.com (fusco,marc)
Subject: Re: Do HOV lanes work?
Organization: Planet XTC
Distribution: usa
Date: Mon, 4 Jan 93 04:29:42 GMT

In article <1993Jan3.225143.10333@athena.mit.edu> jfc@athena.mit.edu (John F Carr) writes:
>
>I-84 through Hartford has some very-expensive looking carpool lanes (at
>interchanges and exits there are separate over/under-passes; when the HOV
>lane parallels the road there is enough unused pavement to add 1.5 new
>lanes).

	Yup, they do look expensive and they also have them on the
improved Rt. 91.  The problem with the HOV on 91 is that they don't
tell you what exits you have access to (or don't) and I noticed a few 
folks 'drifting' across the dividing lane (unused pavement) to get off 
an exit that theys suddenly realized they couldn't get too from the HOV.  
I'm not sure who designed this system but it sure looks like it will 
cause some problems.

>Is this really worth the cost?  I go through Hartford a few times a year at
>off-peak hours, and there is very little traffic on the HOV lane.  Is it
>different during rush hour?  It seems to me the money would have been better
>spent making the main road wider.

	This is a good point.  IMHO, I don't think they are the cost 
since a few more lanes might accomodate the traffic too (although 
it seems in NJ when they add more lanes to the GSP people just drive
more to the center, leaving the rightmost lanes almost empty, thereby
causing traffic problems anyway).
They probably would have been better off building a light rail system.
Of course, why they renovated the higways now (when they were needed
10 years ago) while people are leaving CT is beyond me (except that
maybe they got some Fed funds, although the gas tax in CT just
went up again for the next fews years and they are already the highest
in the nation).

>If you do take the HOV lane, you have to travel at the speed of the slowest
>car because there is no room to pass.

	They also lowered the criteria in CT to only 2 people in the car.
Tailgaiting is becoming more prominent too.
From: george@access.digex.com (George Tsibouris)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Need info on Skip Barber driving school
Date: 25 Dec 1992 22:08:51 GMT
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt MD USA
NNTP-Posting-Host: access.digex.com
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL3

Has anyone been to their one or two-day courses?  Did you learn anything?
Did you feel that you got your money's worth?  Any information would
be greatly appreciated.

George

george@access.digex.com
From: andyw@meaddata.com (Andy Welter)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: Re: How Fast are They Driving Out There?
Date: 29 Dec 1992 16:53:28 GMT
Organization: Mead Data Central, Dayton OH
Distribution: world
Reply-To: andyw@meaddata.com
NNTP-Posting-Host: geronimo.meaddata.com


In article 1728@tekgen.bv.tek.com, tkpowell@tekgen.bv.tek.com (Terry Powell) writes:
>I recently got into a bit of a flame fest over on wreck.motorcycles
>involving a statement I made on speed in the USA.  Basically I questioned
>a statement made that there were a lot of folks out there traveling at
>100mph.  I said I doubted there were many traveling at 100 mph in fairly
>heavy traffic (I didn't define heavy traffic).  Anyway, I got quite a few
>responses indicating that I obviously hadn't driven on IXXX lately.  Now
>I'm really curious.  Whats the average speed on your daily commute?  How
>fast are the 'flyboys' going?  What are the off hour speeds?  Reports from
>the great wide open?  A few people mentioned that police patrols were
>virtually non existent in the fast areas (makes sense).  Are they cutting
>back in your area?
>
>Later		
>
>--Terry

I can only think of 1 time that I have ever seen someone trying to go 
~100 mph in traffic. (have been driving 10 years or so...)

On a recent 5 1/2 hour trip to michigan, (light to medium traffic) the
fastest I saw anyone going was about 85 mph in a 65.  When I go between 
Dayton and Maryland/DC (mostly I70) I usually don't see people going above
85 either.  Both drives alternate between city and open countryside.

My commute is 5 miles long, so I don't see much excesive speeding during 
that either.

---
|Andrew Welter	     |  All views are mine and not |      (513) 865-6822   
|Mead Data Central   |    that of my employer      |      pd&o-ps-ts-dsp       
|P.O. Box 933        |                             |     andyw@meaddata.com
|Dayton, Ohio  45401 |          	           | ...!uunet!meaddata!andyw

Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: bcannard@hppcb36.mentorg.com (The Human Mi-Go)
Subject: Re: "Most Tastelss Car Accessory Listing"
Originator: bcannard@hppcb36
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 18:33:12 GMT
Distribution: usa
Reply-To: bob_cannard@mentorg.com
Organization: Yuggoth Interstellar Travel Inc.
Keywords: 
Followup-To: 


In article <1hud7jINNb7v@meaddata.meaddata.com>, dlovely@meaddata.com (David Lovely) writes:
|> The all-time tasteless bumper sticker award goes to:
|> 	"Protect American Jobs, Buy American Made"
|> 
|> It was on the back of a Toyota Corolla!
|> 
|> This is absolutely true!

Heh heh. Reminds me of something I saw during the "swinging '60's".
I was living in Britain then, and buying British because it was
British was the rage. And there, parked in a back street in the
middle of Cardiff, was a vehicle painted all over with the British
flag and "I'm Backing Britain" and similar slogans all over.

