"stevie" <sf@dum.org> wrote in message
news:whuee.43076$c42.38251@fe07.lga...
> drivers eyes are never on the road 100% of the time. you have to watch
> other things while driving (rear-view mirror for example).

Yes, but if they are ever on a speedometer, even for a split second, then
safety is decreased somewhat. -Dave

 

"Michael Pardee" <michaeltnull@cybertrails.com> wrote in message
news:9JadncyISqbW9-bfRVn-gg@sedona.net...
> "Ted B." <noway@nohow.not.ever> wrote in message
> news:427b61a6$0$34662$892e7fe2@authen.white.readfr eenews.net...
>> OK, then enlighten us. What does a speedometer have to do with
>> *driving*? Now answer that question without referring to speed limits,
>> speeding tickets or cops in any manner. Good luck. -Dave
>>
> Two years ago I was returning from Phoenix with my family at night. The
> freeway was nearly deserted so I had my high beams on and was cruising at
> 75 mph (the speed limit). When I saw the elk in my lane ahead we were
> plenty close, so I braked hard and changed lanes behind her. When I got
> past, I accelerated to what I thought was 60 or 65. A moment later I
> looked at the speedometer to see I was going 93 mph... the adrenaline had
> changed my perception of speed so much it felt slower. Dangerous indeed.
>
> Mike

What was dangerous? You didn't know you were doing 93 until you looked at
the speedometer. That right there tells me that you were most likely
driving in a safe, sane, reasonable manner (even if a bit above the speed
limit). When you realized you were doing 93MPH, what is it about that magic
number (93MPH) that, all by itself, makes driving dangerous? Again,
enlighten us. -Dave

 

"Ted B." <noway@nohow.not.ever> wrote in message
news:427b6230$0$34662$892e7fe2@authen.white.readfr eenews.net...
>
> My eyes are constantly in motion while driving. . . but hardly ever hit
> the speedometer. Did I mention I've got thirty years and well over a
> million miles of spotless driving record? That's because I'm a driver,
> not a speedometer watcher. -Dave

Welcome to the Million mile club. I too am a driver (a professional driver)
with over a million and a half miles in commercial vehicles with no
collisions or incidents, I do this for a living and for personal reasons.
That said, every professional driver knows that the key to safety is in the
operation of the vehicle within the compliance of the rules of the road and
road conditions. A speedometer is just one method to employ compliance.

Brian

 

"Brian Smith" <Halifax@NovaScotia.Canada> writes:
>Are you speaking of the 'new' Mini or an older model?
>I had a 1985 Cooper S, it was a blast to drive way back then.

"New" Mini. They're still a blast to drive.

-Mike

 

"Ted B." <noway@nohow.not.ever> wrote in message
news:427b6230$0$34662$892e7fe2@authen.white.readfr eenews.net...
> >
>> Are you telling us that you don't look at the speedometer, fuel gauge,
>> clock, radio or any of the myriad of gauges that can be on the dash of a
>> modern vehicle? Not to mention the outside and inside mirrors, and
>> turning your head to view as much as possible of what is happening around
>> your vehicle when you're operating it? If that is what you are saying,
>> you should have your driver's licence revoked, you are dangerous.
>>
>> Brian
>
> My eyes are constantly in motion while driving. . . but hardly ever hit
> the speedometer. Did I mention I've got thirty years and well over a
> million miles of spotless driving record? That's because I'm a driver,
> not a speedometer watcher. -Dave
>
My wife has 35 years spotless, and her mother died last year after more than
50 years spotless. They are/were speedometer watchers. (In case you are
wondering, I was responsible for two accidents in the early 70s - both while
I had my eyes on the road.)

