Rules of the Road #35

Here is todays rule of the road: ONLY a Subaru can pull of gold rims and look good doing it. There is no other make, model or car color that can look good with gold rims. so before taking that can of gold krylon to your Neon's steelies, think again.

Rules of the Road # 44

Clean the damn snow off of your damn roof. Yes, even you lazy SUV owners. I am sick of ice chunks flying at me at 70 MPH.

The CBX vs. a Sleeping Baby - Fight!

This weekend I had a true test of driving skill. It wasn't driving through the Pennsylvania blizzard, and it wasn't navigating through the black ice. No, it was by far the most difficult thing i have ever done -  try to keep a napping toddler from waking up while driving on the Cross Bronx.

This Saturday, I decided to do a little snowboarding out in Shawnee in PA, as anyone with a young child might know, its smart to plan road trips around nap time, lest you deal with a cranky toddler. So 30 minutes in the to the trip, he is out like a light, and i am just over the Throgs Neck on my way to the CBX. Then comes the first pothole. than a raised manhole cover. than a chunk of ice. next thing I know, I am playing Frogger in the left lane trying to avoid obstacles that stress the suspension of my poor wifes CR-V.

 

See, heres the thing -  I have traveled this road every day, twice for the last 4 years, and not once have a I realized how poor the road is. the rim benders are easy to avoid, but its the little ones you never notice.  Speaking of rim benders, there is a monster right before the Deegan heading South / West on the CBX in between the left and middle lanes. You cant even call it a pothole, its more like a fender eating sink hole.

But the end to the story is this. After a nerve racking 30 minutes of straddling as frequently as a Vegas stripper, we crossed the GWB. And as soon as we hit the smooth roadway of I80, the kid woke up.

 

Now thats how you drive in the snow...

As I slid about 40 feet today on the ramp from the Grand Central to the Clearview while trying to merge in, i was reminded today about the importance of proper control in ICY conditions. Than I found this video on Autoblog, which is 7 minutes of pure, unadulterated car porn.

The ride is Audi's RS3, somewhere in Canada. of course it is in Canada. Americans just don't get wagons. Even if they do have a turbo5, AWD, and an exhaust note thats so sweet it makes you appreciate the lack of soundtrack to the video.

So while there was no helicopter capturing my slides this morning, this is totally worth the watch.

Hit this link for Autoblogs, or see it below.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/01/19/video-audi-rs3-makes-us-hate-winter-less/#continued

 

New Law in Effect in NY – “Move Over Act”

 

New York state snuck in this new law over the holiday break- Some other states have it, and it actually makes a lot of sense. The Ambrose Searles Act, AKA, the “move over act” states that drivers must move over when an emergency vehicle is in an adjacent lane, and use due care. What this means:

When you are approaching a police car or ambulance with lights flashing on the shoulder, you must get out of the right lane. It also means that on a three lane road, you have to be out of the adjacent lane; So if there is an ambulance in the left lane on a three lane road, you have to be in the extreme right.

This is a great law to support, to make it safer for the law enforcement and emergency responders working on the roads, and if it saves even one life, it is totally worth it.

However lets be realistic, we live in Metro NY, and most times, a one-lane buffer is not a possibility. If you get snagged for not obeying this law, you must prove that there was no way to move over safely. But the law also says you must slow down, which you can’t talk your way out of not doing.

 



See below for the text copy and link to the law from State Troopers.

 

NEW YORK STATE LAW:

Ambrose-Searles 'Move Over Act'

Protects law enforcement officers and emergency workers stopped along roadways while performing their duties.

• Drivers must use due care when approaching an emergency vehicle that displays red and/or white emergency lighting.
  
  
  
  • On all roads and highways, drivers must reduce speed;
  
  
  • On Parkways and other controlled access highways with multiple lanes, drivers must move from the lane immediately adjacent to the emergency vehicle, unless traffic or other hazards exist to prevent doing so safely.
  
  
  
  

http://www.troopers.state.ny.us/Public_Information/2010_News_Releases/12-15-10_Drivers_Beware_Ambrose-Searles_Move_Over_Act_to_Begin_January_1st_2011.cfm