RideLust

Image by Flickr user The_Gut

The Florida state senate has approved a bill that will levy fines and points against drivers who clog the left lane, even if those motorists are driving within posted speed limits. The measure passed the senate by a vote of 37 to 1, and a similar bill is pending in the House. Neither will progress unless approved by Florida governor Rick Scott, but both efforts are evidence that there is some sanity left in state government. Current Florida law requires drivers to yield the left lane to other motorists, except when overtaking and passing on the right is allowed. Since passing on the right is permitted on most Florida multilane highways, Florida drivers are as likely to yield the left lane as Donald Trump is to win the presidency in 2012. Read More…

At about 19-feet long the 1977 Chrysler Newport was about as big as you could go back in the late 1970′s. Sure it was roomy, but all that room meant that these big canoes (all 4,400 lbs of them) handled liked they had balloons for suspension systems. The ’77 Newport was motivated by a 440 cu in big block that was clogged up with all sorts of emissions controls. That meant that the 7.2-liter behemoth under the hood only put out 185 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque, a far cry from the 1968 version that made 375 hp and 480 lb-ft of torque. Regardless though, the Newports of the late 1970′s were all about space, comfort and the fact that you could fit an entire neighborhood in the back seat.
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If any U.S. state secedes from the nation, it’s likely to be Texas. That’s OK with me since my wife was born there, which kind of gives us diplomatic immunity and automatic citizenship. Besides, I’m a firearms instructor, so I can claim that I’ve got a necessary and valuable skill, which is critical anytime you’re asking for political asylum. In the mean time, Texas is about to give those of us who like to drive one more reason to call the Lone Star State home: legislation is in the works that will raise the 70 mile per hour speed limit to 75. Better yet, it will do away with the “nighttime only” speed limit of 65 miles per hour currently in place (Texas is the only remaining state to have a different daytime and nighttime speed limit). Read More…

Not too long ago, getting a speeding ticket was the kiss of death for your car insurance. Rates were jacked up, through the roof if you had the misfortune of being a single male under the age of 30. If you had a company car, you usually got a threatening letter telling you that even one more ticket would result in you taking the bus, since you were obviously too high-risk to be trusted with company property. Things aren’t quite that bad today, since insurance companies look at a lot more things than just points on your license; in fact, today your credit rating is probably looked at with more focus than any minor offenses on your driving record. Still, points add up and no one wants to pay a dime more for car insurance than they need to. The state of South Carolina knows this, and they’ve got a plan to boost revenue at your expense. Read More…

According to an unscientific pole conducted by State Farm insurance last November, 19% of drivers, nearly one in five, admit to surfing websites while driving. Worse, they admit to doing at least once per week, and even recognize that it isn’t a good idea. Even more sobering is the 35% who admit to texting while driving, or the 74% who make and receive cell phone calls behind the wheel. State Farm suspects the numbers aren’t accurate, since the drivers surveyed were mostly in their 30s; opening up the survey to a larger demographic is planned for this year. If the respondents are accurate, prepare to be alarmed at the results. Read More…

The Valentine 1 radar detector: favorite of hoons everywhere.

There seem to be two schools of thought on radar detectors: the first says, “never leave home without it”, while the second says, “not for me”. I’ll admit to being in the latter camp myself, while Mike Musto is definitely in the former. I once got a ticket partially because the cop saw my radar detector cord, and in my mind they eliminate your ability to negotiate yourself out of a speeding ticket. The cop isn’t going to buy that you temporarily lost focus, because the radar detector shows intent to speed. Mike, on the other hand, can give you a long and substantial list of the times when a radar detector saved his bacon. Is one of us right and the other wrong? Read More…

Image: Agência Brasil

Ask a dozen drivers which city and state has the worst speed traps, and I’ll guarantee that you get a dozen different answers. All of them will probably relate to the last place they got pulled over, which isn’t exactly a scientific methodology. Luckily for us, the National Motorists Association keeps track of stuff like this, and they’ve just released their latest study. Per the NMA’s Chad Dornsife, “Speed limits are supposed to be based on factual studies of traffic and what the majority of motorists deem as a safe speed. Now, the posted limit has become a revenue generator—not a safety device.” Dornsife’s group estimates that speeding tickets generate up to $6 billion in revenue in the United States, and chances are better than average that you’ve contributed to that amount throughout the years. Read on to find out which cities are the worst offenders. Read More…

Paul Weigand doesn’t like to be told what to do by authorities. The Wichita man, who claims to have a fear of “being trapped in a burning car”, refuses to wear a seat belt, at least in a conventional manner. To comply with the letter, if not the intent of the law, Weigand fashioned a belt from an old automotive seat belt and buckle. While the device may have been effective at holding his pants up, it offered no protection in the event of a crash. His interpretation of the law was put to the test when he was recently ticketed for failing to wear a seat belt. Read More…

A little while ago I posted an article about asshat State Trooper who gave a father-to-be a speeding ticket for trying to get his pregnant wife to the hospital on time. Not wanting to seem like a prick myself though, I thought I would now post something that shows that the majority of our State Troopers are actually really good guys. Below is a listing of 16 quotes that are, quite honestly, some of the funniest things I’ve heard in some time. Now supposedly the these quotes were taken from video cameras found in the cars of South Carolina Troopers. Unfortunately though we have no way of verifying that, so instead of giving South Carolina the credit for having the funniest State Troopers, lets just say that they’re all good humored guys with guns.
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Now here is something that should stir up a bit of debate. Back on September 18th, 2010 John Coughlin was running his expectant wife Angela to the hospital, when she turned to him and stated, “You need to get me to the hospital. I’m going to have the baby in the car if you don’t.” Now, I don’t know about you, but if that were me, my foot would’ve gone straight to the floor. Apparently John Coughlin was thinking the same thing, until of course he got clocked by a New Hampshire state trooper for buzzing him at 102 mph. Now, to his credit Mr. Coughlin called 911 to explain the situation – “I found my cell phone,” says John, “called 911 to make sure he knew i wasn’t trying to out run him.”

With that, the trooper escorted the Coughlin’s to the hospital where he said “He said congratulations on your son but I’ll see you in court,”- what a monumental prick! So, what do you guys think… was he in the right or in the wrong for giving the Coughlin’s a speeding ticket?

Source: NECN.com