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AAA auto club

I wish more people knew this rule..... AND USED IT!

Reply to
Paintedcow
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Thats too hard to figure. I like the old rule better....

I had a cop tailgating me on a country gravel road, late at night, with no other traffic around. I pulled over on the shoulder. Instead of passing me, he turned on his red and blue lights and walked up to my car. He said "are you having a problem". I said "YES... THE CAR BEHIND ME WAS FOLLOWING TOO CLOSE AND BLINDING ME WITH HIS LIGHTS IN MY MIRRORS".

That cop was lost for words..... He asked for my license, looked at it quickly and told me I could leave!

That's my policy too. Most tailgaters will continue to "ride your ass" no matter how fast you go. Sometimes I slow way down, hoping they will pass me. If they continue to ride my ass, I usually just pull over on the shoulder, until they do pass. Tailgating is a pet peeve of mine. I wish it was legal to install a flame thrower on the rear of my car!

Reply to
Paintedcow

I hate tailgaters. IIRC, 1/4 or 1/3 of accidents involve them.

I've tried various things to get rid of them.

Waving my arm for them to go around doesn't work well. Even when the top is down and they can plainly see me holding my arm up and moving it in a circle. Even when I'm stopped on a residential street with enough room to go around me, and I'm waving, it takes most people a 10 or 20 seconds before they go around me. (In NYC it takes 1.2 seconds.)

Turning my head around and glowering at them doesn't work, I guess because I'm in such a hurry to look ahead again that they can't tell.

Turning on the 4-way flasher doesn't work, unless I slow down a lot too.

Turning on the right-turn signal works best. I think it calls up a conditioned reflex in them, because on an Xway, they could just wait until i change lanes to the right, which I don't plan to do, but they change lanes to the left pretty often when I put on the right-turn signal.

I suppose slowing down a lot risks gettins shot, but I dont' think that's happened in or around Baltimore.

Staying much farther behind than required has saved me several times, I guess when I'm not paying adequate attention, but stiill, it's saved me.

Reply to
Micky

True. I've tried to measure time for other reasons and it's hard, hard to tell when a car passes a landmark, hard to know how much time has gone by. (I've tried to learn to count off seconds accurety but i'm not as accurate as I want.)

LOL

At night on a two lane road a cop must have been behind me. He pulled me over and told me I was driving badly, wobbling. I said I was fine, no nothing to drink, and he looked at my license and left. I had no idea what the problem was until I started up again and reached for the M&M's I was pouring one at a time into one hand while I held the steering wheel with the other.

So the cop really was observant .

It's not? I thought James Bond had one.

Reply to
Micky

What works best is turning the valve to drip used crankcase oil into the exhaust pipe (after the cat converter!).

Reply to
taxed and spent

I've told this story before, but unless you changed your email, you weren't here.

We came back from our mother's and I dropped my brother off at Newark Airport. Got back from the terminal and I had a flat .

It was spring but I'd had surgery in December, couldn't drive, and the car was parked for two months in the snow, in Queens, and I'd not put one of the hubcaps on. On that wheel, the left rear, I couldnt' get the lug nuts off. I stood on the lug wrench, and got t hem off, but I broke 3 or 4 studs in the process.

It was Sunday. I could ave taken public transportation to NYC and then to Brooklyn, somehow found someone to tow in and fix my car in NJ, taken public transportation back on Monday. At least 5 hours wasted.

I decided to try driving home. About 15 miles. Going straight ahead and turning left worked okay. But when I turned right, the wheel went clomp, clomp, clomp. I tried to avoid right turns, or at least turn very gradually.

I'd either broken 4 studs, or I broke 3 and one more broke while I was driving. I got to the Holland Tunnel and hesitated. They really hate when you break down in the tunnel and they charge a lot to pull you out. They have a tow truck right there, that earns no money except when they tow people out, so that's another reason for them to charge.

I made it through the tunnel okay, and was going east on Walker, but just as I got to Broadway, the last lug stud broke, the wheel fell off, and the car's brake drum hit the ground, with the car not far behind.

I was in the left lane, probably legal then, but come Monday rush hour, 12 hours away, I'd be illegal.

So I jacked up the car, put the wheel on with no bolts, and started to drive. I got 2 inches. Did it again and got 4 feet. Did it again and went 140 feet, including turning left, going the wrong way up Broadway** and turning left over a curb and into a parking lot. ***

**Broadway south of Canal is really quiet on Sunday evenings, or it was when no one lived downtown. ***I'd scouted the area already and found this small parking lot, 120 feet north of the street I was on.

Took the subway home, came back the next morning with a hammer, a drift, and 5 new lug studs and nuts. It took under an hour to fix the car. I had to pay for 1.5 parking places for the whole day, because I parked at right angles to the parking places.

