RE: Speeding is good? No I don't agree...

["Patrick Bureau" <pbureau@home.com>]

Agreed cops, firemen and ambulance drivers are professional drivers, they
also have a very loud siren, and flashing lights, I always know how close an
ambulance is because I always pay attention for them, and I am always the
first one to get out of their way because they provide a important service
to us all.

but a cop in a cop car or an ambulance driver in an ambulance car (doctors
for example) rushing around the city all day long, is a little different
than when in civilian and driving around in personal car, they do not have
any more rights than you an I when it come to driving the roads of that same
city, and in fact since they see bloody horrible murderous accident all year
long that involve pedestrians, automobile drivers and others numerous
horrible and stupid accidents, they should and I surely hope be careful
drivers when off duty.

I have ridden with an ambulance team as part of my "stage" when in
university, and I fully understand the way these people shave 1/2 sec, and
why they perform it, and my message was not aimed at the source of thousands
of hard working, usually ignored or forgotten why they are on the road all
year long. It is aimed at the people that claim "I am a professional
driver", that continue to drive like maniac, the one that stick their
headlight on rear end of car (less than 1/4 length of car) the ones that
intimidate, swerve, switch lanes every 20 feet on the road, the ones that
continually claim they never have caused an accident and complain about
people being TOO SLOW and DANGEROUS on the road. If there are 100 cars on
the road, and 1 car is the one doing 160 and complaining, 99 cars are
driving properly, the last one is the offender. logic is simple in this
manner, it is not a matter if its a cop in his civis or not.

Btw, just to let you know all emergency vehicles has absolutely no above the
law rule, as to passing on red lights, cutting in traffic or excessive
speeding on roads. it is tolerated by the law because they provide a service
to communities. and every time a news paper catches wind of an ambulance or
cop gets caught crashing into civilians while rushing an intersection, the
emergency committees have to create a review each time about " are we
permitting the ambulance and cops" to drive too fast on the roads.. I don't
imagine any of this, if you read the newspapers (I read 3 each day), and it
happens more commonly than you presume to indicate that "professionals have
right of way any time any day they are on the road"
sorry, that is the biggest misconception on this world.

If you are on a single lane road, a cop comes behind you lights and sirens,
and you are sitting at a red light, with no mean of giving way to the cop
behind you other than enter the intersection, what do you do? 90% of the
people will tell you they will enter the intersection, which is now a
situation of a professional driver creating a dangerous, possibly lethal
situation with a civilian. The right answer, is to look both side of
intersection and turn into the first right sided exit/road of the
intersection to get out of the way.

People in majority have little idea how the "proper" way to drive is, I will
admit that if the driver license was review every 5 years we would fine a
greater of non-drivers than drivers...

Patrick

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-scirocco-l@scirocco.org
[mailto:owner-scirocco-l@scirocco.org]On Behalf Of Chris DeLong
Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2001 11:34 PM
To: pbureau@home.com; scirocco-l@scirocco.org
Subject: Re: Speeding is good? No I don't agree...


Not starting a flame war as it was a very carefully calculated post; but
what is your opinion on cops involved in a chase or merely getting to a
scene of an accident? Would you consider them also "professional" drivers
within their means or would you put them in the same category as the rest of
us who speed and pay very careful attention to potential situations and
scenarios?

Chris DeLong
ICQ#45030867
Seattle, WA USA
'80 16V 'Rocco ragtop
'91 GLi 2.0 16V
'77 Rabbit 16V
'80 'Vert (parting out!)
'61 17 Window type II
'91 Vanagon
'78 Rabbit
'78 Rabbit (for sale)
'87 GTi 16V



