Driving in the Sunshine State

[shiny!]

Re: Driving in the Sunshine State

Thanks, lektrode. You're sweet. I don't mean to be a downer or a threadkiller. It's just that if his story can help even one person be more focused and aware when they're driving, perhaps save a life, then he didn't die for nothing.

[dcarrigg]

Re: Driving in the Sunshine State

The speed limit here in town is actually too fast - 45 MPH. A nice in-town cruising speed but since there's lots of red lights, there's lots of stops . . . at 45 -50 MPH. Add in everyone expects you to get up to speed pronto and I'm anticipating accelerated brake and tranie wear. Being a 80,000 + brake man, ouch!

(you can imagine how the 8 MPH guy stood out, in the far left lane, in 45 MPH free-flowing traffic. Like a surprise speed bump.)

For what it's worth, the last time I saw the less than 10mph thing happen, I almost ended up in an accident myself.

It was a 2 lane one-way, with two-three hundred year old buildings built right up to the sidewalk. And it was slightly curvy. Come around the corner, and there she was. Like a wall. At 45MPH, 8 may as well be a brick wall. Luckily there were two lanes and a way around. Other one-ways in alley's wouldn't be so forgiving.

The worst part was that she as drifting in and out of each of the lanes as she did this.


The worst thing I ever encountered, however, was on a three-lane one-way (again tight with buildings), that has a 95 exit dump into it. I was coming off the exit, and there was this ol' buck, coming at me from the wrong direction. I actually used my car to block traffic, and got him off the road, as he tried to angle himself to drive up the off-ramp in the wrong direction.

He was very confused when we got him to stop his car (at this point, others helped). He may as well have been blackout drunk on the road. He couldn't remember who he was, where he was, how he got there, or why. The road was a well marked one way. Even if it was not, he was on the left side of it, which wouldn't have ever made sense on a 2-way. The guy just forgot every driving rule there ever was, along with his name.

And the police showed up. They ended up calling his daughter to get him. But they didn't even tow the car so far as I could see. Nobody took his license. And this was not an area where you need it so badly - there is fairly good public transit. I don't even think they wrote the guy a ticket. At least there was no ticket that I saw. My guess is that he'll do it again.

In at least that case, an easy solution would have been an ignition interlock system that asks you to identify street signs to their meanings before the car will start. They already have them for blood alcohol level. If they'd just get a little cheaper and have a little screen test, these things could probably stop someone having a 'bad spell' from crashing or worse.

[don]

Re: Driving in the Sunshine State

Age and driving is a difficult personal decision. Surrendering your mobility - forever, nobody recovers from old age - is also recognizing your own deterioration. Not a walk in the park, though a more appropriate means of conveyance. My wife's cousin notified the local police that her father was both aged - well into his 80s - and drinking heavily every day at his VFW post. A rolling IED. They waited in the parking lot, intervened, and took away his keys and license. He never drove again. To this day - he's now in mid- dementia - he rages on at how someone in his family did this to him.

[dcarrigg]

Re: Driving in the Sunshine State

On a recent trip to Florida I thought it quite funny that when I stopped for petrol the point of purchase displays between me and the payment counter were chocker full of ice cold beer to encourage me to drink and drive.

That seems to start on 95 south by somewheres in VA, and continue all the way down to FL. The only consolation I had was, when you're trying to drive 30 hours in a row, beer's the last thing you need or want. I did long for descent coffee, though. That stretch from Richmond to Jacksonville, with hot muggy weather and some palm trees, but without iced coffee, is something akin to torture for New Englanders driving through.

Especially at breakfast time. Coffee has been my only breakfast for 300 days of the year for a long while now. I'm far from alone. Pick a spot somewhere in the Carolinas right off 95 and offer up some iced coffee. I all but guarantee you'd get us goofballs buying it for $5 per cup, and 2 cups at a time.

[dcarrigg]

Re: Driving in the Sunshine State

Age and driving is a difficult personal decision. Surrendering your mobility - forever, nobody recovers from old age - is also recognizing your own deterioration. Not a walk in the park, though a more appropriate means of conveyance. My wife's cousin notified the local police that her father was both aged - well into his 80s - and drinking heavily every day at his VFW post. A rolling IED. They waited in the parking lot, intervened, and took away his keys and license. He never drove again. To this day - he's now in mid- dementia - he rages on at how someone in his family did this to him.

It's never an easy thing. It really depends on the personality of the person(s) involved. I've seen older folks refuse to drive at night voluntarily. But some will fight you tooth and nail until the end. Dementia never helps.

[don]

Re: Driving in the Sunshine State

Night driving is often the first to go. They simply cannot see while driving at night.

