Distraction, rage won’t go away

Decibel Distraction

While trying to concentrate on her driving last week, reader J.C. was distracted and aggravated by a mobile boom box. The booming bass so annoyed J.C., that she was moving from lane to lane, and otherwise driving aggressively to distance herself from the offending “idiotic moron” (her description of the driver).

There is a decibel restriction out on the roadways (about 80db), J.C., but it is seldom applied to the amplified broadcast of bass tones from cars. Common courtesy should tell these proud electronic power junkies that their racket offends and distracts other drivers; I have a feeling they know, but don’t care. I’m sure that none of them keep the volume knob turned up when in the proximity of police.

Hopefully J.C. will not go beyond aggressive driving to get away from the noise. She summed up her feelings by saying, “…if these things are legal, then any one of us should be legally entitled to shoot at these vehicles whenever we can no longer take the abuse.” Now that would be road rage.

So the list of driver distractions grows. Please try to avoid them when you can.

Fun on the Web

Tales of tailgating, rubbernecking, left-lane travel, aggressive driving and road rage are seemingly endless around here, and just about everywhere else. I’ve devoted more than one column to this problem, which is in a growth cycle here and across the nation.

Each time I check, I find more information regarding the increasing aggressive behaviors of American drivers. The topic is all over the Internet, with entire Web sites now devoted to the dangerous trend. One such Website is found at: www.roadragers.com.

While there, one will find that we are not alone in the road rage we witness in the Inland Northwest. At this Web site, there is even a discussion forum where drivers sound off about personal encounters of the raging kind. On a brighter note, they also have a place to describe good drivers you experience — it has fewer entries than the bad driver section, though.

If you visit RoadRagers, you will also get a chance to take a 32-question test to determine how aggressively you drive. This Web site is stuffed with driving information too — from driving tips to automotive news.

Studs

Another topic that is here to stay (until legally banned) is studded tire use. That stands to reason, since the drivers here still use/don’t use them at a 50/50 ratio.

I’ve received a few testimonials touting their effectiveness on sheer ice, based on individual, anecdotal experiences. Official tests also concur that studded tires have a slight traction advantage over other winter radials on glare ice. Proper speed, along with due care and caution, however, minimizes this performance gap. Altering my driving style during these conditions, which occur less than 1 percent of our winter driving time, seems to be enough to keep me safe and on the road.

I would rather pay special attention to my driving 1 percent of the time, to make up for my tires’ shortcomings, than 99 percent of the time. You see, one tire performance fact is certain: studded tires have less grip on dry and wet roads than even the cheapest normal tire, which translates to reduced stopping distance and cornering ability. This means that a driver must be cognizant of an adhesion shortcoming for the majority of their winter driving when using studs. I don’t understand how the perceived safety on ice outweighs the lack of safety everywhere else for stud users — not to mention the increased road-wear costs.

Maybe our legislators will have more gumption this year when the stud ban topic arises. Many other states have outlawed them — even some states in the Snow Belt.

It’s All in Your Perspective

A couple of weeks ago, I listed some auto innovations that I am thankful for. Items like electronic fuel injection, disc brakes, and others have made my life around cars more pleasant than when my driving began.

According to E.W., of Sandpoint, there are some other items that more “seasoned” drivers appreciate, while most of us take them for granted.

At the top of E.W.’s list are heating/defrosting systems that work. On his 1940 Plymouth, way back when, the system was ineffective at near-zero temperatures. He recounted when he and his buddies had to use a perfectly good bottle of Jim Beam to keep the windshield defrosted on a trip across the Blue Mountains.

He also was happy when anti-freeze came out — before that, everyone had to drain the radiator every freezing night.

E.W. wants us to give another auto invention its due credit: the electric starter. Not many of today’s drivers remember hand-cranking a car to start it — a memory that must be somewhat less than wonderful.

Thanks for your letters and e-mail. Please keep it up!