🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Mar26.022335.17095@visix.com> amanda@visix.com (Amanda Walker) writes:
>
>From an international perspective, Americans really don't drive very
>well in general.  I'd like to see higher speed limits, but I'd also like
>to see much more stringent licensing.  I'd also like to see more
>stringent vehicle inspection--checking things like tire tread, stopping
>distance, turning radius at particular speeds, etc.  I doubt it will
>happen, though.  Too many people think of driving as a right, and would
>vote out any legislator who dared to interfere.
>

Hear, hear!  If there are two cars on the road in America, it seems, they'll
be next to each other.  Why don't people use the passing lane for passing
and then get themselves back on the inside lane where they belong!

I have driven a lot in Germany (no speed limit there) and peole are EXTREMELY
disciplined on the road there.  Interestingly, the autobahns in what used to
be West Germany make up less than 5% of the entire road network, but more
than 80% of all road traffic happens on them.  In spite of that, they have
the best accident record of ANY roads in Germany.  There are at least 5
times as many accidents on the major roads in Germany where speed is limitted
to 50 or 60 miles an hour.  Such roads have the worst accident record over
there.

And in Britain, where I live when I'm not over here, there are two types of
drivers licences--one for automatic cars only, and one for stick shifts
which also allows you to drive an automatic.  If this was added over here,
I think we'd all be safer on the road.  Whenever my ex-girlfriend drove,
me around town in a stick, I held on with knuckle-whitening force, fearing
for my very life.  I wasn't quite so uneasy when she drove her mothers
automatic.

Anyhow, now that I've said my piece and p-d off all the natives, I shall
get off here!  Irrational flames will be redirected to /dev/null...

Jens

-- 
Jens Johansen (jens@seas.gwu.edu)       | DISCLAIMER:  Hey, if you seriously
----------------------------------------|   believe I am speaking for anyone
  /* insert your own witty message */   |   else, we might both be in quite
           /* right here */             |   serious trouble...