Had an idea

[JPenny]

You know how they say flight is the safest way to travel, and that it's WAY safer than driving? And you know how these pilots (Ray, for instance) give us their trip reports as "just another day . . . ."?

Well, I was thinking about paying closer attention to my driving trips around town, and making trip reports about them: traffic, any hazards I encountered, bumpy roads, weather, etc. If we all did some automobile "trip reports" maybe it would gradually sink in that flying is not any different. There will be variations, bumps, weather issues, etc. and it's still just every-day blah-di-blah stuff.

I'll be going to the grocery store later tonight (only a mile or so away), and I may come back here and do my trip report (assuming I survive--should I update my will first?! Should I kiss the kids goodbye, in case I don't make it home? Should I watch the traffic or weather report all afternoon to see what the driving conditions will be??!!)

It's all in perspective.

Jean

[xiknal]

I love it!! Let's do it!

Reminds me that some geriatric whacko (a man, I must add ;) ) pulled out right in front of me (from right to left) yesterday forcing me immediately into the left turn lane to avoid him. No signal, no warning...he just didn't see me! I flipped him the bird, :chicken of course, sweet thing that I am! Driving :beep is dangerous :shocked ! I was on my way to the airport, where I had several nice, relaxing flights with students--aerobatics demo, ragged crosswind landings, botched power-on stalls, the usual.

[sengelin]

That's a great idea! Awhile back I made a point of noticing the "turbulence" I encounter in my car. What I found out is that an invisible inperfection in the road surface can feel more extreme than turbulence in a plane. And the g-forces from an average corner outdo the g's in a passenger plane by a long shot.

[LesliePHX]

Wow! I can do my first one just from today ...

Driving on the Loop 101 to work this morning, traffic starts slowing a little. Then I see the reason -- on the other side, the northbound folks have a big accident. Emergency vehicles with lights, squished car(s), etc. We are slowed only momentarily for the rubbernecks, and as we get back into the flow, I see that the northbound folks behind the wreck are all jammed up, virtually stopped in traffic for miles as they try to creep their way toward and past the accident.

Probably the traffic mess is being reported on the radio news, but I miss that.

What I DO hear is the the traffic report during the trip home: There's been a fatal car crash on the east side of town, and folks are advised to avoid that area.

It was nothing but a blip to me till I read this thread and started to think about it ...

Leslie

[Jeff California]

trip report-

Left my house at 8:00 pm pst. Raining pretty heavily here in Bakersfield California. Need a pack of smokes, so the weather is a hazard I must endure. I walk out to the car and the water that puddled on the leafs of a tree drop ontop my head as the wind blows. Almost step on a bullfrog that si happy frollicking in my front grass. I get in the car and feel like I am in a coccon until I reach down and adjust the seat my wife had put all the way forward. I have long legs... I pull out of the driveway hoping one of my cats doesnt make a mad dash behind me.. As I drive to the store, I notice my windshield wipers are not very good.. I roll down a window to relieve my eyes from the bluryness.. I should have replaced my wipers. I arrive at the store and purchase a pack of Marlboro lights. Yes, I know it's bad for me, but I do not care.:cheers I grab a 12 pack of bud light to give support to my favorite NASCAR driver. Its the right thing to do..

I head home and step in a HUGE puddle of water that soaks my sock. There si a car that is too far on my side of the road, so I pull over a little and slow down.. If he/she is drunk and swerves, slowing will make a head-on survivable.. I can hardly see out my windshield as I head down the residential street to my home. I arrive with a headache from the blurry view and head inside. Someone has let my huge dog inside and I marvel at the big paw-prints on the carpet. The cats are pissed.:uhoh

[Passenger Mark]

Great Idea...

Ok... here I go.. Trip Report from work

I was on chat for our weekly session with the group, and shutdown around 8:00 to head home.

Went out to the car, and it was raining. Ok no problem. I have driven in the rain before.

The drive home started out ok. Went down Haven to I-10... entered the I-10 East toward the 15.

Then as I was on the interchange to go south on the 15 there was a Ford Explorer parked on the side of the ramp, the driver was putting gas in, I had to move over to the left shoulder to safely go around.

Whew... made it to the 15 South. NOW IT GOT BUMPY

It is always bumpy on the 15 in this area from all the truck traffic. I just kept thinking... bumps are no problem for the car.

Ok... so I changed lanes, and got in the center lane. Everything went fine for almost the entire stretch of the 15, although I had to keep my seat belt on the entire time!

However as I approached the 91, I looked in my right mirror to change lanes in anticipation of taking the interchange ramp. I turned on my indicator to change lanes, and started over. All of sudden this small car came out of nowhere. He saw my indicator come on, and I guess was trying to get by me. He was moving fast, and slammed on the brakes, and started skidding. I thought, oh geez here we go!

He got control of his car, and put his brights on in his way of saying "I'm sorry for being a jerk and almost ramming you"... I am sure that is what he was saying.

