Date:         Fri, 2 Nov 2007 16:35:07 -0400
Reply-To:     Bill Glenn <idahobill@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Bill Glenn <idahobill@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Friday NVC: Road Rage

Over the past few days, I have been reading the various postings to this
list, containing anecdotal evidence relating to the speeds at which freeway
traffic flows in various parts of the country, irrespective of the posted
speed limit. The idea being put forth was essentially that to be safe, one
must travel with the flow, sometimes quite fast, and that Vanagons
sometimes suffer in the ability to do so (thus the desirability of an
engine conversion).

Concurrent with that reading, I was also reading various Australian
newspapers online, to keep up with the news there (my wife is Australian,
and we keep a campervan there for basic transportation, and as our means of
extended travel there every other year). I came across an article yesterday
about an incident on the road, whereby a woman was a bit put off by the
actions of a male driver deemed incourteous, and the events that followed.

But first, a bit of background.  The various governmental entities in
Australia maintain what many would consider rather agressive campaigns to
counter speeding, drunk driving, fatigue, and the like.  It is common to
see large billboards displaying copy such as, "Up to $2000 fine for
speeding.  How fast are you going now?"  Extensive use is also made of
speed cameras, which by use of optical character recognition combined with
radar, can instantaneously identify and photograph a vehicle traveling in
excess of the speed limit.  Newer systems can also detect vehicles that
have traveled from a given point, to points farther down the road in too-
short of an elapsed time for the speed limit posted, again evidence of
speeding.  This can all take place without your knowledge, and you will
likely not be stopped; the citation for speeding just arrives in the mail
days later, and the registered owner of the vehicle is the responsible
party, no matter who may have been driving (thus no need for the photograph
to clearly identify the driver). In short, these programs are very
agressive, and generally effective in combatting the behavior targeted,
though many argue it's more about generating revenue than promoting
safety.  Given that background, read the following article; it tickled my
funny bone, and many here may find it humorous as well.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/10/31/1193618974061.html

Bill