>From: "Patrick Bureau" <pbureau@home.com>
>To: "Scirocco List" <scirocco-l@scirocco.org>
>Subject: Speeding is good? No I don't agree...
>Date: Wed, 31 Oct 2001 22:07:12 -0500
>
>Dear Adam I do have to reply and do try to understand thatthis commentary
>is
>a conversation and not a bashing of any sorts.
>if you should feel I am doing a personal attack, I would like you to tell
>me
>and I will make proper apologies.
>
>1) The "doing about 65mph in a 55 zone and this little old granny pulled
>her
>land yacht right out in front of me.." if you where doing 55 in a 55 zone..
>you would have plenty of time to slow down and WOULD of seen her ahead of
>time.
>
>2) "I drive at high speeds all the time and I have NEVER crashed a vehicle
>or caused an accident of any kind." personally I had a good long time
>friend
>of mine like you, who used to drive professional racing stock cars, and
>drove his car on the road in teh same way , "I am a professional driver,
>get
>out of my way attitute" he died after slamming his car into a truck that
>decided he had the right of way with his 18 ton truck... the engine on his
>Maverick 74 backed up into the car 3 and 1/2 feet into the cockpit, he was
>crushed by the steering wheel into his seat and died on impact at the young
>age of 22.
>
>Sorry, and Cannot say that I respect speed limit all the time, in town I do
>stick to speed limits, and on the highway on a clear day I do run 80-90MPH
>on some short "empty" 3 lane highways just for kicks. if we did not enjoy
>"speed" we would all be driving Fort T model 1's.
>
>Though I agree there should be new laws agaisnt young driver (under the age
>of 21) to be allowed to drive over certain areas (like in france for
>example, a new driver has a 90KMPH MAX speed, and is not allowed on
>Highways, nor after dark on roads, and their permit only carries a 3 point
>demerit (normally 17 on a fully licensed driver) for 90 months, these
>drivers are visibly identified on their cars with a big rough black and
>white sticker marked 90. it is not a perfect system (knowing full well from
>personal experience with driving in france many times over) but I am sorry
>I
>cannot warrant SPEEDING in "in-town streets" and "being a professional" you
>would understand this even more, and you would keep your "speeding" on the
>track and not on the road.
>
>I am not bashing your opinion nor the way you drive, but there are a many
>"young drivers" online that think redlining a 16v 2300 pds vehicule at
>every
>gear in streets make them invincible, I have seen (lost 4 friends now to
>speeding in cars and motorcycles, 3 were professional race drives, one was
>my brother (at the age of 25, on his birthday, doing 80MPH in a 45MPH zone
>passing in a curve, going uphill, his car plowed into a "caterpillar" ,
>they
>found his body in the back seat on the car...he was passing a group of
>people on bicycles...)
>
>I will state that though any speed above stated speed limit is technically
>considered speeding, 5MPH above speed limit is not mechanically speaking
>speeding, 10MPH over speed limit is. any mechanic can explain and prove
>that
>the tachometers in any car is as accurate as the specs of the cars and tire
>manufacturer designed the car with, change the wheels and you change this..
>why most cops do not give out ticket for only 5MPH over limit permissible.
>
>Sincerly hoping this willnot start a "flame war" as it is NOT intended as
>so.
>
>Patrick
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: owner-scirocco-l@scirocco.org
>[mailto:owner-scirocco-l@scirocco.org]On Behalf Of adam lefevre
>Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2001 8:04 PM
>To: Scirocco List
>Subject: RE: waking up a cop late at night at a light.... WAS: Whatdoyou
>g et when you pass the State trooper at 85?
>
>
>I have to respond to this one...
>
>I too was professionally trained in Germany (I lived there from the age of
>9
>to 23). There are a lot of people driving who got their licenses out of a
>box of Cracker Jacks or in a box of cereal and they have no business being
>on the road. Everyday I see people  not doing things that are allowed by
>law
>or taught in the rediculous driver's ed, and they are causing traffic jams,
>accidents or even killing themselves or others. A lot of "children" are
>driving high-powered cars that mommy & daddy bought for them and they have
>no clue what to do in the event that something should go wrong.  For
>example, a few months ago I watched as some kid in a new Camaro ripped out
>of a parking lot, spun it around 180 degrees, jumped a curb and hit my
>friend's parked Durango head-on. Luckily, no one was hurt but the Camaro
>was
>trashed in the front and underneath.
>
>It's not just young people, it's elderly people too. Just today I was going
>home from work, doing about 65mph in a 55 zone and this little old granny
>pulled her land yacht right out in front of me...no one was behind me at
>all. I guess she was late for bingo or something and couldn't wait 10
>seconds for me to go by.
>
>I drive at high speeds all the time and I have NEVER crashed a vehicle or
>caused an accident of any kind. Take my scirocco, who killed it? My
>girlfriend, who didn't know what do to when she started sliding and then
>BAM...scirocco, meet the wall...wall, meet the scirocco.
>
>The faster you go on the street, more attention is needed for what is going
>on around you, behind you and way, WAY out in front of you - not just the
>vehicle directly in front of you. You HAVE to know what's around you at all
>times. You must compensate for the idiots who don't pay attention, who
>can't
>see you, who are blabbing on their cell phone or whatever. You must be
>ready - at all times, at any speed - for anything that is thrown at you.
>
>ok. I could go on and on but I'll stop now. I just had to get that off my
>chest.
>
>adam
>86 8v
>
>
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