Grant's Auto Rants

Letter of the law

A recent headline caught my attention recently and immediately made me think that somehow the rights or civil liberties of the average driver were being attacked yet again. Representative Steve Farley (R-AZ) has proposed a bill that would make placing or receiving a text message while driving illegal. And while I can hardly condone the behavior of whichever moron texts while driving, I was happy to see that his fellow lawmakers called the law unnecessary and chalked texting up there with other stupid things to do while operating a car.

They were also quick to point out that anyone eating, talking on the phone, applying makeup, or even tuning the radio (if you can prove it) in the state of Arizona may be reckless driving, for which we can all be cited.

A quick online search of “laws banning…” turns up enough results to question whether or not any developed country is truly democratic. Clearly as a society we need help making fundamental decisions regarding everyday practices, including those governing what type of products we purchase, how, when and where we use or consume them and even how we dispose of them when we are done.

Now, to be fair, your average person or lawmaker doesn’t really care how the next guy chooses to live or what they do that may endanger themselves, however, once their behavior affects the existence and well-being of someone else, all of sudden laws banning this and that coming flying out of the woodwork.

Clearly this is an issue of boundaries and when it comes to operating an automobile, which statistically speaking is a fairly dangerous thing to do, we are in continual co-occupation of other people’s space and sphere of influence, meaning there are bound to be many more of these types of laws coming.

When I regrettably see Tom Cruise movies like Minority Report and catch of glimpse of what the future may hold in terms of “driving,” I immediately see a world of lost independence as “cars” are obviously computer-controlled across all highways and roads (or sky if you prefer Bruce Willis) making the occupants nothing more than passive passengers in Microsoft’s hell on wheels.

Sure, it may be science fiction, but when manufacturers start making cars that parallel park, speed up & slow down, and countries design test “smart” roads and vehicles, that vision is all to clear. Personally, I will be happy to ride the train back and forth to work my entire life, should one be available, as long as I have the freedom to drive myself where, when, how, in what and even how fast I want to come the weekend.

Driving used to be one of life little pleasures, but too often it is merely the first and last thing you do on your way to a job, which you may not even enjoy. Add the true costs of ownership and regular traffic jams and that one last place solitude feels more like punishment.

Clearly electronics, entertainment, and communications are here to stay and will be a part of car culture moving forward. Let me be the first however, to propose a special lower-rate insurance category for anyone who wishes to drive a simple car with a basic electronics, mechanical carburetion, two seats, a loud exhaust and five speed manual transmission. If you let the engine be a V8 and I will gladly give up the roof, radio, and spare tire.

The other proposed laws in the search, include (no kidding),

Banning of all in car DVD players.
Banning all handheld cell phones.
Banning cell phones, pda’s and ipods while crossing the street (NY)
Banning trans fats.
Banning bicyclists from using cell phones.
Banning violent video games. (Germany)
Banning the recording of songs from satellite radio.
Banning social networks from schools and libraries.
Banning spanking.
Banning smoking in all public places (TX).
Banning beards in school (France).

When Drivers Attack...

There is something unique about the automobile and/or the act of driving that unfortunately brings out the very worst in people. Behavior so poor that it can only be compared to that of someone (non-techie) trying to deal with computer network connections or maybe cell phone customer service.

What is it that gets people so charged up when they are driving?

Is it almost as if we don our vehicles like Dr. Jekyl puts on a new personality, giving us what can only be considered a supernaturally righteous demeanor. Road rage is a term popularized around 1990, though “violent social behavior, behind the wheel” is a concept that has been studied as early as the 70’s. Apparently driving really only exacerbates a more general social phenomenon.

According to the AAA, there are about 1,200 reported incidents of road rage each year in the US, though these numbers sound suspiciously small. I have witnessed some drivers who are involved in this many episodes just going around the corner for dry cleaning and Daily Queen. I guess the key here is “reported,” as in bad enough that someone chased someone else all the way home and tried to rearrange their physiology or attitude on life (or both) with a tire iron. In reality, there are probably hundreds of thousands of interactions annually as people accelerate, cut-off, swerve, hold-up, talk on the phone, and clog up the left lane their way through the day.

And when you consider that the broad definition of the act includes everything from the “single digit salute” to “throwing objects from a moving vehicle with the intent of hitting the car behind it” and everything in between, it is no wonder that enterprising psycho-analysts have tried to deem it a viable mental disorder.

One might think that this issue would creep up in any place where crowds of people get together during rush hour, say on the subway, but you never really hear stories about “train rage.” The thing is, this disorder doesn’t seem to be limited to actual driving, though it does require the presence of a vehicle.

In San Francisco, the power of the people is starting to have an effect. Last year, 28 city workers were assaulted for doing their duty, which in this case happened to be issuing parking tickets. Whether or not it was justified is really another matter, but this number is up from 17 (again, reported) in 2005.

All of this anger, however, pales in comparison to the British. It was just reported that letter bombs have been received for the third day in a row in London and Berkshire, apparently targeting people and offices that provide technology for Speeding Cameras. Now that is one pissed-off motorist.

Admittedly, bombing takes road rage to a whole new level, but maybe this supports the mental disorder theory. That, or this guy was still bent for having to drive on the wrong side of the road.

To see an article on the San Francisco area, click here.
To see an article on the UK bombs, click here.
To visit sites on Road Rage and to tell your side of the story, click here or here.
To see an article on the cities with the most rude drivers, click here.