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tales from a 1700 mile journey (long, low LBC content)

To: "'spridgets@autox.team.net'" <spridgets@Autox.Team.Net>
Subject: tales from a 1700 mile journey (long, low LBC content)
From: Daniel Thompson <dthompson@gbc.ca>
Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 12:52:31 -0400
Organization: GBC Asset Management Inc
Reply-to: Daniel Thompson <dthompson@gbc.ca>
Sender: owner-spridgets@Autox.Team.Net
As I announced on the list last week, I drove from Miami to Montreal over 
the weekend. For those of you who have never done it, it is a 2,700 
kilometer trip (1,700 miles) comprising I-95 from miami thru Fla., Georgia, 
South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, 
and then I-87 through New York State to the Canadian border. Total travel 
time 26 hours (plus 6 hours to sleep in Richmond, Virginia). Average speed 
65 m.p.h. I was not driving an LBC but rather a Japanese minivan.

Amazingly low number of LBC sightings (not that I-95 is the place for 
LBC's!). One Jag XK140 Roadster in New Jersey; one MGA and one TR4 in poor 
shape on a flat bed in Virginia. That's it! The usual modern jags and Z-3's 
with the tops up. Lots of Miatas, only half with top down.

I want to thank Alan Fisher and George Marinos for their kind offer of 
hospitality. Unfortunately, the plane was late on Friday, we ran into 
torrential rain in Florida (more later), and major traffic jams in Georgia 
due to jack knifed trucks.

Visited (briefly) Wire Wheel Classic Sports Cars in Fort Pierce, Florida 
and met Hayes Harris. Very nice guy who has a whole bunch of bugeyes, Loti, 
and Mini Coopers for sale. There was someone on the list looking for a 
decent "tub" for a bugeye. Hayes has one for sale 
(http://www.wirewheel.com). He also has a decent stash of used parts. Only 
problem is nothing is cataloged so you need to spend half a day with your 
wish list in hand searching around his warehouse for what you need. I did 
not have half a day! He also has a very decent used bugeye bonnet for $800. 
I looked at it, it is good with only minor damage, no real rust evident, 
and no signs of accident damage.

Now on to my favorite topic: American driving style. I am from Canada, more 
precisely from Quebec, where driving 25 m.p.h. over the speed limit in the 
left-hand lane is not uncommon. When you come upon a slower moving car in 
my part of the world, they move over to the right. If they don't move right 
away, you flash your high beams quickly once and they gladly move over 
(provided they have the room of course). No cursing, no swearing, no 
road-rage. I love it.

Here's what I saw for 1700 miles:

It is perfectly normal to drive 2 m.p.h. over the speed limit in the left 
hand lane even though there is no one in the right hand lane for miles. No 
one seems to check their mirrors and hence never notice a car coming up 
behind them with a speed differential of 20 m.p.h.

Even when the following car jams the brakes and follows 4 car lengths 
behind, nobody moves to the right. Reducing the distance to 3, 2 or 1 car 
length behind their rear bumper seems to have no effect (mirrors? what 
mirrors?). For fear of road rage, I NEVER flashed my lights or honked at 
anyone. After following for a minute or more, I would unfortunately have to 
pass on the right. This did not seem to faze the morons at all, they would 
continue to cruise along in the left lane. Had one incident of road rage 
with a guy who did not want to move and did not want to be passed on the 
right. He went berserk, first by harrasing us (flashing lights, braking in 
front, swerving, etc.) and then proceeded to cut off and harass everybody 
for the next 50 miles. Almost caused several accidents, even passed someone 
on the right shoulder at one point.

FWIW, the truckers behaved impeccably the whole way.

Beef # 2: people who are driving 3 m.p.h. over the limit in the right lane 
and want to pass someone doing the limit in front of them. They insist on 
pulling out to the left lane even though a quick glance in their mirrors 
will tell them that there is a car approaching in the left lane travelling 
20 m.p.h. faster than them. Sometimes they use their turn signal, most of 
the time they don't.

Lesson#1: people in Florida are not used to driving under difficult 
conditions. We hit 6 or seven violent rainstorms, visibility only about 100 
feet at best. I would turn on my lights and slow down to about 60 (speed 
limit 70). It seemed to be standard practice for people to pull of the road 
in these situations. However, they insist on slowing down to 30, 20, or 
even stop completely IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY before pulling off. Many 
cars came to a stop in the left hand lane before trying to pull off to the 
left, where there is no shoulder, thereby providing me with one of the most 
hair raising high speed slaloms I've ever experienced. Lesson: if you are 
nervous and want to pull off, put on your hazards or at least your turn 
signal, get over to the right hand side, and get off the driving lanes as 
quickly as possible!

Best one was in one of the Florida rainstorms when a guy in the middle lane 
started to aquaplane badly in front of us. Golden rule, if your car starts 
to lose adhesion (water, ice, snow, etc.) lift off the gas but DON'T hit 
the brakes. He shot left, hit the guardrail, shot right, hit the guardrail, 
shot left again and hit the guardrail again, all the while spinning like a 
top. Finally came to rest on the right shoulder facing the right way. There 
is now a Saturn that needs all new polymer body panels. Driver was fine. I 
had to do my Jacques Villeneuve impersonation, I chose to go left when he 
first shot left and missed him when he bounced back right again. What fun!

Anyway, that's the story. I know that holiday drivers on the I-95 certainly 
do not represent a cross section of spridget listers but do they represent 
a cross section of the average american driver?


Daniel Thompson





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