OT: Why are 3 door cars allowed on the road?

[Commander Kinsey]

Then tell him to wear a seatbelt, but don't force a complete stranger to.

[Commander Kinsey]

Unlikely it's doing much moving after that, it'll have got stuck in a field, bent something, hit something, etc. And unlikely it does a whole number of rolls anyway.

If someone hits the side of your car, you won't be pushed out of your seat, unless the impact was severe, in which case the car wouldn't be controllable as the wheels would be f***ed.

If someone hits you from behind, you just accelerate and are pushed back into your seat anyway.

[Commander Kinsey]

But for the important things like being able to keep running, not the silly things. The annual safety check doesn't make sure it won't break down.

[Commander Kinsey]

I always laugh at the American use of "regular". Regular means the same all round, like a hexagon. Cars ain't like that. You meant normal.

[Commander Kinsey]

Is that where I find the funny videos of cars that flex in the middle and still run?

[Commander Kinsey]

Actually, an adult who usually sits in the front might do that. You get used to seeing what's behind you in the mirror. There should be mirrors on the back doors.

[Commander Kinsey]

And most kids know where it is.

[Ian Jackson]

Unfortunately, 'normal' can also mean 'at rightangles to' or 'at 90 degrees to'.

[rbowman]

I've been in a couple of rollovers. The vehicles didn't wind up back on their wheels and the only way they left the scene was on a wrecker.

[rbowman]

I've never met an abnormal vehicle...

[Commander Kinsey]

He can't see you as he removed cycling.

[Commander Kinsey]

What part of OT didn't you understand?

[Commander Kinsey]

M'colleague used to be a policeman, he rolled a police car and wasn't fired. Wanna f*ck about? Join the police force.

[Commander Kinsey]

We have abnormal loads. You can also use the word unusual if you don't want to convey so strong a meaning.

[Commander Kinsey]

It's possible enough times to not worry about it.

Doesn't matter where they are. The load presumably slid.

They can probably beat the highway code.

With or without a seatbelt.

[Commander Kinsey]

Not in everyday language. We say "perpendicular".

[Ian Jackson]

In message [e-mail], Commander Kinsey [e-mail] writes

No we don't.

Perpendicular means 'straight up and down', and (without checking) I guess is related to 'suspended' (ie hanging). To illustrate how wrong you are, something which is at 90 degrees to the surface of a perpendicular wall is horizontal.

[Ed Pawlowski]

No, it does not mean straight up and down.

1. at an angle of 90° to a given line, plane, or surface. "dormers and gables that extend perpendicular to the main roofline"

If I take two pieces of wood and join them perpendicular I can still mount them on a wall at any angle and they are still perpendicular to each other.

[rbowman]

The cops in the city near where I grew up were rough on equipment, chasing speeders, and all that wild west stuff. The city came up with a solution -- 6 cylinder Plymouth Valiants and not the hot A38 police model. They couldn't catch a 10 year old on a Sturmey-Archer equipped three speed so why bother?

[rbowman]

Plumb implies something perpendicular to the horizon. In older houses a wall may be perpendicular to the floor but by no means plumb.