Mike

 

"Ted B." <noway@nohow.not.ever> wrote in message
news:427b61a6$0$34662$892e7fe2@authen.white.readfr eenews.net...
> OK, then enlighten us. What does a speedometer have to do with *driving*?
> Now answer that question without referring to speed limits, speeding
> tickets or cops in any manner. Good luck. -Dave
>
Two years ago I was returning from Phoenix with my family at night. The
freeway was nearly deserted so I had my high beams on and was cruising at 75
mph (the speed limit). When I saw the elk in my lane ahead we were plenty
close, so I braked hard and changed lanes behind her. When I got past, I
accelerated to what I thought was 60 or 65. A moment later I looked at the
speedometer to see I was going 93 mph... the adrenaline had changed my
perception of speed so much it felt slower. Dangerous indeed.

Mike

 

On Thu, 5 May 2005 15:49:48 -0400, "Ted B." <noway@nohow.not.ever>
wrote:

>
>"stevie" <sf@dum.org> wrote in message
>news:whuee.43076$c42.38251@fe07.lga...
>> drivers eyes are never on the road 100% of the time. you have to watch
>> other things while driving (rear-view mirror for example).
>
>Yes, but if they are ever on a speedometer, even for a split second, then
>safety is decreased somewhat. -Dave
>


Wrong. The driver whose eyes are glued, unblinking, to the road in
front of him is far more dangerous than the driver who is aware of his
surroundings, including the speedometer, mirrors, and surrounding
traffic.

 

On Thu, 5 May 2005 15:48:39 -0400, "Ted B." <noway@nohow.not.ever>
wrote:

>>>
>> Without the speedometer precision navigation is not possible (even with
>> navi, failure to keep at the prescribed speed means predictions are out
>> the window). I can leave a work site 150 miles from my office and tell my
>> boss when I will arrive within ten minutes at worst, 5 minutes nominal,
>> just by keeping my speed at the posted limit.
>
>OK, but that has nothing to do with DRIVING. That is a navigational issue,
>or maybe a time issue. Think of it this way . . . could you get back to
>your office safely if your speedometer was broken? If so, then you see my
>point. -Dave
>

I think you're digging yourself in even deeper the longer you continue
with this line.

 

On Thu, 5 May 2005 15:44:47 -0400, "Ted B." <noway@nohow.not.ever>
wrote:

>>>
>>> Is that bad? The driver's eyes should be on the road, not the
>>> speedometer.
>>> If you even have to look at the speedo, you're improperly trained to
>>> operate
>>> a vehicle anyway. -Dave
>>
>> LOL--Making use of your logic--the engineers should mount the speedometer
>> on the passenger side or not even install one.
>
>Exactly. It shouldn't even be in the car. -Dave
>
Neither should you, now that you mention it.

 

"Ted B." <noway@nohow.not.ever> wrote in message
news:427a7898$0$64151$892e7fe2@authen.white.readfr eenews.net...
>>>
>> Without the speedometer precision navigation is not possible (even with
>> navi, failure to keep at the prescribed speed means predictions are out
>> the window). I can leave a work site 150 miles from my office and tell my
>> boss when I will arrive within ten minutes at worst, 5 minutes nominal,
>> just by keeping my speed at the posted limit.
>
> OK, but that has nothing to do with DRIVING. That is a navigational
> issue, or maybe a time issue. Think of it this way . . . could you get
> back to your office safely if your speedometer was broken? If so, then
> you see my point. -Dave
>
But you can get from point A to Point B safely without the dashboard
altogether. You don't need an oil warning light, gas guage, temperature
guage or light. But all those are part of intelligent driving. People who
disregard those or the speedometer are not making use of the valuable
instrumentation. At least one small airplane from bygone years had a single
instrument - a compass - but that doesn't make the grade in today's world. I
know you are not suggesting we should do without instrumentation altogether;
we just disagree about the importance of a speedometer.

If you never look at your speedometer but rely on experience to judge your
speed, you are actually relying on the drivers around you to look at their
speedometers to calibrate your own perception. I have little faith in
perceptions, though. Anyone who travels highway 89 from Flagstaff to Page,
Arizona, regularly has been behind Navajo drivers, many of whom never look
at the speedometer either and have had little experience with others around
them keeping an eye on theirs. 15 mph fluctuations are common.