It was a Volkswagen Dormobile.
-- 
bob_cannard@mentorg.com			"More dynamite!" - Theron Marks
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: dman@netcom.com (Dallman Ross)
Subject: Re: How Fast are They Driving Out There?
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.1 PL8]
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 08:27:05 GMT

Matt Dennie (mdennie@beryllium.mc.xerox.com) wrote:
: In article 12109@netcom.com, dman@netcom.com (Dallman Ross) writes:

: >: "Cracked-out gang-member cruise-car chases- on the next Donahue." <snicker>
: >
: >Oh, <snicker> yourself.  There do exist coked-out idiots out there, ya
: >know.  Why is it so hard to believe that I've seen a few over 6 months
: >on the urban part of I-80?

: I doubt anyone would argue that these types exists or that you may have seen some,
: _my_ point (not speaking for kenny here) is that you make no case for why you think
: the people you saw were "probably high" and your statement smacks of prejudice.

Oferchrissakes.  I didn't know I was supposed to detail every element and
consideration that led me to my conclusions in order for it to be reasonably
conceivable that I did see such a thing.

The people were "probably high" because they were driving highly
dangerously and irrationally.  As I said, I do not have a problem with
speed.  I do have a problem with psychotic behavior, whether behind
a wheel or not.

The people were probably gang members because they drove certain
types of cars with certain types of paint schemes known to be driven
by gang members in the East Oakland/San Leandro area.  For example,
two-tone-browns early-'60's Ford Falcons.  Not all the people I
saw were of a particular race or drove cars of a similar type, but
some did, and seemed identifiable as gang cars to me.

The statements I made were not intended to be sufficient to convict
anybody beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law; and I didn't 
know my own deductions or judgments were on trial.  Of those who 
know me personally, none I can think of would call me prejudiced, 
in my considered opinion.  But you will think what you must, I 
suppose.  Anyway, for the record, I am a law clerk for a county 
public defender's office (not the prosecution!), I am committed to
upholding the rights of all members of society, I teach part-time
in a ghetto high-school, and I used to have a black girlfriend.

--
 __D_a l_l m a_n  _ R o_s s _ |dman@netcom.com /or| /-\o /-()  -- -  --   - 
 l  \\ l\\   /l  /\\  l\\   l |dross@well.sf.ca.us| \_/ \\/ )  -- -    --   
 l   >)l \\ /ll /  \\ l \\  l |350 Perkins, #108  |       |/_\  -- -  --   -
 l  // l  \X ll/--- \\l  \\ l |Oakland, CA  94610 |        \_/ .  . . ........
_l//___AMA Life #585368___\\l_|phone:_510/645-1883|_DoD #696_Suzuki_'82_GS750E
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: djr48312@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Dennis Robinson)
Subject: READ THIS: HELP Mustang GT wont start
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 20:56:25 GMT


Today I was driving along in my used '89 mustang GT and it shut off.  This
was after I was reaching under the seat for something and ended up with
a strange plastic cap in my hand.  As soon as I noticed I had this cap in
my hand the engine stuttered and eventually stopped.  I pulled the car over
to the side and tried to start it.  The starter turned with its usual vigor,
also the headlamps and stereo worked fine.  So I looked under the seat
(driver side front) and saw some device hooked up to 3 wires.  The cap fit
onto this device.  WIthout the "cap" the device looked like a bunch of metal
plates and had a small spring along the side of it.  There was a black mark
as if it had been shorted.  I tried to reset the fuel shut off also but that
was not the problem.  Now the car sits there and will crank but not connect.
Any help will be appreciated.

Dennnis J Robinson
From: tkpowell@tekgen.bv.tek.com (Terry Powell)
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
Subject: How Fast are They Driving Out There?
Date: 22 Dec 92 22:12:17 GMT
Distribution: na
Organization: Tektronix, Inc.

I recently got into a bit of a flame fest over on wreck.motorcycles
involving a statement I made on speed in the USA.  Basically I questioned
a statement made that there were a lot of folks out there traveling at
100mph.  I said I doubted there were many traveling at 100 mph in fairly
heavy traffic (I didn't define heavy traffic).  Anyway, I got quite a few
responses indicating that I obviously hadn't driven on IXXX lately.  Now
I'm really curious.  Whats the average speed on your daily commute?  How
fast are the 'flyboys' going?  What are the off hour speeds?  Reports from
the great wide open?  A few people mentioned that police patrols were
virtually non existent in the fast areas (makes sense).  Are they cutting
back in your area?

Later		

--Terry
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: finn@convex.com (Tom Finn)
Subject: Re: Driving in gusty winds - info needed
Organization: CONVEX Computer Corporation, Richardson, Tx., USA
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 1992 02:35:18 GMT
X-Disclaimer: This message was written by a user at CONVEX Computer
              Corp. The opinions expressed are those of the user and
              not necessarily those of CONVEX.

