Weekly Safety Tip

[MARTHA]

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I’m sure my post will be unpopular but me I’m a racer, if you challenge me I’m going to race, thats the way its been for 57 years and its not going to change at this point of my life. Simply put its a risk I’m willing to take. The way I see things is if you try to hang with me down a twisty country lane and you lose control then your life is on your hands, I don’t think I should be held accountable for murder because of a decision you made. Now if I were to kill a child playing in the street or in their front yard then put me in prison for murder I deserve it.

[rexcramer]

Sorry Martha, I am going to take you to task here. You don't get to pick where or when an oily patch on the street pops up. In this case R/R tracks. Gravel, ice, cats, dogs, kids on scooters, wet leaves, etc. This accident happened less than a block south of a high school on the same side of the street. A busy street, smack in the middle of downtown Upland, at 4:30 PM. Fortunately the school lets out at 3:00.

I drove by the crash site again yesterday. The tree probably saved the lives of people in front of the restaurant. Not to mention the front of the restaurant. The store front is +/- 70' from the tree. The dining patio is 20' less. Lets add up the cost of all the emergency personnel that the tax payers have to pay for because somebody 'challenge me' to a race.

In California, we also have laws on the books that convict accomplices, of murder, when someone is killed during the commission of a felony, i.e. bank robbery, home invasion, etc. When caught racing, your car is forfeited. If you happen to cause the injury of someone, it is assault with a deadly weapon. Death comes with the appropriate sentence. It is illegal to be a spectator of a street race in California. Ergo, participating in activities that cause someones death is appropriately charged.

Martha, I mean you no ill will. Risk your life as you see fit. You and I are the same age. I have 11 grand kids. I don't want you, me, or anybody else, to suffer through a loss of a loved one. Thankfully, an old tree kept this carnage from being worse.

'I’m a racer, if you challenge me I’m going to race,' Sadly, this train of thought has cost the life of one 23 year old kid and will seriously handicap the life of his co-racer/felon when they are apprehended.

[MARTHA]

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Yes, you are correct, California is a nanny state. Thank God for Oklahoma!

[MWS]

I totally agree with rexcramer in every single point he made and no truer words have been written (as I have a guiding "morality compass") HOWEVER...

I also have a dumb gene.

Now this is what I find interesting, and quite probably true with most humans.... There is a constant battle between my morality compass and my dumb gene, but there is an additional factor that modifies the equation...age. Thirty years ago (and I am almost embarrassed to admit) my dumb gene almost eclipsed my morality compass, but now T+30 my morality compass has a much stronger pull. I would like to think that now, with age and clarity, I will always choose the best path of behavior, but in all honestly it's probably closer to 50/50 between enlightened guru and flaming jackass. Perhaps in thirty years my dumb gene will be totally suppressed and with my fully charged morality compass I may go forth unto the world and spread wisdom...from the chair on my front porch. Until that time, I try and ask myself three simple questions when I think I might be about to do something inappropriate:

1: does this need to be done?
2: does this need to be done by me?
3: does this need to be done by me now?

Anyway...street racing bad. Don't do it. Ever. Or so says my morality compass...

[78F350]

In the accident on October 14th that I opened this thread with, the driver of the truck was unhurt and I expect that the driver of the car died. The last I saw him was when they were loading him in the ambulance to bring him to the hospital 100 yards away. I did not follow up. The truck driver was in hysterical grief. She knew that she had just killed a stranger. She was not racing, or speeding. She had just looked away from the road for a few seconds. When she saw that the light had changed, she just couldn't stop in time and it likely ended one life and changed hers Forever.

I have been working in Oklahoma as an EMS helicopter pilot for over 10 years. I have waited for patients to be extracted from mangled vehicles, hearing their shrieks become moans and then silence. Returning to our base, no longer needed. Two brothers speeding on the back roads, lost control. Little brother thrown from the car, elder trapped inside and unable to get to him while he died. A pick-up goes a little too fast over a blind hill and crosses lanes just enough to kill a young couple heading the other way, their infant (now orphan) in back critically injured, but alive. On and on. Cops, EMS, and firemen know the stories.

I still do stupid things while I'm driving. I still can convince myself that with my superior skills and awesome cars, I can get away with things that 'ordinary people' can't. ...and I know that I am wrong and no better than that truck driver.
Racing on public roads? If anything, I think it shows weakness and misplaced pride. Stronger and humble is a better way to be.

[alynch]

Saw this in a recent MSN article. I found it stunning the effects of the differences between the two designs with a twenty year gap. The last part of the video where you see the crash consequences from the inside of both cars was, to me, the most sobering.

https://youtu.be/85OysZ_4lp0

[fanguy]

In my 30’s I thought I could beat the train. The 18-Wheeler in front of me thought the same. When he realized, he wasn’t going to make as the cab was close to the track and made a hard left 180 The train het him between the trailer and back of cab.