Mike

 

In article <Eq7ee.461$8g.56@news01.roc.ny>, "Seth"
<seth_lermanNOSPAM@hotmail.com> wrote:

> "Alex Rodriguez" <adr5@columbia.edu> wrote in message
> news:d5ausc$opq$7@newsmaster.cc.columbia.edu...
> > In article <1115161055.7f41e6e8c0eb35c36f1c72c83eea4a99@teran ews>,
> > taeoh@hondasucks.com says...
> >
> >>I am not sure what the designers at Honda were smoking when they designed
> >>the Civic 2000. This model has a clearance that is lower than typical
> >>parking bars. So every time you pull up a parking spot or getting out of a
> >>drive way that is uneven with the road, you'd almost always manage to
> >>scrape off the bottom front part of your car!
> >>What the f*ck is wrong with those morons at Honda????
> >
> > If you fix the nut behind the wheel, then this won't be a problem.
>
> I was figuring an electrical problem. Short between the steering wheel and
> the seat...

I suspect that everyone in this newsgroup could report complaints related
to various design problems related to various vehicles they have owned.
For example, I recently rented a Toyota Echo which is a really small and
light car that is even taller (high center of gravity) than my Honda
Accord. I was driving down the freeway and the wind almost blew the car
into another car in another lane. I read about a small BMW car that has
the speed odometer mounted in the center of the dashboard.

--
NEWSGROUP SUBSCRIBERS MOTTO
We respect those subscribers that ask for advice or provide advice.
We do NOT respect the subscribers that enjoy criticizing people.

 

> I read about a small BMW car that has
>> the speed odometer mounted in the center of the dashboard.

It's that way in my Mini (owned by BMW), perhaps that's
what you're talking about. It's the biggest, coolest, easiest
to read speedometer you could want... and the "center" of the
Mini's dashboard is pretty close to "right in front of you" <g>...

-Mike

 

In article <427a13ee$0$19385$892e7fe2@authen.white.readfreene ws.net>, "Ted
B." <noway@nohow.not.ever> wrote:

> I read about a small BMW car that has
> > the speed odometer mounted in the center of the dashboard.
> >
>
> Is that bad? The driver's eyes should be on the road, not the speedometer.
> If you even have to look at the speedo, you're improperly trained to operate
> a vehicle anyway. -Dave

LOL--Making use of your logic--the engineers should mount the speedometer
on the passenger side or not even install one.

--
NEWSGROUP SUBSCRIBERS MOTTO
We respect those subscribers that ask for advice or provide advice.
We do NOT respect the subscribers that enjoy criticizing people.

 

"Ted B." <noway@nohow.not.ever> wrote in
news:427a1f97$0$86256$892e7fe2@authen.white.readfr eenews.net:

>>> Is that bad? The driver's eyes should be on the road, not the
>>> speedometer. If you even have to look at the speedo, you're
>>> improperly trained to operate a vehicle anyway. -Dave
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> That may be true, but a speedometer comes in handy on those roads
>> where the
>> posted limit is much lower than the design speed of the road. Guess
>> where speed traps get set up?
>
> The problem is the improperly set speed limits. You can't fix that
> problem by changing where speedometers are installed. If the powers
> that be truly cared about traffic safety, both speed limits and
> speedometers would be banned.



Clapclapclapclapclap.

Obviously, you can forget about ever getting a job with any government by
thinking like that. And the cops would hate you for removing a major source
of revenue from them.



> Drivers should be DRIVING, not thinking
> about how the vehicle's velocity relates to a specific number. If you
> are going too fast for conditions, you shouldn't need to confirm that
> by looking at a speedometer. Also, a speedometer can give a poorly
> trained driver a false sense of security.