In article <1992Dec24.145614.9360@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu> bqueiser@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Brian J Queiser) writes:
>s5ugxk@almserv.uucp (Girish Kumtheker) writes:
>
>>
>>Also any confirmed reports of cars with people in it
>>being blown in the air ??

I was stationed in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in the Air Force, and was
driving back to my base after a vacation early one spring; I think it was
about 1987.  This was on the day after a major snow storm.

There's a rather huge bridge that crosses the lake and links the upper and
lower peninsulas, and as I was driving across I saw the right hand lane was
blocked off and there was a large amount of heavy equipment in that lane.

Half an hour later I heard on the radio that a young woman had been driving
across the bridge on the previous day and had been hit by a gust of wind,
causing her to lose control.  Her car went over the rail (3-4 feet high) and
into the lake, about 200-300 feet below.

I don't remember what kind of car it was, but it was something tiny like a
Yugo or Chevette.

So, I'm not sure if it counts as a car being picked up, but it was a death
caused by wind.  Stay off of the Mackinac bridge during heavy winds.  ;)

tom
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: chucko@kronos.arc.nasa.gov (Chuck Fry)
Subject: Re: "Most Tastelss Car Accessory Listing"
Organization: Recom Technologies, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Distribution: usa
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 20:07:57 GMT

In article <1hud7jINNb7v@meaddata.meaddata.com> dlovely@meaddata.com (David Lovely) writes:
>The all-time tasteless bumper sticker award goes to:
>	"Protect American Jobs, Buy American Made"

>It was on the back of a Toyota Corolla!

Nothing wrong with that.  Corollas and their identical cousins, Geo
Prizms, are built at the NUMMI plant in Fremont, California -- the
last auto factory in the state.

 -- Chuck Fry  Chucko@ptolemy.arc.nasa.gov
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: jbc@linus.mitre.org (John B. Campbell)
Subject: Re: READ THIS: HELP Mustang GT wont start
Organization: Research Computer Facility, The MITRE Corporation, Bedford MA
Date: Tue, 29 Dec 1992 21:29:01 GMT

In article <BzzM63.KBE@news.cso.uiuc.edu> djr48312@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Dennis Robinson) writes:

>   Today I was driving along in my used '89 mustang GT and it shut off.  This
>   was after I was reaching under the seat for something and ended up with
>   a strange plastic cap in my hand.  As soon as I noticed I had this cap in
>   my hand the engine stuttered and eventually stopped.  I pulled the car over
>   to the side and tried to start it.  The starter turned with its usual vigor,
>   also the headlamps and stereo worked fine.  So I looked under the seat
>   (driver side front) and saw some device hooked up to 3 wires.  The cap fit
>   onto this device.  WIthout the "cap" the device looked like a bunch of metal
>   plates and had a small spring along the side of it.  There was a black mark
>   as if it had been shorted.  I tried to reset the fuel shut off also but that
>   was not the problem.  Now the car sits there and will crank but not connect.
>   Any help will be appreciated.

Sounds to me as if you just discovered that the previous owner of your
GT had installed a semi-concealed theft deterrent.  Paark the car,
reach under the seat and detach the funny pseudo-key ...

If you still can contact the previous owner, s/he might confirm what
the device was.

Probably shuts off the ignition and fuel pump until properly
re-installed, or maybe it once set off an alarm that no longer
functions.


--
****************************************************************
*                                      *                       *
* John B. Campbell                     *   This space          *
* MITRE Corporation                    *                       *
* Bedford, MA 01730                    *   intentionally       *
* (617)271-3434                        *                       *
* <jbc@mitre.org>                      *   blank.              *
*                                      *                       *
****************************************************************
Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving
From: jennifer@island.COM (J.S.Jackson - Dances with Nerds)
Subject: Re: How to answer the Officer when pulled up?
Organization: /usr/local/rn/organization
Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1992 20:34:49 GMT

>>In article <1992Dec30.193437.26773@news2.cis.umn.edu> prabhak@giga.cs.umn.edu (Satya Prabhakar) writes:
>>>Today I was caught doing 43 (as per the polic radar) in a
>>>30 mile zone. I *sincerely* was not doing more than 38 or
>>>so.

	[much more deleted]

Technically, his question:  "Do you know how fast you were going?"
could be considered entrapment in some states.  If you answer the
truth ["I was speeding"], then they are allowed to use that, and
not tell you what their radar was [or what they followed you at].

If you choose not to answer [see "Fight Your Ticket"], you should
do so politely ["Yes, sir, I do."], and be sure not to tell them
when the respond, "So, how fast?"--instead, ask them:  "What did
your radar show, sir?"/"What did you clock me at, sir?"

Don't argue with the cop/chp--anything you admit to WILL be used
on the ticket.  Period.  In court, if you have admitted to it, the
officer can tell the judge, "..and when I asked him if he knew how
fast he was travelling, he told me flat out that he was speeding."

Good luck....and remember:  "Fight Your Ticket" - local libraries
	and bookstores everywhere!


-- 
	"Republicans understand the importance of bondage 
		between a mother and child"  
			-Vice President Dan Quayle

Newsgroups: rec.autos.driving