[lektrode]

Re: Driving in the Sunshine State

Thanks, lektrode. You're sweet. I don't mean to be a downer or a threadkiller....

aw shucks ms shiny! now you made me blush...
and i thot that was my job... ;)

[lektrode]

Re: Driving in the Sunshine State

Night driving is often the first to go. They simply cannot see while driving at night.

i've already - pulling in to the 54 slot - dropped that activity = just too dang hard on the ole eyeballs
that and because i like a little horse racing in the late afternoon - nothing like a couple daily doubles to work up a lather fer dinner - trifectas or maybe even a superfecta on satday nites....

[don]

Re: Driving in the Sunshine State

i've already - pulling in to the 54 slot - dropped that activity = just too dang hard on the ole eyeballs
that and because i like a little horse racing in the late afternoon - nothing like a couple daily doubles to work up a lather fer dinner - trifectas or maybe even a superfecta on satday nites....

Perfecta, lek!

[shiny!]

Re: Driving in the Sunshine State

i've already - pulling in to the 54 slot - dropped that activity = just too dang hard on the ole eyeballs

54 here, too. Driving at night is hard with astigmatism- all the lights have little double images, it's too much visual confusion. Glasses with anti-reflective lenses help a LOT.

[lakedaemonian]

Re: Driving in the Sunshine State

That seems to start on 95 south by somewheres in VA, and continue all the way down to FL. The only consolation I had was, when you're trying to drive 30 hours in a row, beer's the last thing you need or want. I did long for descent coffee, though. That stretch from Richmond to Jacksonville, with hot muggy weather and some palm trees, but without iced coffee, is something akin to torture for New Englanders driving through.

Especially at breakfast time. Coffee has been my only breakfast for 300 days of the year for a long while now. I'm far from alone. Pick a spot somewhere in the Carolinas right off 95 and offer up some iced coffee. I all but guarantee you'd get us goofballs buying it for $5 per cup, and 2 cups at a time.

Funny you should mention Iced Coffee.

A couple of the "Super 7/11" petrol stations(no other way to describe them) had ice coffee machines.

I'm a fan as well.......so I was stopping there and at Dunkin Donuts for bucket sized iced coffees.....no donuts though....the sickly sweet smell upon entering the store was enough to give me type II diabetes.

That was the first time I was in the Southeast for a bit...BIG changes since travelling there regularly in the 90's.

It certainly has a tropical Snowcrash and sunny neon Bladerunner vibe about it, except no flying cars.

The most surprising aspect was how incredibly CHEAP everything was......real estate, store and restaurant food, beer, consumer products.

[doom&gloom]

Re: Driving in the Sunshine State

My mom is gonna be 86. She gave up her car about 9 months ago when, post broken leg, she could not get in and out of it. My son inherited it, I got the insurance bill, AND I get to drive mom around 2x/week. Lucky ME!

More seriously, I am so glad she got out of the car. She still thought she was some bat outta hell behind the wheel, when she was just downright scary. Speed up, slow down, cut lanes without trun signals, cross land lines and back at random, etc. the world is safer with her not driving. And yes, when she was younger she was a good driver. But reality and perception diverged somewhere around 75 years old.


Hey don, what part of FLA are you in? I sometimes have fantasies of moving to Northern FL like Destin or similar.

[doom&gloom]

Re: Driving in the Sunshine State

On a recent trip to Florida I thought it quite funny that when I stopped for petrol the point of purchase displays between me and the payment counter were chocker full of ice cold beer to encourage me to drink and drive.

I lived for a short time in Texas many years ago when it was legal to drink and drive, but not be drunk and driving. When the weather REALLY got hot, I was a one beer a day drinking driver. Man was it hot, and a cold one on the way home back then made perfect sense.

[lakedaemonian]

Re: Driving in the Sunshine State

Night driving is often the first to go. They simply cannot see while driving at night.

And even worse....driving at night in the rain.....

Back in 2003 I was driving home at night and in the rain in a petrol truck with an external, low mounted, side petrol tank stuck at a red light in a T intersection.

At Green light I moved through the intersection and got T-boned by a little 75+ year old lady who hit the petrol tank head on.

The initial hit was as bright as a light bulb flash.......within a minute I managed to get out of the vehicle and get little old lady out of hers...within approx. 2-2.5 minutes both vehicles were on fire from end to end.

Nobody got hurt, but little old lady shouldn't have been driving.

[lakedaemonian]

Re: Driving in the Sunshine State

I lived for a short time in Texas many years ago when it was legal to drink and drive, but not be drunk and driving. When the weather REALLY got hot, I was a one beer a day drinking driver. Man was it hot, and a cold one on the way home back then made perfect sense.

That's the thing that gets me......IF it were legal to drink and drive(but not be drunk) I would think the common policy amongst petrol station convenience stores would maybe make some sense.