Gasoline Prices

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curtain airbags, crumple

other technologies

the drivers we

horsepower and torque of

deaths. Simply by

I think that most

example in germany, most

cities. Statistics

gain high speed, but

in takeover

horse power in

virtually any

you're careful, it

not start without

horsepower. If you don't

kill you.

just buckle it up

safety belt. LOL

Although I use safety belts, I will say that they are very uncomfortable. Especially where the belt crosses my neck. My hairs get entangled in the fabric each and every time I use them, which is every time. If I have to drive any distance, my neck is red and irritated considerably by drive's end, which tends to make me red and irritated.

Ed Cregger

airbags, crumple

technologies cars

drivers we need to

torque of cars would

Simply by taking away

most people would be

is all that is needed

faster than that are

bearing on

up by sensors

available...

road tolls,

to be

current

cameras is known and

method.

works and

use it... its

of the

crime.. the location

the plates

police cars

effect on the

groups are

If we are going to go so far as to make it impossible to speed, etc., why not just stop making cars with steering wheels and make them computer driven? At least there would be some benefit to the driver. At least one could nap or perhaps watch some TV while on their way to whatever destination.

Ed Cregger

Lambskin pads for shoulder belts are cheap and available. No need to be irritated.

That idea was suggested as being a possibility many years ago. Idea was (if memory serves) that cars would drive to the nearest main road/motorway and then computers would control the car from there on. I think the computers were somewhere central and your route would be sent to them. Buried wires, sensors, whatever then controlled the cars progress and distance from any other vehicle. Now that would drive all the tail gaters hopping mad... itching to get on the boot of the guy up ahead and no way of doing it >:-)

The idea has never been realised, though there have been rumblings in that direction recently.

You could be rigging your planes on the way to the flying site so as not to waste any flying time. I wonder if you could still be done for drink- driving ?

Reg

I don't think that, in the case of the U.K, cost will be the determining factor. The government is looking at various ways of being able to put tolls on road use. Those using busy motorways and/or using main roads into and out of citys will be charged more per mile than someone using quiet roads. The problem is that England is quite a small place and its getting quite close to the stage where the current roadsystems are going to grind to a halt, so someone is going to have to come up with a way of addressing the problem.

Indications are that future anti-terrorist laws will impinge on civil- liberties anyway, the cost of the electronic number plate system could probably be justified as a further step to help the authorities. If the trial is O.K we will have to see if the government is brave enough to implement it.

Fortunately I live in a fairly sparsely populated area of England and getting around and to and from my flying areas is not a problem >:-)

Reg

Yea, rather than building a decent road system, like most other developed countries did, England still clings to the belief that all you have to do is charge people more and spend the money on more hair-brained schemes.

We can't keep building roads, there isn't enough room and what is the point in spoiling even more green areas by replacing them with tarmac ?

The experience of other European countries has been that building more roads just leads to an increase in cars and the situation remains virtually the same.

Some European countries, France for instance, are much bigger and have only the same population as the U.K.

If we widen the motorways and add extra lanes then we are just going to end up in the same state a couple of years later.

Sorry, apart from short trips to the flying field, along quiet roads, then people are going to be hit financialy to try and limit the ever increasing car use.

Even flying fields are under threat due to urban expansion and you are going to hasten their demise by putting roads in their place.

The U.K is going to suffer from lack of room for yet more cars, and the USA is going to have to face up to steadily increasing gas prices for years to come.

Reg

Limiting immigration and population in general is the true answer, but no one wishes to address this - especially in a model airplane group.

I'm heading back on topic. Don't know how long I'll stay there, but I'm trying anyway.

Ed Cregger

So, your answer is congestion charging? Why not limit your population by stopping the unrestricted immigration? Why not tear down some of the old row houses in inner London and make some decent expressways? Same with all the rest of the larger towns. They are a mess of old rabbit runs with no rhyme or reason to traffic flow.

The German cars had no lack of power! They'd blow our american cars off the road...even the VW bugs! The difference was all the polution crap choking our cars down. I understand the Germans now have an enormous polution problem that is killing the Black Forest!

Well put Ed, but the Europeans also build big comfortable cars...they just aren't exported over here. Opel has a great car call the "president". I heard it's approval rating is in the tank and it has a hanging chad problem. hhehehe. Seriously though, the Opel President is a big luxurious car.

Can you believe all the car ads on TV talk about how powerful and fast they are? I'll bet that changes pretty quick. GM has 9 vehicles that get 30 mpg or better. They've done an uninspired commercial for them. They should be screaming it!

The 9 cars GM has that get 30 mpg are not all itty bitty put-puts either!

Chevy came out with the Equinox which is a medium size SUV that gets 28 in town and 30+ on the highway. A really nice vehicle. It's no slouch either with a 3.6 liter V-6. One of our club members has one and loves it. I'm looking at it pretty seriously to replace my beloved old 94 Caprice Classic station wagon. I'd never dream of switching if I could get more than 18 mpg out of the old Chevy.

They are limiting their population Paul. The UK has a very slight annual population growth only because of immigration. Were it not for all the "foreign subjects" moving in, the UK would actually be declining in population.

Guess the stories about English men must be true!

Heck,

They were yammering about killing trees some 20 or more years ago when I first went there!

With our gas prices, 18 mpg would be an absolute no no - even considering, IIRC, the slightly smaller US gallon compared with UK . Anything less than

I haven't checked recently, but I used to get better than that with my two litre engined estate.

Malcolm

Well, personally I don't care wether other people wear them or not. I thin the german law that forces you to wear it is wrong, except for non-adults. It's your life, so it should be your choice.

The belt should not touch your neck? It should be adjustable so that it goes up more over your shoulder.