My Wife!

Ha! That seems to be what my wife thinks of me behind the wheel. 

Posted by: @jkuvakas

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Ha! That seems to be what my wife thinks of me behind the wheel. 

I'm not sure, yet, if it's good or bad, but I have turned into one of those old grandfatherly drivers.

I'm no longer the first one off the light or that guy who is passing everyone. I go the speed limit or a bit below. But I'm a hybrid-type. I move over to let everyone pass me, stay in the far right lane and speed up, if need be, to keep the 'group' moving. And the cell phone is in the charging station on airplane mode - no calls or texting when this old man is driving!

@perrone1   Your comment reminds me of something my partner said, when I first arrived in Germany.  There are columns all around the country, in villages, cities, etc., and they take a pic of you when you're going over the limit and you receive a ticket in the mail.  When driving one day I was told the car we were in, a 1989 Mercedes Benz 260E had a built in instrument that prevents one from getting a ticket and when I asked what that was this was the answer I received: the speedometer.

@gdh Even though I worked in the police for 27 years I have always thought that having a machine process your offence and send you a ticket in the mail several weeks later just wasn't fair sport.

@jack-dodds   I agree, but in my twenty-plus years of living here I have come to the conclusion that fairness is not one of the considerations the German government employs in 'overseeing' its population, the mass migration being one example.  It isn't just a 'nanny' state.  It governs everything, even speech.  I know we don't get into politics here, and I appreciate that, but here is a little tidbit that will probably astonish most US folk:

@perrone1 I have not yet reached the point of total submission but I am now more selective as to those I challenge. Never do I eat, drink or talk on the phone although the car is equipted with Blue Tooth capability.

@bob-jackman Photo radar could work much better IMHO if the tolerances were more reasonable.  It would be far more accepted if the speed tripping the machine was one that, when you got the ticket in the mail, made you respond "yeah...okay that's fair enough".  Sadly in my experience the politicians quickly turn it into a massive cash grab by setting insultingly low tolerances which quickly erodes public support and leads to program discontinuance.  Of course nobody asks the officers doing the job what they think....same old story.

@jack-dodds Well said Jack. Your experience in law enforcement make me agree with you 100%. Not that I have a lot of experience with talking with police officers when stopped, I have found every time the officer was polite, clear spoken and fair in his assessment of the situation. Personally I would prefer taking my chances with an experienced officer rather than some machine set up burreaucrats.

@perrone1, you make a good point. Kelly and I have promised each other that we will not text or message while driving.

Posted by: @gdh

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@perrone1   Your comment reminds me of something my partner said, when I first arrived in Germany.  There are columns all around the country, in villages, cities, etc., and they take a pic of you when you're going over the limit and you receive a ticket in the mail.  When driving one day I was told the car we were in, a 1989 Mercedes Benz 260E had a built in instrument that prevents one from getting a ticket and when I asked what that was this was the answer I received: the speedometer.

Ha, you've obviously got one smart partner. But I disagree just a little. All 3 of our Benz's had it and the current one we own, a SL 500 does too - but it's in the instrument cluster and I have to take my eyes off the road to see it; and I don't do THAT!  HA!!   

Posted by: @bob-jackman

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@perrone1 I have not yet reached the point of total submission but I am now more selective as to those I challenge. Never do I eat, drink or talk on the phone although the car is equipted with Blue Tooth capability.

I'm not convinced that taking a call via the vehicle's bluetooth is bad. I find that I pay more attention when a call comes in that way but it can't speak for everyone the same; so I could be convinced the other way around. Any call that I make or receive on the car's bluetooth is always short.

Posted by: @jkuvakas

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@perrone1, you make a good point. Kelly and I have promised each other that we will not text or message while driving.

Bless you both John. Good solid sense.

Posted by: @jack-dodds

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@bob-jackman Photo radar could work much better IMHO if the tolerances were more reasonable.  It would be far more accepted if the speed tripping the machine was one that, when you got the ticket in the mail, made you respond "yeah...okay that's fair enough".  Sadly in my experience the politicians quickly turn it into a massive cash grab by setting insultingly low tolerances which quickly erodes public support and leads to program discontinuance.  Of course nobody asks the officers doing the job what they think....same old story.