Yes guys,
There are quite some differences.
I have been diving in the USA at some towns and outside.
Comparing the roads USA with the Dutch roads comes to many differences:
The Netherlands is a very dense populated country. With over 16 million
people living there leads to a very busy traffic. Highways have exits ever
so often and this leads to an intensive changing driving pattern all the
time.
Cruise control - I now recently have on my Chrysler Voyager with autogear -
hardly can be used I have experienced, unless one travels to the outer parts
of the Netherlands.
When traveling to other countries near us, it immediately changes, although
western Belgium is similar.
Especially France with its toll roads gives lots of road space with long
distances between every exit. This gives a relaxed feeling for the driver.
So this also leads to safety:
My very first car was before the APK test era (age for the US guys).
The drive shaft UJ's had so much play they could brake any time.
Every time I had to brake these UJ's caused a big bang, because all brake
force went on the UJ's as well (Citroen 2CV had the drum brakes mounted near
the engine and not on the wheel hubs).
The car's bottom plates were rotted away, so I had extra ventilation.
One day the lower hinge of my front door rusted away - the door almost fell
off, but I went on.
I never cared about maintenance as a poor student.
This and many other typical situations had lead to a dangerous traffic.
So personally I'm happy with the APK....
SAFETY Fast!
Hans
-----Original Message-----
From: Max Heim [mailto:mvheim@studiolimage.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2001 6:41 PM
To: MG List
Subject: Re: Passed MOT! (APK for the Dutch)
Ha. Here in the land of the free and the home of cheap (on the world scale)
gasoline, there is no vehicle inspection at all, unless you have just
imported the vehicle from another state or country, and then all they do is
verify the VIN. So you can imagine that each of the 40 million or so
vehicles on the road in California is in tip-top condition, based solely on
its owner's sense of responsibility. Can't you?
on 8/21/01 12:40 AM, ????? ??????? at Rmartin@yedtech.co.il wrote:
> I have days when I wish we HAD an equivalent of the MOT.
>
> Inspection here basically amounts to :
> Brakes? Yep.
> Lights? Yep.
> OK, you pass.
> Of course, being that my B is more than 25 years old, I need this
ridiculous
> excuse for an inspection twice a year, rather than just once. As though
it
> matters.
>
> I trust my regular maintenance, and I trust my mechanic for bigger stuff,
> but I'm sure that if some scary 'government official' was giving my car a
> strict and through checkup every year I would be much more conscientious
> about keeping things as they should be. Not so much for the piddly
legalese
> (like US vs. GB lighting standards) but rather for the supposedly
> professional checks of suspension, fuel system, brakes, body, etc . . .
>
> It would probably make me feel a bit more secure about some of the other
> junkers on the road too (you know, the ones that look like they use the
> bodywork as brakes whenever necessary . . .)
>
> RMartin
> Tel Aviv
>
--
Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149
If you're near Mountain View, CA,
it's the red one with the silver bootlid.
///
/// mgs@autox.team.net mailing list
/// (If they are dupes, this trailer may also catch them.)
|