The Adventures of Me & My Shadow #17 in MD, VA 7/1/98
From Virginia Beach, VA, Hi Everyone
I made another $18.00 payment on the Bay Bridge Tunnel, I left
a lot undone on the list of things to do at Jeff's, Jenny's, &
Mark's and came to VA Beach to do a few things before heading
to the Navy reunion in Corpus Christi, TX. It sure feels good
to get in the drivers seat after parking the motorhome for so
long. I got several projects done on the motorhome and have some
more to do when I return in September. So far all the projects
are turning out better than expected, I know I will enjoy the
new vents in the cockpit on the way to TX. I am now working on
a sail switch to automatically turn the roof vent fan off when
I am driving and turn it on when I slow down or stop, I have to
remember to do it by hand now.
I haven't any adventures to write about so I would like to tell
about some observations I have made over the years and my conclusions
made from those observations. First I want to point out that we
all see things from a different point of view, I know some of
you will have seen things differently and have different conclusions.
I don't expect you to agree with me, this is how I saw it.
I'll start with when I got my first drivers license, I was 16
years old. To me then, exceeding the speed limit was about like
robbing a bank. It was against the law. As I got older and did
more traveling, I found I sometimes had a long way to go and a
short time to get there. Yes I exceeded the speed limits and paid
a few tickets. I never argued with the officer, I knew I had exceeded
the limits and got caught. Some times it really hurt, like the
time in California. I was in the navy and had gone to El Centro
in a navy truck. I told my wife to drive our new 1957 Olds Convertible
over when it was time to go back to San Diego and I would burn
the carbon out of it going across the desert. There was a little
Town called Plaster City just west of El Centro, as I was leaving
Plaster City there was a lot of west bound traffic and very little
east bound. With nothing but desert and mountains to San Diego,
I wiped that Olds into the left hand lane and put the peddle to
the metal. I was watching for east bound traffic and failed to
see a CHP in a 1956 Pontiac come out from behind a billboard and
take up pursuit. The highest number on the speedometer on the
Olds was 125 MPH, I had the needle past that and tucked out of
sight. By the time I got to the mountains that Olds was purring
like a kitten, all the carbon gone. I slowed down and pulled back
into the right lane. I looked in the mirror for the first time,
when you are passing everything on the road you have no need to
look in the mirror. I saw this flashing red light way back there,
I knew who he was after so I pulled over to wait for him. I don't
think he could have caught me but if he did, he would have made
things real complicated. He asked me how fast I was going? and
I told him I was going as fast as I could. He asked me why? I
told him I was burning the carbon out of the engine. We had a
real nice visit and he told me a lot of ways to get the carbon
out of an engine including taking the heads off and scrapping
with a knife. He told me he had a tach-recorder that recorded
his speed and he had to give me a ticket or try to explain to
his boss why he was running wide open for so long. He said if
he wrote me up for going over 90 MPH he would have to take me
in and book me, so he wrote me up for 90 MPH and it cost me $75.00.
Christmas was right around the corner and along with new car payments,
it hurt.
Now it's almost impossible to find any one who does not exceed
the speed limits, about two years ago I did ride in a vehicle
for 130 miles and not once did it exceed the speed limit, they
ranged from 25 MPH to 75 MPH. No!, it was not with an old lady
in an antique automobile. A young man was driving, and no!, he
was not driving a hearse in a funeral procession. He was driving
a big Kenworth tractor, capable of exceeding the speed limit any
time any where, pulling a flatbed trailer with my motorhome on
it from Kingman, AZ to Albuquerque, NM. When we started the trip
in Kingman I see every one passing us. I see the speed limit was
25 and we were the only one not exceeding it. The limit went up
to 35 and then up to 55 before we got out on the interstate where
it was 75. At all times we were the only one not exceeding the
limit. We started down a long grade on the interstate and no smokies
were in sight, I thought sure he would let her go, but no, as
soon as it got close to 75 he flipped a switch on the dash and
an exhaust brake came on, it slowly gained more speed and got
almost to 75 and he flipped another switch on and it slowed down
again. I always thought exhaust brakes were either on or off but
he told me there were three switches, the third one would bring
it to a stop. I'll bet that he exceeds the limits with his car.
Now, what to do about everyone exceeding the speed limits? I say
raise the speed limits. On US 50 in MD and on US 13 in MD and
VA both divided highways, the speed limit is 55 but most traffic
is going 65, so raise it to 65. The only thing that would change
would be fewer drivers exceeding the limit. Limited access highways
nation wide should be 75. All other roads and streets should have
the limits raised. Then raise the penalty, for each 5 MPH over
the limit a $1000.00 fine or a week in jail. If you show up with
a lawyer to try to beat it, the lawyer gets fined $2000.00 also.
Be consistent, remember when the 55 MPH limit was on. You could
get a ticket real easy going 58 MPH out on the open road but in
heavy traffic in the cities everyone including the cops are going
65 and nothing happens. I recall an incident from back in the
50s on the Naval Air Station at Norfolk, VA. I had received a
call from the pilot of a commercial airliner. He had delivered
a load of Navy men to the Air Station and had a problem and wanted
me to come out and check it out. It was about 11:00 PM and I was
on a road that went out around the runway to the passenger terminal
the speed limit was 35 MPH there was no other traffic. I was doing
40 or 45 and an Air Station cop pulled me over and gave me a ticket
that got my car kicked off the base for two weeks. Shortly after
I got my car back on the base I was on the same stretch of road,
still 35 MPH limit and I'm in heavy traffic going 55 and a cop
at the intersection was motioning for us to go faster. How can
I win?
Out west on the Intestates the limit is 75 and traffic is moving
at 75 and a lot of it at 65, there are a few speeders but most
of the drivers are within the law. Back here in the east the speed
of the traffic is about the same but most of the drivers are outlaws
and subject to fines. I can't see why IL wants trucks & motorhomes
to go 55 and cars to go 65, if they did obey the speed limits
they would be constantly passing, this to me would be more hazardous
than with every one going the same speed, most trucks and motorhomes
keep up with the cars but are subject to fines.
Stop signs are another problem. Most cars slow down, some cars
stop and yield to other cars, some cars stop, look both ways and
pull right out in front of an oncoming car. I am a firm believer
in 4 way stop signs where two highways cross, in most other places
the yield sign would be better, if there is traffic you yield,
if not you keep on going. I think the California pedestrian law
makes better drivers, when a pedestrian at a cross walk steps
off the curb all traffic stops. It teaches respect. We all need
more of that.
7/8/98 Till next time, Dallas or Dad if it fits.