Date:         Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:36:59 -0000
Reply-To:     Arkady Mirvis <arkadymirvis@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Arkady Mirvis <arkadymirvis@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      anti-tailgater
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Not funny! Many Portuguese drivers are real masters in handling. Some try to copy and they are responsible for giving Portuguese drivers bad name. All are considered the worst drivers in Europe. After almost  2.5 years I was very observant where the bad reputation came from.
Tailgating! Is it only in Portugal? O, no! Drive on I 80 in NJ and you will be scared seeing in rear window only the front a 18-wheeler, nothing else! 
Already twice I, usually maintaining the safe distance, saw the following. A vehicle in front of me was suddenly engulfed in a cloud of 
black-yellow smoke. I felt also a realy nose eating smell. What was that? I found that some "ingenious" drivers installed anti-tailgater. This is a small 10 cm long, 8 cm in dia. piece installed as a tail pipe. Apparently it has a remote controlled actuation to inject into the exhaust some chemical. The driver, seeing a tailgater behind his car, actuates the device and stages a smoke screen!  Great! I wish more of that. While it isn't perfectly safe, it will send a signal to the public that they can get some smell they will not lose in a week.
The police in Portugal is very rare, no ambushes, they are very poliute, underepaid and far more slim and good looking. Nice guys! They go on strikes and limit their activities by not fining the offenders. So the government loses a lot of money ( the revenues ) and raises the pay. 

Ark.