It can give ANY driver problems, even trained ones. Can you imagine the
increase in accidents if race car drivers had speedometers? "Gee, I hit
this corner at 63 the last lap, maybe I can shave a bit off my time if I
make sure I hit it at 65...or 67...or 69..."



> That is, you can be driving
> way too fast for conditions and still be driving slower than the speed
> limit.


Yup. My own province records such things as "speed too fast", which the
cops and insurance companies love to (deliberately) misinterpret as
"speeding" faster than the posted limit. The statistic actually means speed
too fast FOR CONDITIONS, with no mention of the driver's speed relative to
the posted limit. If you slide off the road at 25 and the limit is 35, it
gets put down as "speed too fast".





--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

 

>> Is that bad? The driver's eyes should be on the road, not the
>> speedometer. If you even have to look at the speedo, you're improperly
>> trained to operate a vehicle anyway. -Dave
>>
>>
>
>
> That may be true, but a speedometer comes in handy on those roads where
> the
> posted limit is much lower than the design speed of the road. Guess where
> speed traps get set up?

The problem is the improperly set speed limits. You can't fix that problem
by changing where speedometers are installed. If the powers that be truly
cared about traffic safety, both speed limits and speedometers would be
banned. Drivers should be DRIVING, not thinking about how the vehicle's
velocity relates to a specific number. If you are going too fast for
conditions, you shouldn't need to confirm that by looking at a speedometer.
Also, a speedometer can give a poorly trained driver a false sense of
security. That is, you can be driving way too fast for conditions and still
be driving slower than the speed limit. -Dave

 

"Jason" <jason@nospam.com> wrote in message
news:jason-0405051411430001@pm4-> I read about a small BMW car that has
> the speed odometer mounted in the center of the dashboard.
>
Our 2002 Toyota Prius has the digital spedometer/odometer, fuel guage and
warning lights mounted in the top of the center of the dashboard. Very
convenient, actually. No risk of the oil pressure light going unnoticed for
an hour. To each their own.

Mike

 

"Ted B." <noway@nohow.not.ever> wrote in
news:427a13ee$0$19385$892e7fe2@authen.white.readfr eenews.net:

> I read about a small BMW car that has
>> the speed odometer mounted in the center of the dashboard.
>>
>
> Is that bad? The driver's eyes should be on the road, not the
> speedometer. If you even have to look at the speedo, you're improperly
> trained to operate a vehicle anyway. -Dave
>
>


That may be true, but a speedometer comes in handy on those roads where the
posted limit is much lower than the design speed of the road. Guess where
speed traps get set up?

--
TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

 

I read about a small BMW car that has
> the speed odometer mounted in the center of the dashboard.
>

Is that bad? The driver's eyes should be on the road, not the speedometer.
If you even have to look at the speedo, you're improperly trained to operate
a vehicle anyway. -Dave

 

"Tae Oh" <taeoh@hondasucks.com> wrote in message
news:1115161055.7f41e6e8c0eb35c36f1c72c83eea4a99@t eranews...
>I am not sure what the designers at Honda were smoking when they designed
> the Civic 2000. This model has a clearance that is lower than typical
> parking bars. So every time you pull up a parking spot or getting out of a
> drive way that is uneven with the road, you'd almost always manage to
> scrape off the bottom front part of your car!


How much load is in the car when this happens? You got Fat Albert in there??
I always driven Civics no problem, small car, hang back a bit.

 

And just think... people change the springs to lower the car further...
LOL

Professor
www.telstar-electronics.com


Tae Oh wrote:
> I am not sure what the designers at Honda were smoking when they
designed
> the Civic 2000. This model has a clearance that is lower than typical

> parking bars. So every time you pull up a parking spot or getting out
of a
> drive way that is uneven with the road, you'd almost always manage to

> scrape off the bottom front part of your car!
>
> What the f*ck is wrong with those morons at Honda????