Date: Thu, 16 May 2002 21:09:26 -0700
Reply-To: developtrust <developtrust@COX.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: developtrust <developtrust@COX.NET>
Subject: Re: Bumper Stickers (a bit of a rant)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
The only bumper sticker that makes any sense is no bumper sticker at all. As
for your "message" be realistic because no one really cares. The rules of
the road say to pull over and let the person pass.
Bottom line is that the person following you may have an emergency you are
not aware of or just in a hurry.
Pull over and let them pass. That's the only sensible thing to do. Wouldn't
you feel like a real fool if you held someone up or threw them a finger to
later discover they had a life threatening emergency.
Time to lose the attitude and use common courtesy and common sense. In my
opinion there is nothing more tacky than an automobile full of bumper
stickers. They usually only reveal the owner's ignorance.
William
> Excuse my bluntness, and this isn't pointed at you, Don, but if you have a
> bumper sticker with any more to read than, say, "SCREW YOU", you're
inviting
> someone to tailgate you, paying attention to reading your sticker instead
of
> paying attention to the road ahead. Just doesn't seem to be a smart thing
> to do.
>
> Karl Wolz
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Donald Baxter" <onanov@MINDSPRING.COM>
> To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> Sent: Thursday, May 16, 2002 7:40 PM
> Subject: Re: Bumper Stickers (a bit of a rant)
>
>
> > You know, there really is never, never any reason to tailgate anyone.
> > It's dangerous, it's pointless. For the person who is being tailgated,
> > he's a fool if he allows that to dictate his behaviour. Tailgating
> > someone in a Vanagon is even crazier than than in a vehicle with some
> > crash protection.
> >
> > The options? Well, you can always slow down and wait for whoever is in
> > your way to move out. How much time do you think you save by
> > intimidating someone? What happens if he or she is crazy enough to slam
> > on the brakes? It's been my experience that we all stop at the same
> > traffic lights. We all end up waiting behind the same person who is
> > going 65 when I want to go 75 and someone tailgating me wants to go 85.
> >
> > While I think it's ridiculous for someone to drive in the fast lane to
> > attempt to enforce a speed limit, and slower drivers should always drive
> > to the right, my experience is that I've got someone on my ass when I'm
> > doing 80 (not in the Vanagon of course, in my VR6 Passat) passing
> > someone doing 70.
> >
> > My vote for a bumpersticker is this:
> >
> > "How much faster than the car in front of my do YOU think I should be
> > going?"
> >
> > Ease off the testosterone, boys, it might save someone's life. Think
> > (with your head).
> >
> > __________
> >
> > Donald Baxter 724 Westgate Street #1 Iowa City, IA 52246
> > (319) 337-0494
> > donald.baxter@mchsi.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
> > Of John P. Flaherty
> > Sent: Thursday, May 16, 2002 7:03 PM
> > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> > Subject: Re: Bumper Stickers (a bit of a rant)
> >
> >
> > I want the opposite sticker. One to put on the front, with reversed
> > lettering so it would be visible in the car in fronts mirror. It would
> > say "This is a VW bus. If I'm tailgating you, there's something
> > seriously wrong with the way you drive."
> >
> > And I'm continuously amazed at the number of people I tailgate.
> > Especially on highway entrance ramps, where, for reasons I don't
> > understand, people here think the best way to merge with traffic going
> > 70 plus is to ease off the ramp at 25-30. I end up whipping around them
> > and into the left lane if traffic permits. And I have a 1.9.
> >
> > John Flaherty
> > Portland, Maine
> > '84 GL
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Jeremy Speer" <jspeer@POBOX.COM>
> > To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
> > Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2002 11:15 AM
> > Subject: Bumper Stickers (a bit of a rant)
> >
> >
> > > Ok, after driving my van for a couple thousand miles in and around the
> > Twin
> > > Cities of Minnesota and western Wisconsin, I've arrived at two bumper
> > > stickers I'd like to either find or have made up.
> > >
> > > 1) Don't Tailgate: IT WON'T HELP!
> > >
> > > 2) You're behind a Vanagon. Deal with it.
> > >
> > > There is a very nice dark green 70's Westy I see now and then that has
> >
> > > the following stickers:
> > >
> > > "0-60 Eventually"
> > >
> > > "Never get behind a Bus"
> > >
> > > "Honk if something falls off"
> > >
> > > I've been using my van as my daily driver for a couple of weeks now. I
> > come
> > > in to work fairly early, so the traffic is usually light.
> > >
> > > Going home, however, traffic frequently very heavy even by my former
> > > New York City standards. Every day without fail there is some
> > > butt-head right
> > on
> > > my tail down the freeway entrance ramp. Once we get to the freeway
> > > they immediately zoom out into traffic (ignoring any of those annoying
> >
> > > lines
> > that
> > > happen to be painted on the road surface) and shoot past me.
> > >
> > > But.... also nearly without fail, after an exit or two, I end up
> > > passing
> > the
> > > former tailgating butt-head for some reason. Frequently it is because
> > > they have been boxed in somehow. Can't help but smile when I see that.
> > >
> > > Regards,
> > >
> > > -jspeer
> > >
> > > '89 Westy, "Mystery Machine"
> > >
> >
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