Reply to
Micky

I tap the brakes while adding a little gas.

the close ollower always ddrops back

Reply to
bob haller

Yes, it can be set as you want and maintains it incredibly well even as the speed changes. If you slow down to 30, then 20, then come to a stop it will bring you closer and stop you at a normal distance.

First time I used it I was on a highway and was going to exit to another highway. I was following a car at 75 mph and he slowed on the ramp as it curved and accelerated a bit and slowed for the next curve and then accelerated back to 75. All I had to do was steer. I followed at a safe distance from 75 to 30 to 45 to 30 and finally back to 75.

The speed you set is the max, but it will slow you right to 0 if the car in front stops.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Better yet, check to see if you have a spare. About a third of the new cars today have an air pump and sealer, no spare. Saves weight is the excuse.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Jump to conclusions much?

I could have complained that they should have more contractors available, not that they took a "priority call" first. In addition AAA did not know the "junker" status of my car, only that the brakes weren't working. Do you really think I gave them all the details related to the status of the vehicle? All they need to know is what is wrong so they can tell the tow truck driver what to expect as far as the condition of the vehicle. No brakes. Period.

FWIW, I (and you) do not know what their definition of a "priority call" means. For all we know, the only contractor available for my area (yes, that was what I was told) was simply closer to the other vehicle and told AAA he was going to do that call first. For all we know, the original dispatcher got it wrong and there was no way anyone was getting to me in an hour in the first place. A "priority call" doesn't automatically mean 3 kids stranded on a highway.

Yes, as a 20+ year AAA member who been paying for 6 memberships for over 10 and who has seen his services per annual fee cut over that timeframe, I had every right to complain that I was told that someone would be there in an hour only to be told that it would be at least another hour once I was already at my vehicle.

Reply to
DerbyDad03

Yet you were still considering complaining. After sitting for a very long time that extra hour sure could make a difference. Got it.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

I don't like that. There go my plans to buy a third of a new car.

Reply to
Micky

Stop lying. You definitely don't "got it."

Moving on...

Reply to
DerbyDad03

A lot of good that pump and sealer will do if a tire completely blows and shreads as you come to a stop.....

Reply to
Paintedcow

That's good.

Sounds good. But all that steerring.

Reply to
Micky

In NYS, there is totally no way to maintain such a following distance. On the NYSTA at 60 MPH, other cars merge in front of you, at two car lengths. DAMHIKT.

- . Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .

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Reply to
Stormin Mormon

When people tailgate me, I often slow down until they pass.

One time on exit ramp, I tried speeding up and slowing down a couple times, guy was still on my bumper. I finally slammed on the brakes, and did almost a complete stop before going again.

Got onto the highway. He pulled out to pass. I let him. Kept a safe following distance. He slammed on HIS brakes. I gently let off the gas (had a safe following distance, you see) and barely had to change my driving. That's the nice thing about keeping a safe following distance.

I'd dare to guess he never did get the point about not tailgating cause it's unsafe. Probably spent the rest of the day cursing me, too.

- . Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .

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Reply to
Stormin Mormon

2) When they say to recheck torque on aluminum wheels, they mean it. Need to retorque the lugs after about 25 miles, and I do it again at 50 miles of driving after changing a wheel for any reason. 2a) Carry a torque wrench and socket. 3) If a wheel is making a thumping noise after a home brake job, pull over. Remove the snap cap and retorque the lugs. Else your wheel will get more noisy until it falls off. DAMHIKT. 4) If you get to use a X shaped lug wrench, lean your left hip against the car. Pull up by hand on the right side of the wrench, use your foot to push down on the left.

- . Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .

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Reply to
Stormin Mormon

1) Nice going, about the tailgating cop.

I got to the top of a hill one time, big sign said TRUCKS USE LOWER GEAR. I down shifted, and went down the hill at what I considered a safe speed. At the top of the hill, a cop nearly slammed me in the tail. At the bottom he lit em up, and we chatted. Asked why I was going so slowly, 27 or so in a 55. Well, this hill really scares me, and I consider that a safe speed.

2) I'd also like a flame thrower. Also a set of lights in back to courtesy blind tail gaters with super duper head lights turned too high.

2a) Like the tailgater on the exit ramp, the bright light people won't get the point and won't have their head lights turned down.

- . Christopher A. Young learn more about Jesus .

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Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Mostly is is the compacts and lower end cars with no spare, but you can buy one and have it added. It would be a shocker to find an air pump when you are 120 miles from civilization and a cut sidewall.

I went for about 20 years not ever needing the spare, but sure glad I had one when I needed it.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

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