In Sweden, a local parking attendant was caught citing an illegally parked police car that had been abandoned by an officer responding to a nearby bank robbery. According to passing photographer Thomas Friström, he was incredulous when he observed the attendant taking down the police cruiser’s identification information. Shocked Friström later recounted to the Kvällsposten newspaper, “I asked if he hadn’t seen that there had just been a bank robbery. He replied: ‘I couldn’t give a crap?’ I could hardly believe my ears.”
Friström then continued to argue with the main, explaining that law enforcement personnel are exempt from standard traffic laws when responding to an emergency. Unswayed by Friström’s logic, the attendant finished his paperwork and slapped a citation on the cruiser’s windshield.
Surprisingly a far cry from Korea’s traditional Confucianism-based political structure, the female traffic cops in Pyongyang are hot enough to stop traffic - literally.
So enjoy, and please excuse the poignant commentary of the filmmakers, Harry Dunne and Lloyd Christmas.
In Los Angeles, CA, two men suspected of stealing a catalytic converter from a vehicle led police on a high-speed pursuit down the eastbound Ventura Freeway. After their getaway truck lost control, slamming into a roadside barrier, one of the men attempted to flee on foot. Both men were eventually arrested and taken to jail.
Moral of the story, kids: while it is possible to outrun a Crown Vic, there’s nothing faster than a two-way radio and a Robinson R44 Raven II.
I resent the political powerfreaks telling me what to do as much as any true American, and I agree that forcing riders to wear helmets by law is about as helpful to society as outlawing the practice of chainsaw juggling. Just because something’s dangerous doesn’t mean it should be illegal. But let’s be clear, I don’t juggle chainsaws, and driving your bike without a helmet is dangerous.
I do know plenty of drivers with neon-fitted Hayabusas who say helmets just get in the way. “Helmets cause accidents”, they say. Which would be a valid argument if it were true, but it isn’t. Every study ever done on the subject indicates that riders who wear helmets crash less frequently and suffer fewer injuries and deaths if they do crash. So let’s just bury that ridiculous nugget of misinformation right now. You just need to decide what kind of helmet you want.
Be smart: pick one that you like and then wear it.
42 year-old Arthur Nicolson was arrested on Monday after his U.S. Airways flight from Las Vegas to Boston was delayed. Apparently, Nicolson managed to tamper his ire for the duration of the flight, refraining from unleashing his storm of powdery fury until the plane had landed touched down at Logan International Airport in Boston. According to reports, once the plane had landed, Nicolson became irate, flinging white foot powder about the cabin, exclaiming, “This is what your airline gets for treating me bad.” When police arrested Nicolson, they discovered a 7 oz. bottle of Dr.Scholl’s foot powder on his person, which they presumably confiscated.
Charged disorderly conduct and interfering with the operation of an aircraft, Nicolson was released on his own recognizance on Tuesday after entering his plea of not guilty.
In July, Stanley Kobierowski of Providence, Rhode Island was arrest for drunk driving after crashing his vehicle into a highway message board on Interstate 95. Pleading no contest, on Friday Kobierowski was sentenced to one year of probation, 40 hours of community service, a $500 fine, and a one year suspension of his driving privileges.
Though he technically refrained from admitting guilt, Kobierowski’s nolo contendere plea did little by way of creating an allusion of innocence. According to the arresting authorities, at the time of Kobierowski’s accident, his BAC was off the charts. Initial breathalyzer readings recorded Kobierowski’s BAC at .489, while a second testing yielded a .491 - both numbers well over Rhode Island’s .08 limit. Amazed that he was still able to function, the officers admit Kobierwoski’s readings are the highest the state has ever recorded - for someone who wasn’t dead.
A poll of 2,000 motorists conducted by European motor authority, AA Driving School, revealed that a startling percentage of drivers can’t properly identify what some traffic signs mean. According to the results, 3 in 5 drivers were unable to properly identify the sign for a bicycle route, more than 2 in 5 failed to recognize an “Uneven Road Ahead” sign, and 22% were baffled by a sign indicating a bridge ahead.
Overall, the test asked motorists to identify a total of 7 traffic signs, which 93% of participants were able to do correctly. Despite the overwhelming majority demonstrating an acceptable knowledge of roadway signage, AA Driving School director Simon Douglas was not satisfied. “The road signs we selected for this test are all common on British roads,” Douglas explained, “so it’s worrying that so many motorists don’t fully understand their meaning.”
Driving is one of the most enjoyable experiences of modern life , and sometimes, aggressive drivers ruin it for the rest of us. Some studies show that aggressive driving might be responsible for up to two-thirds of all U.S. traffic accidents that involve injuries. Thankfully, there’s now a way to spot them… look for bumper stickers.
That’s the conclusion of a recent study by Colorado State University social psychologist William Szlemko. He found that drivers of cars with bumper stickers, window decals, personalized license plates and other “territorial markers” are far more likely to express “road rage” and aggressive behavior than those without the markers. The best part: It doesn’t seem to matter what the message on the sticker is, “Peace and Love” or “Bomb ‘em All”, just the fact that a person has stickers or markers makes road rage more likely.
Overturned USAF cargo truck transporting rocket booster for an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile, Thursday, July 31, 2008, near Makoti, N.D. [Photo Source: AP Photo]
In North Dakota, a cargo truck carrying an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile overturned, dumping the 75,000-pound rocket booster onto the shoulder of the road. At the time of the accident, the truck and its cargo were reportedly en route from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to a launch facility 70 miles southwest, under the direct supervision of the US Air Force. In an official statement, the Air Force pinned the cause of the accident on “Inadequate gravel road training programs and the inability of 91st Missile Wing engineering personnel to accurately determine the safe load-bearing width of gravel roads along designated routes…”
According to a spokesperson for the USAF, standard procedure for transporting heavy cargo via unsteady surfaces [such as loose gravel] dictates that the cargo vehicle must remain in the center of the road, presumably to maintain even weight distribution. The USAF engineers transporting the Minuteman III erred when they prepared to turn left, swinging the loaded truck beyond the edge of the roadway onto the right hand shoulder.
In Tokyo, Japan, a subway passenger caused a brief disturbance when he accidentally activated his inflatable underwear during the rush hour commute. Engineered by the wearer to relieve his phobia of drowning, the underpants were triggered to inflate when the man began rummaging in his pockets for a mint. Expanding to a reported 30 times their normal size, the underpants were on the brink of engulfing fellow passengers when an enterprising rider deflated the portentous panties with a pencil.
When inevitably questioned by authorities as to his reason for wearing the buoyant undergarments, the man explained that as a regular subway rider and admitted aquaphobe, one of his greatest fears was perishing in an enveloping flood while making his morning commute. Determined to conquer his fear, he invented the now-patented inflatable underwear.
