As I announced on the list last week, I drove from Miami to Montreal over
the weekend. For those of you who have never done it, it is a 2,700
kilometer trip (1,700 miles) comprising I-95 from miami thru Fla., Georgia,
South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey,
and then I-87 through New York State to the Canadian border. Total travel
time 26 hours (plus 6 hours to sleep in Richmond, Virginia). Average speed
65 m.p.h. I was not driving an LBC but rather a Japanese minivan.
Amazingly low number of LBC sightings (not that I-95 is the place for
LBC's!). One Jag XK140 Roadster in New Jersey; one MGA and one TR4 in poor
shape on a flat bed in Virginia. That's it! The usual modern jags and Z-3's
with the tops up. Lots of Miatas, only half with top down.
I want to thank Alan Fisher and George Marinos for their kind offer of
hospitality. Unfortunately, the plane was late on Friday, we ran into
torrential rain in Florida (more later), and major traffic jams in Georgia
due to jack knifed trucks.
Visited (briefly) Wire Wheel Classic Sports Cars in Fort Pierce, Florida
and met Hayes Harris. Very nice guy who has a whole bunch of bugeyes, Loti,
and Mini Coopers for sale. There was someone on the list looking for a
decent "tub" for a bugeye. Hayes has one for sale
(http://www.wirewheel.com). He also has a decent stash of used parts. Only
problem is nothing is cataloged so you need to spend half a day with your
wish list in hand searching around his warehouse for what you need. I did
not have half a day! He also has a very decent used bugeye bonnet for $800.
I looked at it, it is good with only minor damage, no real rust evident,
and no signs of accident damage.
Now on to my favorite topic: American driving style. I am from Canada, more
precisely from Quebec, where driving 25 m.p.h. over the speed limit in the
left-hand lane is not uncommon. When you come upon a slower moving car in
my part of the world, they move over to the right. If they don't move right
away, you flash your high beams quickly once and they gladly move over
(provided they have the room of course). No cursing, no swearing, no
road-rage. I love it.
Here's what I saw for 1700 miles:
It is perfectly normal to drive 2 m.p.h. over the speed limit in the left
hand lane even though there is no one in the right hand lane for miles. No
one seems to check their mirrors and hence never notice a car coming up
behind them with a speed differential of 20 m.p.h.
Even when the following car jams the brakes and follows 4 car lengths
behind, nobody moves to the right. Reducing the distance to 3, 2 or 1 car
length behind their rear bumper seems to have no effect (mirrors? what
mirrors?). For fear of road rage, I NEVER flashed my lights or honked at
anyone. After following for a minute or more, I would unfortunately have to
pass on the right. This did not seem to faze the morons at all, they would
continue to cruise along in the left lane. Had one incident of road rage
with a guy who did not want to move and did not want to be passed on the
right. He went berserk, first by harrasing us (flashing lights, braking in
front, swerving, etc.) and then proceeded to cut off and harass everybody
for the next 50 miles. Almost caused several accidents, even passed someone
on the right shoulder at one point.
FWIW, the truckers behaved impeccably the whole way.
Beef # 2: people who are driving 3 m.p.h. over the limit in the right lane
and want to pass someone doing the limit in front of them. They insist on
pulling out to the left lane even though a quick glance in their mirrors
will tell them that there is a car approaching in the left lane travelling
20 m.p.h. faster than them. Sometimes they use their turn signal, most of
the time they don't.
Lesson#1: people in Florida are not used to driving under difficult
conditions. We hit 6 or seven violent rainstorms, visibility only about 100
feet at best. I would turn on my lights and slow down to about 60 (speed
limit 70). It seemed to be standard practice for people to pull of the road
in these situations. However, they insist on slowing down to 30, 20, or
even stop completely IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY before pulling off. Many
cars came to a stop in the left hand lane before trying to pull off to the
left, where there is no shoulder, thereby providing me with one of the most
hair raising high speed slaloms I've ever experienced. Lesson: if you are
nervous and want to pull off, put on your hazards or at least your turn
signal, get over to the right hand side, and get off the driving lanes as
quickly as possible!
Best one was in one of the Florida rainstorms when a guy in the middle lane
started to aquaplane badly in front of us. Golden rule, if your car starts
to lose adhesion (water, ice, snow, etc.) lift off the gas but DON'T hit
the brakes. He shot left, hit the guardrail, shot right, hit the guardrail,
shot left again and hit the guardrail again, all the while spinning like a
top. Finally came to rest on the right shoulder facing the right way. There
is now a Saturn that needs all new polymer body panels. Driver was fine. I
had to do my Jacques Villeneuve impersonation, I chose to go left when he
first shot left and missed him when he bounced back right again. What fun!
Anyway, that's the story. I know that holiday drivers on the I-95 certainly
do not represent a cross section of spridget listers but do they represent
a cross section of the average american driver?
Daniel Thompson
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