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Chuck D strikes again,,,,

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Hot on the heels of the M5 test pilot in Fl.

https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080217/ap_on_re_us/drag_racing_deaths;_ylt=AqjlHRRvnqqQ6xlBYgs9xZNg.3QA

Perhaps we should put some of our tax dollars into providing places for them to do this where they can't take out bystanders.

Then again, I've watched and tried rallying, and there don't seem to be nearly as many incidents of this nature despite the proximity of the crowds (and yes I know it has happened a few times) - so perhaps the tax dollars would be better spent teaching these muppets to actually drive...

In the interest of full disclosure, I was nearly rear ended today after the imbecile I was following tried to merge onto the divided highway at 35mph after trickling down the close to half mile long onramp, so I'm not feeling too charitable about other drivers foibles.

I'll get my coat...
 
c'mon, Alan. Five outta fifty!?!?

Them's better odds than th' folks wot ride them NASA shuttle missions VOLUNTEER for.

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EDIT: Teaching "driving" will be an uphill battle here. Too many think it's written into the Constitution that a driver's license is a "right". Training/testing just isn't rigorous enough.
 
Alana, I will also be getting my coat.

The driving test standards in PA are abysmal. Both of my kids had to prove that they could parallel park (that's a tough one that will keep you up at night) and then they exited the parking lot and drove two hundred yards uphill to a t-junction. This was the critical phase as the examiner was going to make up his mind during this time. If he was satisfied (which he was with my kids) then you turned right drove a hundred yards and turned back into the parking lot. At this point they got a handshake and a hearty congratulations.

If the examiner wasn't sure, you would turn left and have to drive around for a couple of miles so he could think about it a bit longer (bummer).

Emergency stops, how you cope in busy traffic situations with other drivers of similar talent, 3-point turns, reversing around the corner and other general examples of seeing if you can actually handle a car were obviously considered a waste of time.

Some countries also make you go out on a skid pad and prove that you can handle that.

As I said, I will get my coat.
 
Ian, I took my US 'drivers' test in Brooklyn.

I had to drive around a block (4 right turns, total distance less than 1/2 mile) and parallel park into a 60' space - getting within 18" of the curb - in an automatic, so no fear of stalling. Living in Manhattan at the time, I'd never seen a parking space that big. Gap that size would normally have 4 cars in it...

That was deemed sufficient to give me driving privileges in all 50 states. Wish the test in the UK had been that easy - I could have saved a fortune on driving lessons.

What was really funny (or desperately sad, depending on your viewpoint) was that the two people in front of me both failed - for the same thing, failing to look behind them before setting off.

And you wonder why the accident rate is so high...
 
alana said:
Ian, I took my US 'drivers' test in Brooklyn.

Wish the test in the UK had been that easy - I could have saved a fortune on driving lessons.

And you wonder why the accident rate is so high...
Click to expand...

I know why the driving test is so tough in the UK, you guys drive on the wrong side of the road!
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All joking aside, I was amazed at myself for adjusting so fast to British system when we were over there for the kids wedding. It was quite a learning experience though.
 
What's the Chuck D reference mean?
 
The car that struck them was not involved in the race. Were the people all just standing in the middle of the road? I am a little fuzzy here.
 
Smoke caused the Crown Vic driver to PANIC, apparently. No real details as to the event, only what the "reporter" decided to put out.

As for the US drivers' testing: abysmal! Asking an "applicant" to demonstrate how to check the oil or change a tire would result in some sort of civil rights violation suit!
 
terriphill said:
The car that struck them was not involved in the race. Were the people all just standing in the middle of the road? I am a little fuzzy here.
Click to expand...

Yes..they were in the road...watching the race from the "starting line"....but tire smoke from the burnouts of the participating cars apparently created a haze that the driver of the Crown Vic could not see through...and was probably not expecting to have pedestrians in the middle of the road at that time of night.

Additionally, there was a second vehicle (a truck, I think) that came up behind the Crown Vic after the fact, and had to swerve to the side of the road to miss the Ford...and may have also hit some of the bystanders.
 
Steve said:
Charles Darwin.....
Click to expand...

Thanks, Steve. Of course it came to me after I posted.

A little fuzzy here, too.
 
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