He then went by me, and barely got around me in time to take the interchange to the 91. Then another car came right up on my bumper.

Once on the 91, the other car went speeding by me. Now I figured it out. These two typical Southern California drivers were racing.

Made it to the exit ramp to my home, and the rest of the drive on surface streets to my house were uneventful.

Geez... am I glad to be home!

And to think... I do this EVERYDAY!

[beaugest]

I'm in...
On my way driving my daughter to dance school(all of 5 miles from my house) we saw three almost accidents. Brakes screeching, cars going into the other lane and in in one case they bumped...made me very alert during a ride I could usually do with my eyes closed(hmm. How would you like to drive next to me). :beep I said to her twice fooling around"it must be a full moon". We came out of dance school and sure enough there it was...Monica

[sengelin]

Trip report from home to work... 8 miles.

Out the door at 8:05 a.m., already running 5 minutes late. Noticed that the windshield of my car was frosty and the left front tire looked low. Rubbed a patch of frost off so I could see. Made a mental note to buy an ice-scraper. Decided the tire wasn't low enough to worry about. Climbed in. Started car. Noticed that "professionally installed" XM radio receiver is falling off the dash. Apparently the professionals use double-stick tape. Annoyed that I wasted $99 on that. Started car. Turned on radio, wipers, and defrosters. Backed out of parking space, shifted into drive. Fifty feet later, decided that the left front tire probably was something to be concerned about. Stopped at the gas station on the next block and added the missing 10 pounds of air. Mental note: "Get tire fixed." Headed out onto the highway. Noticed that the malfunctioning "Low Coolant" light is on again. I don't even check to see if the coolant is low... I know it isn't. Time to go back to the dealer AGAIN. Mental note: "No more Fords." Headed north, surrounded by people with zero regard for their own safety or mine at 15 miles an hour over the speed limit. To go the speed limit would be suicidal at this time of day. Witnessed three red-light-runners on the way to the office. Changed radio stations several times trying to find anything but political ads. Nearly got run down by a giant pickup truck with a brush bar, towing a trailer, because I was only going 15 miles an hour over the speed limit. I arrive at work unscathed at 8:35... 8 miles... 30 minutes. Who says there are no traffic jams in the country?

Maybe I should be afraid to drive instead.

Sean

[CaptainStark]

Keep this up and you'll scare me to death! Like I always say to the folks I meet in the 'vator riding up to my car at the end of a trip-

"And NOW for the really dangerous part of the job...."

www.fearofdriving.com

It's closer than you think!

Ray:ray

[sengelin]

Okay... I'm not going to post an entire trip home report, but as I walked out of my office I was just in time to see one of my coworkers back her truck into my car. She punched her hitch-ball right through my rear bumper, then drove forward and tore part of the bumper cover off. A couple weeks ago somebody slammed my wife's car in that same parking lot and tore part of her bumper off. I'm going to start flying to work.

[JPenny]

After the five minute ordeal of loading the kids in my 10 passenger Club Wagon, I start the engine and back down the driveway. I give my normal "pre-flight" instructions: "Everybody here? Everybody buckled?"

We head down the hill, missing a couple mailboxes by inches as I pull on my own seatbelt. Turning onto the road that feeds the side roads in my neighborhood I notice the road crew has scraped off a layer of blacktop and put down some gravel in preparation for repaving. The resulting ride is both noisier and bumpier. I don't even think of explaining this to the kids--none of them seem to be fearful of riding in the van at this point.

I pull out on the larger road, narrowly missing an idiot who doesn't give me my rightful "right-of-way" (I'm turning right, he's turning left across traffic). Wanting to be a good example of patience to the kids I don't honk, just glare at him when he looks my way.

We recently got new brakes on the van, and it still stinks like burning rubber. Should I alert my passengers about the smell, telling them it's okay, nothing's really burning? Nah.

Ahead of me a driver decides at the last second NOT to try and make it through the yellow light. I'm forced to make a speedy stop. The four-year-old squeals as she lurches forward in her seat. The two-year old laughs loudly (male!). The other four don't seem to even notice. Seasoned travelers they are.

Hmm, what is the weather? Is it affecting my travel today? Light winds, scattered clouds, mild temperature. Great conditions--no trouble there.

It's close to noon, so downtown traffic is heavy. I accidently run a red light (the lights are close together downtown and I'm watching the wrong one). Oops. But no traffic is coming the other way, so we're safe. The officer across the intersection doesn't even come after me--maybe he didn't notice. Major whew! Would be a shame to ruin my perfect no-ticket, no-accident record just five months before my 40th birthday.

The rest of the ride is pretty hum-drum. The activity INSIDE the van is much more interesting than anything outside. I wonder if Capt. Ray ever feels that way. And, after all the errands, music lessons, etc., we arrive home safely three hours later. Just another day . . .

Jean :wave