Rule # 1, I agree anyone should be able to take any risk’s their heart desires as long as it’s put no one, living thing or others property at risk. Once there is somebody else who joins in you has lost control over the situation. Now your situation no risk to others goes out the window and negates rule # 1.

Not perfect or even correct just how I see it.

[78F350]

Good health is safety related. In November some men grow mustaches and/or beards to promote awareness of men's health issues.

“No Shave November” is a trend where men put down their razors and don't shave for the entire month of November. But now there's a purpose behind that. The American Cancer Society wants to use this trend to raise awareness about prostate cancer.

Many men avoid doctor visits and medical tests until their condition is well advanced, often making treatment less effective, or too late. Many of us would rather just ignore a problem and wait (hope) for it to get better rather than talk to a doctor about it. That is sad, because many health issues such as cancers, coronary disease, and mental health can be treated and cured or mitigated.

Get checked for prostate cancer: A blood test for PSA and if the number comes back high or shows a significant increase from previous tests, get an exam with a urologist.

Get an annual physical exam. Get to know your healthcare and develop a relationship with your healthcare professional. Establish a baseline of your health and know when things change. Ages 18-39: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007464.htm, 40-64:https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/007465.htm, 65 and up? I expect you know the routine better than I. Anything you'd like to share?

50 and older? Don't fear the colonoscopy. The worst part is the diet and laxatives the day before.

About the time I turned 50 I had a GI bleed from taking heavy doses of NSAIDs long term. Instead of seeing a doctor I waited for it to get better. A few days later I was pale and weak. My wife convinced me to visit ER. They gave me seven units of blood and told me that if I had waited a little longer I would have been dead. I try to take preventative health more seriously now. I'm just learning to drive a car on the track now and hoping for many years of track time ahead. Good health is key.

[san rensho]

Originally Posted by itsnotanova

90% of the wrecked boxsters I buy were wrecked by the driver. Don't get too confident in how well these cars can handle or brake

I resemble that comment. I was stupid. I was accelerating on a freeway entrance ramp that i take almost daily but this day it was drizzling and my rear tires were worn. As i get up to about 70 mph i hydroplane and in the blink of an eye, 360 spin into the median barrier.

What really calms me is going to the track. When i see how good these cars are and how quickly they can get away from you on the track i realise pushing the limits is not for the street.

[Jgkram]

I can't really add to anything that hasn't already been said other than to hopefully reinforce rexcramer's comments. Street racing is just plan stupid (sorry MARTHA) but sometimes you just have to be blunt. It's not always easy to be the bigger man when challenged but that's what we have to strive to do especially when dealing with something that can kill you. If you want to race AX or track it, period.

[fanguy]

[78F350]

My newer cars automatically lock the doors when I start driving, my 986s do not. I never cared much for self locking doors, but some recent events changed my mind and I intend to keep my doors locked now.

It has become a popular technique to steal items from an unlocked car while the driver is refueling. It happens fast and often goes undetected.


Even worse, in the last week there were a few car-jackings and a hostage situation. I took the perpetrator of one of the car-jackings to the hospital. He had been in a police chase and wrecked his car. He jumped into another car (car-jacked) and drove off for a second chase. The second chase ended when he entered a ditch at high speed and rolled the car. ...at least he was wearing a seat belt.

Don't be an easy target. Keep your doors locked. Keep alert.

[78F350]

Not sure I want to resurrect the thread, but figured it's a good place for a holiday season reminder. I expect that most of you are skilled and sober drivers, but plenty of the people on the road tonight are not.
Here's my view from a couple hours ago. These are not Christmas lights.


A teenage driver, unrestrained and high speed. Three patients, two were flown from the scene. Traffic was completely stopped for at least 30 minutes. Be safe and expect the unexpected.
This is the front of the truck, it hit a pole and some other things. Kind of hard to sort out what's what in the picture, bumper is an inverted V at the bottom, brake booster and reservoir at the right center...

[Starter986]

Are we sure Martha isn't a troll, just trying to bait us. If so, he's the master.

[78F350]

Originally Posted by Starter986

Are we sure Martha isn't a troll, just trying to bait us. If so, he's the master.

I remember Martha's first posts as she bought an '07 from what is my local dealership and we exchanged PMs about car care. There may be a few embellishments in her posts, but I expect that she is for the most part a true character... and quite a character.

[rexcramer]

I am saddened that she felt like she needed to withdraw from the forum. My guess is anybody on this forum can recount a tale (or more) of street racing gone bad. Stay alert through the holidays and remember shiny side up.

[itsnotanova]

Walk around an insurance auction and you'll see quite a few vehicles that you know someone had to die in. The worse porsche I've seen was a 996 cab that was so wrecked that only the brake calipers were salvageable. Somebody let 4 teenage boys take their 996 for a spin. The 18 year old driver was the oldest. They got T-boned by a dump truck doing 140mph. At least that's what the speedometer was stuck at. Last I heard only the 14 year old front passenger survived.